Kerri Walsh
Resides: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Height: 6-3
College: Stanford
Current Coach: Troy Tanner
Olympic History: 2000 women's indoor volleyball (fourth); 2004 women's beach volleyball (gold medal); 2008 women's beach volleyball (gold medal)
Visit Kerri Walsh's Website
View Kerri’s complete statistics at BVBInfo.com
PERSONAL: Born Kerri Lee Walsh on Aug. 15, 1978, in Santa Clara, Calif. ... Daughter of Tim and Margie Walsh… Tim played minor league baseball with the Oakland A’s organization and also played semi-pro basketball… Margie was a volleyball MVP at Santa Clara… Has an older brother, Marte, two younger sisters, Kelli and KC… Marte played basketball at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, while Kelli played volleyball at Santa Clara. KC is a setter at Oregon State… Kerri married Casey Jennings, a top U.S. men’s beach volleyball player, on Dec. 4, 2005… Kerri gave birth to the couple’s first child, a boy named Joseph Michael Jennings, in May of 2009… Kerri graduated from Stanford University in 2001 with a degree in American studies… Graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, Calif.) in 1996…. When she was a sophomore in high school, she asked Misty May for her autograph… Placed fourth with the U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team at the 2000 Olympic Games… Kerri won the United States’ first women’s beach volleyball gold medal with Misty May at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. They became the first team to win two Olympic beach volleyball gold medals in 2008 in Beijing… In 2009, Kerri and partner Misty May-Treanor competed against NBA player Shaquille O’Neal and Todd Rogers for the “reality” television program “Shaq vs.”… Kerri has also worked as a commentator for NBC… Kerri started her foundation, the Chase the Stars Foundation, in 2004 "to support the notion that every child should have the opportunity to chase their dream." The organization supports programs that "improve the well-being, health, and quality of children's lives.” In 2009, she was nominated for a Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Athlete.
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2009 – Kerri did not compete in any FIVB World Tour tournaments in 2009. However, after giving birth to her son in May, Kerri and partner Misty May-Treanor returned to the sand together in September for the AVP World Challenge: USA vs. Brazil presented by Sanderson Ford in Glendale, Ariz. The United States won the team competition, but Kerri and Misty lost in the final to Brazil's Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca. 2008 – Kerri played her final FIVB tournament of the season in Dubai with Nicole Branagh. Even though Kerri was pregnant, she and Nicole won the event without dropping a set. They defeated U.S. teammates Jen Kessy and April Ross in the final… As a team, Kerri and Misty have won their last 69 FIVB World Tour matches with 10-straight gold medal finishes. Seeded second, the pair won the 2008 Olympic beach volleyball tournament to become the first team to win two beach volleyball Olympic gold medals. The pair finished the tournament with a 7-0 record and did not drop a set. They defeated the top-ranked Chinese team of Wang Jie and Tian Jia, 21-18, 21-18, in the final. The team finished the Olympic Games with a 108-match winning streak... Kerri and Misty had the most Olympic qualifying points of any team in the Games, but were ranked second due to an FIVB rule that allows the host country the top ranking if it has a team in the top six... Kerri underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason and reinjured the shoulder the weekend of May 2 in Huntington Beach, Calif., causing her and Misty to pull out of the early FIVB women's tournaments they had been planning to play. They returned to international play at the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam event in Berlin on June 10-14 and won three straight international tournaments (Berlin; Paris and Stavanger, Norway). Winning the three events earned the team $65,250. 2007 – Kerri and Misty won seven out of eight international tournaments and placed third at the other… The team won its third straight FIVB World Championship (Gstaad, Switzerland) without dropping a set in the tournament… Won $154,750 and finished the season ranked ninth overall, but first in Olympic qualifying points. 2006 – Played in eight tournaments, winning three gold medals, two silver and two bronze… Won $100,700 and finished the season ranked ninth. 2005 – Netted six gold medals in seven tournament appearances… Won a second FIVB World Championship (Berlin, Germany)… Finished the season ranked 7th… Earned $131,500 in prize money. 2004 – Kerri and Misty went 7-0, winning 14 sets, to win the Olympic Games in Athens… Won four gold medals in five FIVB events… Received $91,000... Played part of the season with Rachel Wacholder while Misty May recovered from an abdominal strain. 2003 – Won the FIVB World Championship (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)… Claimed five gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal in eight tournaments…Finished the season ranked 3rd…Earned $126,000 for her tournament appearances. 2002 – Won the FIVB Tour…Netted five gold medals, three silver medals in a bronze medal in 11 events…Finished the season ranked 1st…Received $97,570 in prize money. 2001 – Played in nine tournaments winning one gold, three silver and one bronze medal…Finished the season ranked 7th overall… Earned $60,500 in prize money.
