FIVB announces year-end honours for beach volleyball players
Recently, the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) announced year-end awards for beach volleyball players, who did exceptionally well in the regular season. The points for honourees were collected during the 2011 FIVB SWATCH World Tour. The FIVB
officials, referees, coaches, and athletes voted for the nominated players. Four of the U.S. beach volleyball players settled for individual awards. The list of names included three female and one male athlete.
April Ross – Costa Mesa, California Kerri Walsh – San Jose, California Misty May-Treanor - Santa Monica, California Phil Dalhausser - Ormond Beach, Florida
April Ross – Best Hitter
This is the second time in the last three years that Costa Mesa native, April Ross, has settled for the year-end award of Best Hitter. She proved the metal of her forearms and exhibited great action on the sand throughout the season. She was also named as
the Best Server of the season for the first time. She claimed 85.0 Km/h serve speed this year and set a new record. She achieved the milestone, while playing at Phuket Open in Thailand.
Kerri Walsh – Best Blocker
One of the top beach volleyball players in the US, Kerri Walsh, emerged as the Best Blocker of the year. The FIVB acknowledged her amazing ability to stop her opponents right at the net. She is known for her solid defence and clinched the honour for the
fifth time since 2008. Moreover, she was named the Most Inspirational Player of the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Tour.
Misty May-Treanor - Best Defensive Player
Misty May-Treanor, who has partnered with Kerri Walsh for two Olympic titles, did equally well during this season. She perfectly complimented her team-mate Walsh and played an instrumental role in the overall success of their team. She captured the Best
Defensive Player of the Year award, for the third time in her career. The tandem of Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh seized three gold medals and four silver medals on the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Tour.
Phil Dalhausser – Best Setter
Top-seeded Phil Dalhausser helped his team with four gold medals this year. He settled for the award of Best Setter for third straight year.
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