US Olympic Volleyball Team: Athletes You Need on Your Radar Heading into London

The United States volleyball teams all have excellent chances to take home gold medals at the 2012 Olympics. 

The men’s indoor team is the defending gold medalist, although they are not the favorites heading into London. 

The women’s team has never won gold, but they enter the tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the world.

In the beach volleyball competitions, the United States has two teams ranked in the top five for each gender.

Here are the athletes to keep an eye on throughout the games.

Logan Tom has been a fixture at outside hitter for the women’s Olympic team since the Athens Games in 2000. 

She is one of the most productive and consistent players in the program’s history, and she will again be one of the main offensive threats for the Americans.

Tom has skills and experience, and she will be an extremely valuable asset for Team USA throughout the tournament. 

She will need to be a leader on and off the court in order for the United States to win its first gold medal.

Destinee Hooker will be playing in her first Olympics, but she could emerge as a star this summer.

She is 24-year-old opposite who has unlimited potential. She is 6’4” with elite athleticism and tremendous hitting power.

She meshes perfectly with Tom, giving Team USA an ideal blend of youth and experience. 

Hooker is ready to shine on the world’s biggest stage, and if she does, the Americans will be extremely difficult to beat.

Clay Stanley was the MVP of the tournament in Beijing and was of the main reasons Team USA won the gold medal.

He is 34 years old now, but is still a leader and a productive player. He will captain the team throughout the competition.

The 6’9” opposite is a dominant hitter and will continue to crush balls at the net.

Stanley will be the driving force behind any success the Americans have at the tournament.

Like the women’s team, the men will also have an ideal mix of youth and experience with Matt Anderson and Clay Stanley. 

Anderson is a 25-year-old, 6’8” outside hitter who led Penn State to a national championship and won the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award in 2008.

He plays with both grace and violence. He is a fantastic athlete who is a lethal hitter with a wicked serve.

Stanley will be the American’s leader, but it will likely be Anderson who shines brightest on the court.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are two-time defending gold medalists, but the London 2012 Games will be their most difficult challenge yet.

Since the Beijing Games, May-Treanor has recovered from a serious Achilles tendon injury and Walsh has had two children.

Now, May-Treanor is 34 years old and Walsh is 33. They are the third-ranked team in the world and will face stiff competition throughout the tournament. 

It will be an incredible accomplishment if they win another gold, and their progress will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the competition.

One serious challenger to Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh will be fellow Americans Jennifer Kessy and April Ross.

Kessy is 34 years old, and Ross is 30. This is their first trip to the Olympics.

The team just barely missed out on the Beijing Games, but they have since established themselves as a force on the international circuit.

Kessy and Ross are the fourth-ranked team in the world, and they will be in the medal hunt throughout the competition in London.

Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers are the reigning gold medalists and have an excellent chance to repeat this summer.

Dalhausser, 32, and Rogers, 38, have played together since 2005, and they are currently the second-ranked team in the world.

They will face the talented Brazilian duo. The experienced Emanuel Rego and the youthful Alison Cerutti have dominated since partnering up and currently hold the top rankings.

But Dalhausser and Rogers have the best shot to knock them off and will be extremely motivated to defend their medal.

Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal will try and shake the label of “the other Americans” throughout the tournament.

Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers will overshadow them, but Gibb and Rosenthal are a dangerous duo. They currently hold the No. 4 ranking in the world.

Gibb is 36 years old, and Rosenthal is 32. This is the second Olympics for the team.

The two men are experienced and ready to earn their first medals. They will be overlooked by some, but are more than capable of ending up on a podium when the competition is over.