Kayla
Banwarth

Olympian 2016

0
GOLD

0
SILVER

1
BRONZE

Athlete Bio#

Height

5'10"

Age

Hometown

Dubuque, IA

Education

Wahlert Catholic High School University of Nebraska '12, English

Quick Facts

Hobbies are reading, Broadway, the beach and sun
Mother, Anne, played volleyball at University of Northern Iowa

Olympic Experience

1-time Olympian; 1-time Olympic medalist (1 bronze)

Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016, bronze (Team - Women)

World Championship Experience

Most recent: 2014 – gold (Team - Women)
Years of participation: Team - Women 2014
Medals: 1 (1 gold)

Gold – 2014 (Team - Women)

Most Notable

Earned bronze medal at 2016 Olympic Game
Named Best Receiver at 2015 NORCECA Championship
Named 2013 USA Volleyball Female Indoor Most Improved Player of the Year
Earned gold medals in back-to-back Pan American Cups (2012, 2013) as the starting libero
Helped Team USA to bronze medal at 2011 Pan American Games in first international competition

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION:
2016 - NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament (Gold)...FIVB World Grand Prix (Silver)...Olympic Games (Bronze).
2015 - USA Volleyball Cup vs. China ... FIVB World Grand Prix (Gold)...FIVB World Cup (Bronze)...NORCECA Championship (gold)
2014 - USA Volleyball Cup vs. Brazil ... FIVB World Grand Prix (5th Prelim) ... FIVB World Championship (Gold)
2013 - Pan American Cup (Gold) ... USA Volleyball Cup vs. Japan ... FIVB World Grand Prix (6th) ... NORCECA Championship (Gold) ... FIVB Grand Champions Cup (Silver).
2012 - Pan American Cup (Gold).
2011 – Pan American Games (Bronze).

Did You Know

Ranked third in Best Receiver at 2016 Olympic Games
Ranked 9th in Best Digger at 2014 FIVB World Grand Prix
Started 11 of 13 matches at libero during 2014 FIVB World Championship, which included a 2.16 dig average over 37 sets played
Started 20 of 31 matches at libero during 2013 season, compiling 2.25 dig average and 69 positive reception percent with only nine errors on 345 chances
Ranked second in Best Digger at 2013 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup with 3.19 dig average
Ranked atop the Best Receivers list at 2013 NORCECA Championship with a 89.6 efficiency percent on 67 attempts, and was second overall in Best Libero
Tallied 24 digs in 2012 Pan American Cup gold-medal match against Brazil, which had several Olympians competing only a couples weeks prior to start of 2012 Olympic Games
Finished four-year career at University of Nebraska wtih 1,706 digs
Named alternate for the 2007 U.S. Women's Junior National Team
Chosen Gatorade's Iowa High School Player of the Year in 2006 after averaging 4.00 kills, 3.70 digs and 1.43 aces per set at Wahlert Catholic
Mother Anne played volleyball at University of Northern Iowa
Hobbies are reading, Broadway, the beach and sun

The Big Blurb
Kayla Banwarth on Individual Accolades: “If I’ve learned anything in my college career, and this career (with USA Volleyball), it’s the individual stuff isn’t as important as the team stuff, because the team stuff is so much more special."

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