Beach Ball! The 10 Greatest Beach Volleyball Players of All Time - Male and Female Divisions
Beach Volleyball’s Greatest Ever Men’s and Women’s Players
Stamina, sand and skill. While this might sum up beach volleyball, there’s a whole lot more to it.
Read about the 10 greatest beach volleyball players who’ve ever graced the sandy court!
Beach volleyball star Misty May-Treanor
Beach volleyball, a thrilling and physically demanding sport, has enthralled sports enthusiasts worldwide for over a hundred years.
It’s both a recreational and professional sport, and it made its Olympic debut in 1996. It’s a very popular sport across the world, with volleyball players in Italy and other European countries enjoying great success.
Over the years, numerous players have risen to legendary status, leaving an indelible mark on the sport.
Volley for volley, these are the players The Sporting Blog thinks are the GOAT.
The Greatest Beach Volleyball Players: Men’s Division
1. Karch Kiraly
Winner of the men’s first Olympic beach volleyball event in 1996
He’s racked up 148 wins throughout his career
FIVB dubbed him the Greatest Male Volleyball Player of the 20th Century
Karch Kiraly played his first beach volleyball match as his father’s partner when he was 11 years old.
From his freshman year at UCLA, much of his career centred around indoor volleyball, but he turned to professional beach volleyball in 1992, winning tournaments into his 40s.
He’s won numerous Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) and FIVB awards and, in 2005, he was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame.
After retiring, he turned to broadcasting and coaching, leading the women’s national team to a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics.
2. Emanuel Rego
Rego participated in the first five consecutive Olympic games since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport
He won three Olympic medals
He was inducted into the prestigious International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016
Born in 1973, this 6’3” Brazilian legend began his beach volleyball career at age 17, and he dominated the international circuit for 23 seasons.
He won medals in three consecutive Olympic Games, including:
A gold medal in 2004
A bronze medal in 2008
A silver medal in 2012
Excluding national tours, Rego has played in 258 international tournaments, finishing on the podium 156 times.
Aside from his Olympic medals, he’s collected another 151 gold medals from international tournaments.
3. Sinjin Smith
He is known as the “King of the Beach”
He’s the first player to attain 100 career victories
Smith played in the first Olympic beach volleyball team in 1996
Sinjin Smith also started his career in indoor volleyball at UCLA. His first beach volleyball win came in 1977 at age 20, when he partnered with Mike Normand for the Rosecrans Open.
Later, he teamed up with Karch Kiraly, winning the initial King of the Beach tournament at the Manhattan Open.
His mental acumen and excellent defence led him to 139 career victories, including numerous AVP International Championships.
Sinjin earned his spot in the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2003.
4. Ricardo Santos
He’s won three Olympic beach volleyball medals
He was awarded four medals at the Beach Volleyball World Championships
Santos won 57 first places in international events
Ricardo, also known as “The Block Machine,” was a legendary blocker. He also had excellent offensive skills, with the FIVB naming him Offensive Player of the Year no less than three times.
He has won many individual awards, along with countless wins played with many partners.
Ricardo has participated in four Olympic games, winning a silver in 2000, a gold in 2004 and a bronze in 2008.
5. Phil Dalhausser
He’s a four-time winner of the AVP Tour
He’s won two FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship medals
He won gold at the 2008 Olympics
Phil Dalhausser is one of beach volleyball’s most accomplished players, with a hugely successful national and international professional journey.
“The Thin Beast” won 97 first-place trophies during his career and has conquered every major beach volleyball tournament worldwide, including the FIVB Tour, FIVB World Championships, AVP Tour and the Olympics.
The Swiss-born American had an 11-year streak of at least one FIVB competition each year. In addition to his many FIVB awards, he is also an inductee of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
The Greatest Breach Volleyball Players: Women’s Division
1. Kerri Walsh Jennings
She’s won three Olympic gold medals
Her career earnings are the highest in the women's division of beach volleyball
She’s won 60+ medals on FIVB World Tours
Kerri Walsh Jennings has 135 career victories, making her the top women’s beach volleyball player, with earnings of more than $2.6 million.
She teamed up with Misty May-Treanor in 2001, and their first beach circuit landed them ranked fifth in the world. They went on to achieve 112 wins in a row.
The 2003, 2005 and 2007 World Championships saw Walsh Jennings win a gold medal at each event.
She repeated this achievement at the Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics.
2. Misty May-Treanor
She’s been a gold medalist at three Olympic Games
May-Treanor was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016
She’s had 112 career victories
Misty May-Treanor began her beach volleyball career in 1999, teaming up with Holly McPeak.
The pair went to the 2000 Summer Olympics, ending in fifth position. In 2001, the May-Treanor/Walsh Jennings team became the most dynamic duo in women’s beach volleyball of that era.
Aside from the Olympics and World Championships gold medals, the AVP named Misty Most Valuable Player for four consecutive years between 2005 and 2008.
She also received the FIVP award for Most Outstanding Player in 2005 and 2008. May-Treanor retired after the 2012 Olympics with a gold medal and a string of other accolades.
3. April Ross
Ross is a three-time Olympic medalist
She’s had 74 victories on the beach volleyball court
She won over $2 million during her career
April Ross began her professional beach volleyball career in 2006.
In a new partnership with Jennifer Kessy from 2007, Ross began to climb the ranks, and the twosome beat the number one Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh Jennings dynamic duo at an AVP event.
Ross participated in three Olympic events, each time with a different partner and each time snagging a different colour medal.
Paired with Jennifer Kessy at the 2012 London Olympics, the team won a silver medal. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, she and partner Kerri Walsh-Jennings took home bronze.
By the 2020 Summer Olympics, she was playing with Alix Klineman and finally achieved the long-awaited gold!
4. Holly McPeak
McPeak is a three-time beach volleyball Olympian
She racked up an impressive 72 career titles
She has 19 FIVB titles to her name
Holly McPeak grew up watching beach volleyball greats like Karch Kiraly, Sinjin Smith, Jim Menges and Matt Gage.
She made her professional debut on the sand at 18 in 1987 and took her first title in 1993 at the AVP Phoenix Open.
This kicked off her winning streak, and she started dominating the beach circuit with countless wins and awards between 1993 and 2004.
McPeak played in the first Olympic beach volleyball event in 1996 and 2000, earning fifth place. She returned in 2004 with a third-time-lucky bronze-medal finish with fellow female Olympian Elaine Youngs.
5. Larissa França Maestrini
She’s had 69 beach volleyball career wins
At the 2012 London Olympics, she won a bronze medal
Maestrini is a nine-time Women’s FIVB Beach World Tour winner
Born in 1982, Brazilian Larissa França made her professional beach volleyball debut in 2001.
For a couple of years, she partnered with Ana Richa, but from 2004 until 2012, she and Juliana Felisberta made a powerful duo, winning the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
After a two-year retirement, Maestrini re-entered the game with Talita Antunes.
She has received numerous FIVB awards since 2009 and was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Beach volleyball has witnessed the rise of incredible talent on both the women's and men's sides, and this list is proof of it. Do you think anyone else deserves a mention? Tell us in the comments below!
