Position: Outside Hitter
Height: 6-1
Weight: 68kg/150 pounds
Hometown: Orem, Utah
College: Stanford
Birth Date: June 30, 1985
Joined Team: June 2005
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2012 - FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold)...Pan American Cup (Gold). 2011 – Montreux Volley Masters (Fourth). 2010 – Montreux Volley Masters (Silver). 2009 – Pan American Cup (Fourth); FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament – NORCECA Pool G (Gold)…FIVB World Grand Prix (Ninth)...NORCECA Continental Championship (Fourth). 2008 - Pan American Cup (Fifth Place)...U.S. Olympic Team Exhibition for Volleyball versus Brazil...FIVB World Grand Prix (Fourth Place). 2005 – Montreux Volley Masters (7th Place)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Eighth Place).
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2012 – Averaged 3.57 points and 2.22 digs per set while playing in 23 sets with six match starts during the FIVB World Grand Prix as the U.S. won the gold medal…Tallied 19 points versus Thailand on June 24, while scoring 17 against Cuba on June 30, her birthday…Named most valuable player and Best Scorer of the Pan American Cup after leading the U.S. to the gold medal…Averaged 4.81 points, 4.30 kills, 0.41 blocks and 2.26 digs per set during the Pan American Cup…Converted 48.9 percent of attacks during Pan Am Cup with .312 hitting efficiency…Scored season-high 35 points versus Brazil in Pan Am Cup gold-medal match…Finished Pan Am Cup with 128 points, including four matches with at least 21 points…Concluded the 2012 season with averages of 4.24 points, 3.62 kills, 0.40 blocks, 0.22 aces and 2.24 digs while starting 12 matches...Alternate to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team. 2011 – Averaged 1.40 points and 2.73 digs per set during Montreux Volley Masters in which she started one match but played in 15 sets in the tournament…Contributed 13 points with 11 kills and 12 digs versus China on June 10…Tallied 15 digs versus Cuba on June 11...On 14-player roster for opening weekend of FIVB World Grand Prix, but did not see action. 2010 – Played a total of five sets in two matches of the Montreux Volley Masters event, record a total of four points and four digs. 2009 – Averaged 2.94 points per set while playing in 48 sets during 2009 season…Started six matches and played 20 total sets of the Pan American Cup, averaging 3.30 points and 1.35 digs per set…Converted 40.4 percent of attacks into kills at Pan American Cup…Played a reserved role at FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournament – NORCECA Pool G, but generated 4.00 points per set coming off the bench in three sets…Tallied 11 points with nine kills on 14 attempts in two sets versus Barbados on July 7…Started six of nine matches during the preliminary weekends of the FIVB World Grand Prix, competing in 24 of 36 possible sets…Averaged 2.54 points and 1.00 digs per set at the World Grand Prix…Tallied 14 points versus Puerto Rico on Aug. 1, followed by 13 points versus Dominican Republic on Aug. 7…Provided two kills on two attempts against Costa Rica on Sept. 24 in only set of action during NORCECA Continental Championship. 2008 - Contributed 73 points in 26 sets to help the U.S. finish fifth at Pan American Cup and earn 2009 World Grand Prix berth...Averaged 2.81 points, 2.38 kills, 0.31 blocks and 0.77 digs per set at the Pan American Cup...Tallied 15 points in loss to Puerto Rico on June 5...Hit .710 against Argentina, the bronze medalist at the Pan American Cup, with 10 kills on 14 errorless swings in a June 1 victory...Started two of three sets played versus Brazil on June 13 compiling three kills and an ace...Started two of four sets played at the FIVB World Grand Prix compiling two kills on nine attacks and an ace...Alternate to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team. 2005 – Participated at the Montreaux Volley Masters and FIVB World Grand Prix events. 2003 – Member of USA National A2 program. 2002 – Member of U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. 2001 – Traveled with U.S. Women's National Team player and served as a practice player at the Montreux Volley Masters tournament...Member of U.S. Women’s Junior National Team. 2000 – Captain of U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team…Traveled to Switzerland with U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team.