DOMESTIC HIGHLIGHTS: 2009 – Kerri returned from her maternity break to pair with Rachel Wacholder, who had also been on maternity leave, for the AVP event in Hermosa Beach (8/6-8). The team finished fifth. They went on to compete in three more events together with their best finish a third in San Francisco (8/14-16). Kerri joined Holly McPeak for the AVP tourney in Chicago, where the team placed fifth. Kerri and her partners won a total of $25,465 for the season. 2008 – Kerri and Misty played in a total of 14 AVP tournaments, winning 12 and taking one second and one third. They won a total of $182,750... Misty and Kerri's total match win streak came to an end at 112 matches at the AVP Crocs Cup Shootout Cincinnati held Aug. 29-31. Misty and Kerri were defeated in the finals by fellow Olympians, Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh. The loss also snapped the gold medalists' streak of 19 straight tournament championships. Until then, Misty and Kerri had not lost a domestic volleyball match since Aug. 16-19, 2007 in Boston when they lost in the AVP final to Branagh and Youngs... Misty and Kerri won the first three AVP events they played in before Kerri reinjured her shoulder the weekend of May 2. They came back the weekend of May 24 to win the AVP event in Louisville, Ky. ... They won a total of 12 AVP events in 2008, with one second and one third. They won a total of $182,750... At the AVP event in Chicago on Aug. 10-13, Misty won her 100th career tournament title in 153 events, the fastest beach volleyball player to reach that milestone. She is the first female beach volleyball player to win 100 tourneys and the fifth player overall. Going into Beijing she has 102 tournament victories. 2007 – Played in 15 AVP events… Won gold at 13, silver at one and bronze at one… Won $162,250 and finished season ranked first. 2006 – Played in 16 AVP events with 13 first-place finishes and three second-places… Won $236,650 and finished season ranked 1st. 2005 – Played in 14 AVP tournaments, winning 11 and finishing second three times… Won $183,250 and finished season ranked 1st. 2004 – Played in 11 AVP tournaments with seven first-place finishes, three seconds and one third… Won $90,862.50 and finished season ranked 1st. 2003 – Won eight out of eight AVP tournaments… Claimed $71,550.00 and finished season ranked 1st. 2001 – Won one out of two Beach Volleyball America tournaments… Won $4,375.
PARTNERS: 2009 – Rachel Wacholder (Kerri played the AVP World Challenge with Misty May-Treanor and played the AVP event in Chicago with Holly McPeak). 2008 – Misty May-Treanor (Kerri played one FIVB tournament with Nicole Branagh) 2007 – Misty May-Treanor. 2006 – Misty May-Treanor. 2005 – Misty May-Treanor. 2004 – Misty May… Rachel Wacholder (Kerri played with Rachel while Misty was recovering from an abdominal strain before the Olympic Games). 2003 – Misty May. 2002 – Misty May. 2001 – Misty May.
HONORS: 2008 – FIVB Best Blocker and Sportsperson of the Year… AVP Best Defensive Player, Crocs Cup Champion (with Misty May-Treanor) and Team of the Year (with Misty May-Treanor). 2007 – Twenty wins (domestic and international combined) tied her with May-Treanor for the most wins in a single season… Named FIVB Sportswoman of the Year and Best Offensive Player with Misty May-Treanor. Kerri alone was named Best Hitter and Best Blocker… AVP Team of the Year and Crocs Cup Champion (with Misty May-Treanor). 2006 – Walsh became the fourth American woman to surpass $1 million in career earnings, accomplishing the feat in Chicago… Named FIVB Best Blocker, Best Hitter and Sportswoman of the Year… AVP Team of the Year and Crocs Cup Champion (with Misty May-Treanor) 2005 – Named FIVB Best Blocker, Best Hitter and Sportsperson of the Year… AVP Team of the Year (with Misty May-Treanor). 2004 – Named AVP Most Valuable Player… AVP Team of the Year (with Misty May). 2003 – AVP Most Valuable Player and Best Offensive Player… AVP Team of the Year (with Misty May).
COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS: 1999 - NCAA First Team All-American. 1998 - NCAA First Team All-American. 1997 - Led Stanford University to the national championship…NCAA First Team All-American. 1996 – Led Stanford University to the national championship… NCAA First Team All-American.
