Athletes for Team USA’s Olympic Volleyball Team Are About a Foot Taller Than the Average American

Volleyball is one of those sports where height is considered an advantage, though it’s certainly not everything. Going into the Paris 2024 Olympics , the heights of Team USA’s players are around a foot taller than the average American—the CDC says that’s 5’10” for men and 5’4″ for women.

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That said, there’s really no height deemed “too short” to play the sport. John Kessel, former Team USA Volleyball’s Director of Sport Development, wrote on the team’s blog , “It’s not how tall you are, but how tall you play,” with additional insight from 2004 Olympian, Reid Priddy.

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“If, in fact, this player is an all-around player and good at all the skills that is a great attribute and our sport is in great need of him,” he wrote. “As a rule, the taller players have an easier time attacking and blocking but the ball control skills usually don’t come as easy. … Speed is something that a smaller player can bring to help offset any disadvantage there might be.”

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How tall is the USA Olympic volleyball team?