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Alix Klineman

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Alix Klineman
Klineman in 2019
Personal information
Full nameAlexandra Rose Klineman
Born (1989-12-30) December 30, 1989 (age 34)
Manhattan Beach, California, U.S.
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight79 kg (174 lb)[2]
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Career
YearsTeams
2007–2010
2011–2012
2012–2013
2013–2014
2014–2015
2015–2017		Stanford University
Scavolini Pesaro
Mc Carnaghi Villa Cortese
Imoco Volley Conegliano
Igor Gorgonzola Novara
Dentil Praia Clube
National team
2008–2021United States
Medal record
Women's beach volleyball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Beach
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Hamburg Beach
World Tour Finals
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Cagliari Beach
FIVB BVB World Tour
Gold medal – first place 2018 The Hague Beach
Gold medal – first place 2019 Yangzhou Beach
Gold medal – first place 2019 Itapema Beach
Gold medal – first place 2019 Gstaad Beach
Gold medal – first place 2021 Doha Beach
Silver medal – second place 2019 Tokyo Beach
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Cancún Beach
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Cancún Beach
AVP Pro BVB Tour
Gold medal – first place 2018 Hawaii Beach
Gold medal – first place 2018 Championships (Chicago) Beach
Gold medal – first place 2018 Manhattan Beach Beach
Gold medal – first place 2018 Austin Open Beach
Gold medal – first place 2019 Championships (Chicago) Beach
Gold medal – first place 2019 New York City Beach
Gold medal – first place 2019 Huntington Beach Beach
Gold medal – first place 2021 Manhattan Beach Beach
Silver medal – second place 2018 Hermosa Beach Beach
Silver medal – second place 2019 Manhattan Beach Beach
Bronze medal – third place 2018 San Francisco Beach
Bronze medal – third place 2018 New York City Beach
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Guadalajara Team

Alexandra Rose "Alix" Klineman (born December 30, 1989) is an American beach volleyball player, 2020 Summer Olympics gold medalist, and former indoor volleyball player.

In high school she was the 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year. She was a four-time All-American in volleyball at Stanford University, and the 2010 Volleyball Magazine national player of the year. She won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2011 Pan American Games.

Switching to beach volleyball, she was named part of the 2018 Association of Volleyball Professionals Team of the Year (along with April Ross), and individually honored with the 2018 and 2019 Best Blocker awards.

Early life

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Klineman was born in Torrance, California, to Mike and Kathie Klineman, raised in Manhattan Beach, California, and is Jewish.[1][3][4][5] She has an older brother, Max, and a sister, Maddy.[1][6] She is 6'5" (1.96 m) in height.[1]

High school

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Klineman graduated from Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California in 2007. She was named the 2005 and 2006 California Gatorade State Player of the Year for Volleyball, and the 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year.[7] She was also the 2004 and 2006 California State Championship most valuable player, PrepVolleyball.com 2004 Sophomore Player of the Year and 2006 Senior Player of the Year, and a three-time PrepVolleyball.com High School All-American.[1] She led Mira Costa to three consecutive California State Championships, and three consecutive Southern Section CIF Championships.[1] In indoor volleyball, Klineman is an outside hitter.

College

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She played indoor college women's volleyball at Stanford University for the Stanford Cardinal women's volleyball team in 2007–2010.[6][1] She was the 2010 Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year as a college senior, a multi American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American, the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, and an All-Conference selection all four years.[7] Klineman was also the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, leading the Cardinal to the NCAA Finals, and she made the NCAA All-Tournament Team.[7] She finished her college career second at Stanford and fifth all-time in Pac-10 history with 2,008 kills.[1] In 2010 she ranked second in the US with 5.55 kills per set and 6.25 points per set,[1]

Team USA

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She was on the USA Junior National Women's Volleyball Team and a member of the United States women's national volleyball team.[7] She helped the U.S. Girls' Youth National Team win a gold medal at the 2004 North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Girls' Youth Continental Championship, and a gold medal at the 2006 NORCECA Women's Junior Continental Championship. Klineman was a training member of the United States women's national volleyball team.[8] She won a bronze medal with the US in volleyball at the 2011 Pan American Games.[7][1]

Professional indoor volleyball career

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She also played volleyball in Italy from 2011 to 2015 for Volley Pesaro, Gruppo Sportivo Oratorio Villa Cortese, and AGIL Volley Novara, and with Praia Clube in Brazil for two years.[6][9][10] She tested positive for anabolic androgenic steroids in 2013 and was suspended for 13 months. According to Klineman, the positive results were due to unintentional ingestion of her mother's DHEA supplement.[11]

