Biography Of Dain Blanton Volleyball Player

Biography Of Dain Blanton Volleyball Player 

Dain Blanton (born November 28, 1971 in Laguna Beach, 

(California) is an American beach volleyball player who won the gold medal in Beach Volleyball in the 2000 Olympic Games, with partner Eric Fonoimoana. He returned to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece with partner Jeff Nygaard, becoming the first two-time U.S. male Beach Volleyball Olympian.

(CAREER)

One of the only players in the history of volleyball to win a championship at every level of the game (collegiate, Olympic and professional).

As a high school senior in 1990, Blanton was named the Orange County Player of the Year, Most Valuable Player of the Pacific Coast League and earned all-American honors at the Junior Olympics. Blanton was also an All-State Basketball player who led Laguna Beach to the CIF Finals in 1990.

He attended Pepperdine University where he was an All-American and guided The Waves to a National Volleyball Championship in 1992 as a sophomore.

He is known for his fast serve holding the AVP record for 11 aces in a single game to 15 in Vail, Colorado in 1997.

After winning gold at the 2000 Olympics, Blanton and Fonoimoana broke their partnership because of rule changes that went into effect in 2001. (Rally or Point per Play scoring as opposed to having to traditional Serve to Score a point; court size changed from 30x30 feet per side to 8x8 meters). Height became a deciding factor because the new rules provided an advantage for a full-time tall blocker at the net. They went separate ways in search of Big Blockers. In the 2004 Olympics, Blanton and Nygaard were seeded eighth, but failed to advance out of pool play.

(Awards And Honors)

2000 Olympic Gold Medalist (Beach Volleyball) partner:Eric Fonoimoana

2004 Olympian (Beach Volleyball) partner:Jeff Nygaard

All-American NCAA Collegiate Volleyball 1994

AVP Best Offensive Player 2003

AVP Special Achievement 1997

AVP Team of the Year 2003