Sean

Rooney

Quick Facts

• Born Sean Michael Rooney in 1982 in Wheaton, Ill
• Parents are Mike and Carol Rooney
• Has two sisters, Melissa and Megan
• Married wife Valerie in August of 2013
• Welcomed son, Coleman, in November of 2014
• Graduated from Pepperdine in 2005 with a degree in business administration
• Joined the AVP beach volleyball tour in 2014. His highest placing was fifth, which he achieved three times

Career Highlights

• 2014 FIVB World League (Gold Medal)
• 2014 NORCECA World Championship Qualifier (Gold Medal).
• 2014 Named U.S. Men's Most Inspirational Player
• Served as team captain as the U.S. Men won the 2014 FIVB World League. Rooney was the team's fourth-leading scorer.
• 2013: Served as team captain at the NORCECA Championship and FIVB Grand Champions Cup.
• 2012: – After recovering from a shoulder injury, Rooney returned to the team for World League as a backup outside hitter
• 2012: Finished 2012 season sixth on team in scoring with 132 points on 102 attacks, 23 blocks and seven aces. Hitting efficiency was .434. Credited with 48 digs (1.3 per set)
• 2012: Finished the Olympic Games with 20 points on 14 kills and six blocks in eight sets. Hitting efficiency was .444. In his best match he started all three sets in a 3-0 win over Tunisia and scored 12 points on eight attacks and four blocks
• 2012: Finished World League as the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 112 points on 68 attacks, 17 blocks and seven aces. He was also credited with 34 digs. In his best match he scored 21 points (16 kills, three blocks, two aces) against Korea on June 17. His overall performance helped him land a spot on his second straight Olympic Team.
• 2011: – FIVB World Cup
• 2011: NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship (Silver Medal)
• 2011: FIVB World League.
• 2011: – Struggled with an injured shoulder for much of the season and saw limited playing time. Played in 16 sets and scored 45 points on 43 attacks and two blocks
• 2011: Played in nine sets of the FIVB World Cup. He finished with 31 points on 31 attacks
• 2011: Sean played in four sets of the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship and started three. He scored 11 points on nine kills and two blocks. The U.S. Men placed second and qualified for the FIVB World Cup
• 2011: Played in three World League sets and had three points
• 2011: Played for Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza in Italy's Serie A league during the winter of 2011-12.
• 2008: – Finished the 2008 season with 167 points (2.98 points per set) on 140 kills (2.5 per set), 20 blocks and seven aces and a hitting efficiency of .410
• 2008: Won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, playing primarily as a substitute and serving specialist
• 2008: Helped the U.S. Men win their first FIVB World League title. Led the team in scoring with 20 points in a loss to Bulgaria on June 21
• 2008: Helped the U.S. Men win the Four Nations Tournament on May 11-13 in Germany
• 2008: Named "Best Spiker" of the NORCECA Continental Olympic Qualifying tournament. Finished the tournament with 46 points on 43 kills and three blocks
• 2008: During the winter of 2008-09, Sean played for Fakel Novy Urengoi in Russia’s Super League
• 2007: – Finished the 2007 season as the U.S. team's seventh-leading scorer with 151 points. Averaged 2.07 points per set in 73 sets. Hitting efficiency was .444 and he averaged 1.88 kills per set
• 2007: Named Most Valuable Player of the U.S. Men's match against Egypt at the FIVB World Cup. Scored 18 points on 15 kills, two blocks and one ace as the United States won in straight sets
• 2007: Was the team's leading scorer at the Pan American Games and third overall with 64 points on 58 kills, five blocks and one ace in five matches. He was the Pan Am Games' leading "spiker" with an efficiency percentage of 42.11
• 2007: Traveled to every World League match and started in four
• 2007: Played the winter of 2007-08 for played for Dinamo-Yantar in Russia’s Super League
• 2004: – Had a stellar season culminating in being named Volleyball Magazine's Player of the Year
• 2004: Postseason accolades included being named AVCA first team All-American and Volleyball first team All-American
• 2004: Tabbed MPSF first team All-Conference
• 2004: Led the team with 461 kills and hit .406 for the year
• 2004: Banged out double-digit kills in final 25 matches of the season and 26 of 28 total
• 2004: Recorded a season-high four service aces twice (Santa Barbara, Northridge) and ended the season with 29 total
• 2004: Only double-double of the season came against Long Beach State (Feb. 4)
• 2004: Finished year with 88 total blocks
• 2004: Hit .667 with 10 kills on 15 swings without an error against Loyola.
• 2003: – Named First Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and by Volleyball Magazine
• 2003: Sean was also tabbed First-Team All-MPSF. As a key component to the Wave's 24-6 season, Sean led the team with a total of 480 kills (.354 hitting percentage) and also led the team in kills per game, with an average of 4.53. Sean also contributed 25 service aces and 83 total blocks on the season. On January 9, 2003, Sean obtained an individual season-high 22 kills in a five-game win over Cal Baptist. Sean also added an individual season-best 12 digs and four service aces in the 5-game decision loss to Lewis in the NCAA Championship semifinals on May 1, 2003
• 2003: Averaged 4.53 kills, .16 assists, .24 service aces, 1.59 digs and .78 blocks per game.
• 2002: – Selected the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) "Freshman of the Year"
• 2002: Helped Pepperdine compile a 29-5 record and advance to the NCAA title match before losing a four-game decision to Hawaii
• 2002: The Waves captured the regular season MPSF title with a 20-2 mark and won the league's post-season tournament
• 2002: A second team All-American selection by the AVCA and a second team All-MPSF pick as a rookie
• 2002: Led the Waves with 510 kills, an average of 4.11 a game, and notched an impressive .378 attack percentage
• 2002: Posted double-figure kill totals in 31 of the team's 34 matches
• 2002: Notched career-best total of 28 kills against UCLA
• 2002: Recorded 26 service aces, 171 digs and 72 total blocks
• 2002: Recorded career-high total of seven blocks against UC Irvine.

Olympic Experience

• 2-time Olympian; 1-time Olympic medalist (1 gold)
• Olympic Games London 2012, 5th (Team - Men)
• Olympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (Team - Men)

World Championship Experience

• Most recent: 2010 – 6th (Team - Men)
• Years of participation: Team - Men 2010
• Top finish: 6th – 2010 (Team - Men)