Position: Middle Blocker
Height: 6-3
Weight:
Hometown: Plantation, Fla.
Birth Date: Oct. 5, 1987
College: Stanford
Joined Team: May 2003
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2012 - FIVB World Grand Prix Preliminary Round...Olympic Games (Silver). 2011 – Montreux Volley Masters (Fourth)...Pan American Cup (Bronze)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold)...NORCECA Championship (Gold)...FIVB World Cup (Silver). 2010 – Pan American Cup (Bronze)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold)...Tour of Brazil...FIVB World Championship (Fourth). 2009 – FIVB World Grand Prix (9th). 2008 – USA Tour of China…U.S. Olympic Team Exhibition for Volleyball versus Brazil…FIVB World Grand Prix (Fourth Place). 2007 – Pan American Games (Bronze Medal). 2005 – Pan American Cup (Fourth).
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2012 – Started five matches in the first two legs of the FIVB World Grand Prix preliminary round before not traveling to third round or Final Round…Averaged 3.06 points and 0.71 blocks per set during World Grand Prix as Team USA went on to win the title…Started all eight matches and 27 sets at the Olympic Games helping the U.S. win the silver medal…Averaged 3.33 points for 10th overall at the Olympics…Converted 61.2 percent of attacks into points at the Olympic Games with a .495 hitting efficiency…Added 0.89 blocks per set and ranked second in Best Blocker trailing the leader by 0.01 per set…Held hitting efficiencies of .600 or better in four of eight Olympic Games matches including all three playoff matches…Totaled five or more blocks in three Olympic matches…Ended 2012 with a .443 hitting efficiency and averages of 3.11 points, 2.05 kills and 0.88 blocks per set in 16 match starts. 2011 – Reserve at Montreux Volley Masters and did not register a set played…Tallied three kills on four attacks with a block in an exhibition match versus Switzerland on June 8…Started seven of eight matches at Pan American Cup with five matches of at least 11 points scored…Tallied 16 points versus Brazil on July 5…Converted 11 of 12 errorless attacks into kills in Pan Am Cup bronze-medal victory over Cuba…Converted nine of 11 errorless attempts versus Argentina in Pan Am Cup quarterfinal to go with five blocks…Held a .500 hitting efficiency during Pan Am Cup along with averages of 3.45 points and 0.77 blocks per set…Started 13 of 14 FIVB World Grand Prix matches, helping the U.S. win the tournament for the second straight year…Averaged 3.34 points, 2.14 kills, 0.91 blocks and 0.30 aces per set while hitting at a .400 efficiency…Scored 22 points versus Serbia on Aug. 5 with a .545 hitting efficiency, which including eight blocks…Reached 10 or more points in nine of the 13 matches played at the World Grand Prix…Ranked 12th in scoring in Final Round with 46 points, including an average of 0.72 blocks per set for third in Best Blocker…Helped U.S. to the gold medal at the NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship by averaging 2.73 points, 1.80 kills and 0.80 blocks with a 51.9 kill percent…Scored 12 points, including six blocks, in the three-set win over Dominican Republic in the gold-medal match…Ranked eighth in scoring at NORCECA Championship, along with fourth in Best Blocker…Helped the U.S. qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games by finishing second at the FIVB World Cup in which she averaged 3.61 points, 0.81 blocks and 2.65 kills per set…Converted 59.0 percent of attacks at World Cup with a .511 hitting efficiency…Scored in double-figures in all nine matches in which she played at World Cup, including 16 points in opening win over No. 1 Brazil…Ranked third in World Cup Best Blocker. 2010 – Started all seven matches of the Pan American Cup averaging 3.35 points, 0.80 blocks, 2.35 kills, 0.20 aces and 0.50 digs per set…Converted 47 of 81 attacks into kills at Pan American Cup with just four errors for a .531 hitting efficiency…During five Pan American Cup preliminary pool matches, provided USA a .692 hitting efficiency with just one error…Scored 13 points versus Puerto Rico on June 19 with 11 kills on 15 errorless attacks, to go with an ace and block…Contributed five blocks versus Costa Rica as part of a 14-point match on June 21…Named most valuable player of the FIVB World Grand Prix after leading the U.S. to the gold medal and 11 consecutive victories to end the tournament…Averaged 3.50 points, 1.02 blocks and 2.35 kills per set while ranking second overall in total points during the FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round…Named Best Blocker