Kristin Richards
Position: Outside Hitter
Height: 6-1
Weight: 68kg/150 pounds
Hometown: Orem, Utah
College: Stanford
Birth Date: June 30, 1985
Joined Team: June 2005
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2009 – Pan American Cup (Fourth); FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament – NORCECA Pool G (Gold)…FIVB World Grand Prix (Ninth)...NORCECA Continental Championship (Fourth). 2008 - Pan American Cup (Fifth Place)...U.S. Olympic Team Exhibition for Volleyball versus Brazil...FIVB World Grand Prix (Fourth Place). 2005 – Montreux Volley Masters (7th Place)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Eighth Place).
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2009 – Averaged 2.94 points per set while playing in 48 sets during 2009 season…Started six matches and played 20 total sets of the Pan American Cup, averaging 3.30 points and 1.35 digs per set…Converted 40.4 percent of attacks into kills at Pan American Cup…Played a reserved role at FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament – NORCECA Pool G, but generated 4.00 points per set coming off the bench in three sets…Tallied 11 points with nine kills on 14 attempts in two sets versus Barbados on July 7…Started six of nine matches during the preliminary weekends of the FIVB World Grand Prix, competing in 24 of 36 possible sets…Averaged 2.54 points and 1.00 digs per set at the World Grand Prix…Tallied 14 points versus Puerto Rico on Aug. 1, followed by 13 points versus Dominican Republic on Aug. 7…Provided two kills on two attempts against Costa Rica on Sept. 24 in only set of action during NORCECA Continental Championship. 2008 - Contributed 73 points in 26 sets to help the U.S. finish fifth at Pan American Cup and earn 2009 World Grand Prix berth...Averaged 2.81 points, 2.38 kills, 0.31 blocks and 0.77 digs per set at the Pan American Cup...Tallied 15 points in loss to Puerto Rico on June 5...Hit .710 against Argentina, the bronze medalist at the Pan American Cup, with 10 kills on 14 errorless swings in a June 1 victory...Started two of three sets played versus Brazil on June 13 compiling three kills and an ace...Started two of four sets played at the FIVB World Grand Prix compiling two kills on nine attacks and an ace. 2005 – Participated at the Montreaux Volley Masters and FIVB World Grand Prix events. 2003 – Member of USA National A2 program. 2002 – Member of U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. 2001 – Traveled with U.S. Women's National Team player and served as a practice player at the Montreux Volley Masters tournament...Member of U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. 2000 – Captain of U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team…Traveled to Switzerland with U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team.
COLLEGE: Two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American while competing as an outside hitter at Stanford University (2003-2006)... Concluded collegiate career in 2006 ranked among the top 10 in several career categories with the Cardinal. Holds the Stanford record for career digs (1,597) and career dig average (3.44 per set), while ranking third in career attacks (4,350). Ranks fifth with 1,819-career kills and 3.92 kills per set…Served 126 aces for fifth place, while her 0.27 aces per set ranks tied for seventh…Played in a 464 total games for ninth place at Stanford. 2006: Earned All-American Honorable Mention by Volleyball Magazine and was a Third Team honoree by the AVCA...Named to the All-Pac-10 Team for the fourth-straight season. 2005: First-Team AVCA All-American and ASICS/Volleyball All-American...Also named First-Team AVCA Pacific Region…Named to the All-Pac-10 First Team for a third-straight season...Finished first on the team in kills (544, 4.90 kpg, third in the Pac-10, 19th in the country) as a starter in 32 matches...Her 544 kills is sixth-best for a single season in school history. 2004: Played in 132 games…Volleyball Magazine All-American…NCAA All-Tournament selection…NCAA Regional All-Tournament choice...Pac-10 First Team selection…Averaged 3.68 kills and 3.80 digs per game. 2003: Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year...AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year…Pac-10 Freshman of the Year…All-Pac-10 selection…Averaged 3.38 kills and 3.03 digs per game.