Beach volleyball career

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April Ross (left) and Klineman in 2019

In 2017, Klineman left indoor volleyball to focus on beach volleyball full-time, and was named the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Rookie of the Year.[12][13] At the end of 2017, Klineman and April Ross became beach volleyball partners.[12]

Klineman and Ross won the FIVB Dela Beach Open in January 2018, which was the first tournament they played together.[14] During the 2018 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, Klineman and Ross won four tournament events: the Austin Open, the Manhattan Beach Open, the Championships (in Chicago), and the Hawaii Invitational.[15] In mid-October 2018, Klineman and Ross won their second FIVB tournament event, earning the gold medal over Brazil at the Yangzhou Open.[16] Klineman was named part of the AVP Team of the Year (along with April Ross), and individually honored with the Best Blocker and Most Improved Player awards at the AVP Award Banquet that November.[17]

In 2019, Klineman's success with Ross continued as they won the Huntington Beach and New York City Open AVP tour events,[18][19] and won the FIVB Itapema Open mid-May.[20] They also won the silver medal at the 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.[21][22] Klineman was again named Best Blocker.[23]

In July 2020, the two won the AVP Monster Hydro Cup and the Wilson Cup, and in August they won the AVP Champions Cup.[23][21][24]

On August 6, 2021, Klineman and Ross captured the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, after winning in straight sets versus Australia. In the entire tournament, they went undefeated in match play, only losing one set throughout seven matches.[25] Two weeks later, the pair won the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, their second time winning this tournament together.[26]

Awards

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Clubs

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Individual

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Alix Klineman". teamusa.org. USOC. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "Beach Volleyball Major Series". beachmajorseries.com.
  3. ^ Grosbard, Adam (August 22, 2018). "Alix Klineman, April Ross take victory in AVP Manhattan Beach Open". The Beach Reporter.
  4. ^ "Federation's Super Sunday garners $4.5 million; Sports luminaries honored". Jewish Journal. February 15, 2008.
  5. ^ Eric Sondheimer (October 23, 2013). "Locals selected as Jewish prep athletes of the year". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b c "Meet Breakout Beach Volleyball Player Alix Klineman: From Starting By Chance To Winning Golds," Team USA, August 20, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "ALIX KLINEMAN; Volleyball - 2015". Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
  8. ^ "Athletes: Alix Klineman". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012.
  9. ^ "Alix Klineman's transition to beach volleyball has been everything she and April Ross could have hoped for". Los Angeles Times. August 16, 2019.
  10. ^ Chan, Ed (December 5, 2017). "Alix Klineman gambled and it paid off. A Q&A with April Ross's new partner". Volleyball Magazine.
  11. ^ "Alix Klineman Suspended". volleywood.net. December 21, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Zaccardi, Nick (November 30, 2017). "April Ross finds new partner for Tokyo 2020 Olympic run". NBC Sports.
  13. ^ "Alix Klineman's hard work has resulted in a near-flawless Olympic qualifying campaign". Los Angeles Times. March 10, 2020.
  14. ^ "April Ross, Alix Klineman win gold at FIVB Dela Beach Open". Volleyballmag.com. January 7, 2018. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  15. ^ "2018 AVP Tour Results (Women)". AVP. September 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Klineman and Ross bring home Yangzhou gold". FIVB. October 14, 2018.
  17. ^ "2018 AVP Awards". AVP.com. November 15, 2018.
  18. ^ Morales, Robert (May 6, 2019). "AVP Tour: Alix Klineman, April Ross rally to win Huntington Beach Open". TBRnews.com.
  19. ^ Leinonen, Jim (June 12, 2019). "South Bay AVP pros win titles at tournament in New York City". TBRnews.com.
  20. ^ "April Ross, Alix Klineman back atop Olympic beach volleyball qualifying". NBCSports.com. May 19, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Alix Klineman/April Ross Take Home AVP Champions Cup, Porsche Cup". Manhattan Beach, CA Patch. August 3, 2020.
  22. ^ "April Ross, Alix Klineman take silver at beach volleyball worlds". NBCSports.com. July 6, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "Manhattan Beach's Alix Klineman Takes AVP Tourney With April Ross". Manhattan Beach, CA Patch. July 19, 2020.
  24. ^ "Alix Klineman, April Ross One Cup Away from AVP Champions Cup". Manhattan Beach, CA Patch. July 26, 2020.
  25. ^ "April Ross and Alix Klineman of the U.S. Win Beach Volleyball Gold". NY Times. August 5, 2020.
  26. ^ "Alix Ross-Klineman, Bourne-Crabb capture AVP Manhattan Beach Open titles". Volleyball Magazine. August 22, 2021.
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