of the FIVB World Grand Prix Final Round with a 1.47 block average…Converted 55.5 percent of attacks into kills at FIVB World Grand Prix as part of .477 hitting efficiency…Reached double-figure points in 11 of 14 matches during World Grand Prix, including a 20-point performance against Brazil on Aug. 27 in the Final Round…Tallied 18 points with 11 kills on 16 attempts and four blocks against China on Aug. 22…Blocked seven Italian attacks on Aug. 26 as part of 14-point match…Averaged 2.75 points while starting three of four matches on Tour of Brazil…Started all 11 matches of the FIVB World Championship, averaging 2.61 points, 0.64 blocks and 1.94 kills per set…Converted 46.7 percent of attacks into points with a .313 hitting efficiency…Reached double-figure scoring in five of 11 matches at World Championship, including 13 points versus Italy on Nov. 7...Made international club volleyball debut with Toyota Auto Body in the Japan V-League. 2009 – Started all nine matches during the preliminary weekends of the FIVB World Grand Prix…Averaged 2.75 points per set during World Grand Prix, including 0.86 blocks per set for fifth place among all players…Converted 49 percent of attacks into points and held a .404 hitting efficiency during World Grand Prix with just 11 attack errors…Scored 22 points, including nine blocks, versus Thailand on Aug. 16…Contributed 18 points versus Russia on Aug. 14…Converted 10 of 13 attacks into kills versus Germany on Aug. 9. 2008 – Scored 117 points to lead all players during an eight-match tour of China in March-April…Tallied 82 kills with a 59 kill percent and .479 attack efficiency to go with team-leading 23 blocks and 12 aces on Tour of China…Played three sets versus Brazil during three-match exhibition series versus Brazil. Started final two sets versus Brazil on June 11 and totaled three kills and two blocks…Played in 14 of 21 FIVB World Grand Prix sets in the Final Round…Averaged 2.86 points, 2.19 kills, 0.52 blocks and 0.14 aces over the course of the entire tournament with a .387 attack efficiency…During the Final Round, compiled 42 points with averages of 2.29 kills, 0.64 blocks and 0.07 aces per set…Scored a team-high 18 points versus Italy on July 12 with 14 kills on 29 swings and four blocks. 2007 – Averaged 3.44 points per set at Pan American Games while hitting .513 on 76 swings and just six errors…Reached double-digit points in four of the five Pan American Games, including 14 points against Puerto Rico on July 15 and Peru on July 19 in the bronze medal match...Hit 90 percent (9 kills, 10 attempts and no errors) versus Cuba on July 16. 2005 – Played on U.S. team that placed fourth at Pan American Cup held in Dominican Republic…Recorded five kills in semifinal loss to Dominican Republic.
COLLEGE: 2008 – Earned AVCA All-America First-Team honors and co-Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine…Finished third nationally in hitting percentage (.457) and fourth nationally in blocking (1.47 average per set), both marks which paced the Pac-10…Finished career with the best hitting percentage ever recorded by an NCAA Division I player (.446), breaking the previous record (.423) by more than 20 points…Posted the second-best single-season hitting percentage in Pac-10 and school history, coming in only behind the record of .499 she set in 2007…Helped Stanford to its third consecutive Pac-10 title and a third straight run to the national title match…Led the team with 4.17 points per set and was third on the team with 3.19 kills per set. 2007 – Named American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Year as she guided Stanford to a national runner-up finish...Posted the second-best hitting percentage in NCAA history (.499), a mark which led the nation and shattered both the Pac-10 and program records by more than 50 points…Averaged 4.11 kills, 1.21 blocks and 4.94 points per game…Tabbed as Honda Award finalist. 2006 – Selected AVCA All-America and was one of four finalist for the Honda Award in 2006…Led the Cardinal last season with a .431 hitting percentage for third-best in the nation. Paced Stanford with 141 blocks to average 1.44 blocks per game. Averaged 3.90 kills per game with just 63 attack errors on 740 swings. 2005 – Named AVCA All-America Second Team and AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year…Selected Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Pac-10…Finished third in the Pac-10 and 13th in the nation in hitting percentage at .397, the third-best mark in school history…Averaged 3.92 kills per game and led the Cardinal in blocks with 1.09 per game.