High School: Four-year letterwinner at Timpanogos High School in Orem, Utah…Captained her team during her junior and senior seasons…Four-time all-region selection and all-state honoree…2000 & 2002 Region MVP…2000 Student Sports National Sophomore of the Year…2001 & 2002 All-American…2001 & 2002 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year…The 2002 State MVP…2003 National Gatorade Player of the Year…2001 & 2002 Academic all-region selection…Led her team to a state championship in 2002-03…Played club for the Players Volleyball Club, and helped her team win the 2002 Nationals…Voted MVP.
Personal: Born Kristin Richards on June 30, 1985…Daughter of Dave and Lori Richards…has one sister (Lauren) and two brothers (Andrew and Taylor)…Sister, Lauren, played volleyball at BYU and is now coaching at American University…Both her father and mother played volleyball at BYU…Father, Dave, also played on the U.S. National Team from 1978 to 1980...Graduated from Stanford in 2007 with a bachelor of arts degree in urban studies...Played volleyball since age eight...Rehabilited two consecutive knee surgeries in nine months...Happiest moment in sports was winning the NCAA Division I national championship in 2004...Happiest moments in life were graduating from Stanford and her sister's marriage...Hobbies include skiing, photography, sleeping, outdoors and beach volleyball...Admires her mother most because she has endured a lot growing up and is an amazing individual...Favorite athlete is Karch Kiraly...Favorite movie is Wedding Crashers and favorite television shows are Family Guy and Friends...Favorite book is Tuesday's with Morrie...Favorite music is country and favorite musical group is Bloc Party...Favorite food is pizza.
20 Questions with Kristin Richards
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 25, 2007) - Kristin Richards, an outside hitter on the USA Women's National Team, recently completed the latest installment of "20 Questions with the Women's National Team."
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Nap
What do you envision doing as a career after competing for the national team?
Social work
Who was your club coach prior to going to college?
My dad
Where would you like to spend a week’s vacation?
New Zealand
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
An obscure Italian beach
What is your favorite television program?
Friends
What is your favorite movie?
Wedding Crashers
What is your favorite book?
Tuesdays with MOrrie/The Kite Runner
Who is the funniest player on the women’s national team?
Tie between Stacy Sykora and Ogonna Nnamani
Are you a morning person, afternoon person or night person?
Night (I Loooooove sleeping in)
On an airplane, would you rather, sleep, read, work on a computer or talk with the person sitting next to you?
Sleep or read
What is the best thing about competing on the USA Women’s National Team?
Competing at the highest level possible and my teammates
Who is your favorite athlete?
Michael Jordan
What is your favorite food?
Cliche, but pizza
What is your favorite restaurant to eat at?
CAFÉ RIO (best Mexican restaurant ever, only in Utah and Arizona)
What is your hometown best known for?
Snow
How many different languages can you converse in?
Two and a half (Italian and English, and broken Spanish :) ...)
What was your favorite subject in school?
Italian
What is your fondest child-hood memory?
Playing night-games with neighborhood friends (we also had a spy club).
If you could see any musical act or performer (dead or alive) in concert, who would it be?
Whitney Houston
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing that you would buy or pay for?
A private jet so I could travel the world.
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To Fly
If a movie was made about your life, which actor or actress would you want to play you?
Cameron Diaz
If you could live in another time period for a week, which one would you choose?
80S
If you could be on the cover of one magazine, which one would you choose?
Rolling Stones
What is the most “embarrassing” song on your iPod?
NSYNC (Bye Bye Bye)
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Energetic, Sarcastic, Grateful
What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas (I cherish family and Christmas is a perfect excuse for everyone to get together)
What is your favorite season – winter, spring, summer or fall?
Summer
What are your most prized possessions?
Family and Friendship
What is your motto?
Remember the little things.
What reality show (American Idol, the Apprentice, the Real World, Survivor, Big Brother, etc.) would you be best on?
Survivor
What communication tool do you use most often – text messaging, talking on the cell phone or e-mail?
Talking on the phone
Posted and updated: Nov. 11, 2009