COLLEGE: Two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American while competing as an outside hitter at Stanford University (2003-2006)... Concluded collegiate career in 2006 ranked among the top 10 in several career categories with the Cardinal. Holds the Stanford record for career digs (1,597) and career dig average (3.44 per set), while ranking third in career attacks (4,350). Ranks fifth with 1,819-career kills and 3.92 kills per set…Served 126 aces for fifth place, while her 0.27 aces per set ranks tied for seventh…Played in a 464 total games for ninth place at Stanford. 2006: Earned All-American Honorable Mention by Volleyball Magazine and was a Third Team honoree by the AVCA...Named to the All-Pac-10 Team for the fourth-straight season. 2005: First-Team AVCA All-American and ASICS/Volleyball All-American...Also named First-Team AVCA Pacific Region…Named to the All-Pac-10 First Team for a third-straight season...Finished first on the team in kills (544, 4.90 kpg, third in the Pac-10, 19th in the country) as a starter in 32 matches...Her 544 kills is sixth-best for a single season in school history. 2004: Played in 132 games…Volleyball Magazine All-American…NCAA All-Tournament selection…NCAA Regional All-Tournament choice...Pac-10 First Team selection…Averaged 3.68 kills and 3.80 digs per game. 2003: Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year...AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year…Pac-10 Freshman of the Year…All-Pac-10 selection…Averaged 3.38 kills and 3.03 digs per game.
High School: Four-year letterwinner at Timpanogos High School in Orem, Utah…Captained her team during her junior and senior seasons…Four-time all-region selection and all-state honoree…2000 & 2002 Region MVP…2000 Student Sports National Sophomore of the Year…2001 & 2002 All-American…2001 & 2002 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year…The 2002 State MVP…2003 National Gatorade Player of the Year…2001 & 2002 Academic all-region selection…Led her team to a state championship in 2002-03…Played club for the Players Volleyball Club, and helped her team win the 2002 Nationals…Voted MVP.
Personal: Born Kristin Richards on June 30, 1985…Daughter of Dave and Lori Richards…has one sister (Lauren) and two brothers (Andrew and Taylor)…Sister, Lauren, played volleyball at BYU…Both her father and mother played volleyball at BYU…Father, Dave, also played on the U.S. National Team from 1978 to 1980...Married Tyler Hildebrand in September 2012...Kristin played volleyball since age eight…Attended and graduated from Stanford in 2007 with a bachelor of arts degree in urban studies... Hobbies include learning languages, traveling and exploring new places, photography, literature, and spending time with friends...Happiest moment in sports was winning the Pan Am Cup in 2012 and being named MVP….Happiest moment in life was marrying her best friend Tyler… Admires her mother most because she is the strongest and most beautiful woman that she has ever known…Favorite book is Atlas Shrugged…Favorite cuisine is Mexican..….Speaks fluent Russian, Italian and Spanish….Personal blog site is kristinrichards10.blogspot.com.
On court I'm known for… the passion for which I play the game
My favorite city to play volleyball is… Rio de Janeiro
My teammates call me… Kris
Who was your club coach prior to going to college?
My mom and dad
Where would you like to spend a week’s vacation?
The south of Italy
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Big Sur, California
What is your favorite television program?
Downton Abbey
What is your favorite movie?
Braveheart
Are you a morning person, afternoon person or night person?
Night
What is the best thing about competing on the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team?
Getting to compete at the highest level in the world alongside my best friends
Who is your favorite athlete?
Karch Kiraly
What is your favorite restaurant to eat at?
Cafe Rio
What is your hometown best known for?
Snow
What was your favorite subject in school?
Italian
What is your fondest child-hood memory?
Spying on Santa from the balcony on Christmas Eve
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing that you would buy or pay for?
A private plane, so I could travel the world with my family and friends
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To fly
If you could live in another time period for a week, which one would you choose?
80s
If you could be on the cover of one magazine, which one would you choose?
Rolling Stones
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Loving, laughing, and learning
What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas
What is your favorite season – winter, spring, summer or fall?
Summer
are your most prized possessions?
Family and Friendship
What is your motto?
Love hard
Last Updated: April 4, 2013