OTHER VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS: Akinradewo was the starting middle blocker on the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team that competed in the 2005 FIVB World Championships in Turkey. She was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Junior National Team that captured the 2004 NORCECA Continental Women’s Junior Championship.
PERSONAL: Born Foluke Atinuke Akinradewo on Oct. 5, 1987, in London, Ontario, Canada…Now calls Plantation, Fla., home…Parents are Ayoola and Comfort Akinradewo…Also has two brothers, Foluso (1982) and Fiyinfolu (1977)…Attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale from 2001 to 2005 before enrolling at Stanford University…Did not play youth club volleyball…Majoring in human biology at Stanford and is expected to graduate in 2009…Holds tri-citizenship with Canada, Nigeria and the United States…Began playing volleyball in 2002 and nearly quit the sport a couple months after starting…Favorite food is pizza…Favorite books are Harry Potter series and The Kite Runner…Favorite music is almost any type except country…Favorite musicians are John Mayer, The Fray and Damien Rice…Hobbies are online shopping, hanging out with friends and watching movies…Most admired people are her parents because they “have worked so hard to provide for our family and give us the best life possible. I think that they have succeeded in doing so. If I can grow up to be half of what they are, I think I’ll be pretty successful.”
What makes volleyball your favorite sport? Volleyball is one of the few team sports where every single person on the court has an impact on the outcome. The ball can come to you at any time, so complete focus is required. The sport represents "team" in every sense of the word. Also, I have so much fun playing and growing in this sport every day, that I always want to come back for more.
On court I'm known for… I'd say that I'm mainly known for my jumping ability
My favorite city to play volleyball is… I don't really have a specific city. I loved playing in Stanford, CA during my collegiate career. At this point in my international career, I love playing in any city that has a large, loud crowd.
My teammates call me… I have multiple nicknames on the team, but my main nickname is Luke
Getting to Know Foluke Akinradewo
What are the top songs (artisits) in your iPod?
John Mayer, Snow Patrol, Kalai, The Fray
Name some things that most people do not know about you.
I have tri-citizenship (Canada, Nigeria, US); I used to audition for commercials when I was little (but was too shy to ever get a part)
What do you like to do in your spare time?
SLEEP!, Watch movies, Surf the net
What do you envision doing as a career after competing for the national team?
Hopefully becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon
Who was your club coach prior to going to college?
I didn’t play club
Where would you like to spend a week’s vacation?
Australia
What is your favorite room in your house and why?
The living room—there is a comfy couch, a big TV, and the kitchen is nearby :)
What is the one luxury item that you could not do without?
The internet
What luxury item do you wish you could invent?
I’m a little forgetful, so a device that lets you select a missing object and allowed the object to find YOU would be amazing…
Rank the following types of television programs in order you like best: Reality TV, crime dramas, game shows, sit-coms, music television, cable news, sports.
Reality TV, Sports, game shows, sit-coms, music television, cable news
What is your favorite television program?
LOST (although it seems to get worse each season)
What is your favorite movie?
Old School
What is your favorite book?
Harry Potter series
Are you a morning person, afternoon person or night person?
Morning person
What is your pre-match ritual?
Listening to music and dancing in the locker room
On an airplane, would you rather, sleep, read, work on a computer or talk with the person sitting next to you?
Sleep
What sport would you be competing in if not for volleyball?
Basketball—although I wish I would have played tennis
What is your favorite food?
Pizza
How many different languages can you converse in?
1 ½ (English and ½ Spanish)
What was your favorite subject in school?
Science
If you could see any musical act or performer (dead or alive) in concert, who would it be?
John Mayer
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing that you would buy or pay for?
I would but money in the bank to pay the future costs of medical school…
If you would live as one other person (celebrity or not) for one day, who would it be?
Oprah
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
The ability to never get physically tired
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?
My cell phone, My computer (with internet), Phone lines and towers so my cell phone and computer work
What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas!
What is your pet peeve?
People chewing with their mouths open, when people leave their turn signal on after they switched lanes, when people leave their windshield wipers on when it’s not raining
What communication tool do you use most often – text messaging, talking on the cell phone or e-mail?
Text messaging
Posted and Updated: Aug. 18, 2012