Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson
Akinradewo in 2012 with Rabita Baku
Personal information
Full nameFoluke Atinuke Gunderson
NationalityCanadian/American/Nigerian
BornFoluke Atinuke Akinradewo
(1987-10-05) October 5, 1987
London, Ontario, Canada
HometownFort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Spike130 in (330 cm)
Block118 in (300 cm)
College / UniversityStanford University
Volleyball information
PositionMiddle blocker
Number16
Career
YearsTeams
2010–2011
2011–2012
2012–2015
2015–2017
2017–2019		Japan TAB Queenseis
Russia Dinamo Krasnodar
Azerbaijan Rabita Baku
Switzerland Volero Zurich
Japan Hisamitsu Springs
National team
2005–2021United States United States
Honours
Women's volleyball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoTeam
Silver medal – second place2012 LondonTeam
Bronze medal – third place2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam
World Championship
Gold medal – first place2014 ItalyTeam
World Cup
Silver medal – second place2011 JapanTeam
Bronze medal – third place2015 JapanTeam
World Grand Champions Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Japan Team
World Grand Prix
Gold medal – first place2010 NingboTeam
Gold medal – first place2011 MacauTeam
Gold medal – first place2015 OmahaTeam
Silver medal – second place2016 BangkokTeam
FIVB Nations League
Gold medal – first place2018 NanjingTeam
Gold medal – first place2021 RiminiTeam
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place2007 Rio de JaneiroTeam
Pan American Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Rosarito & TijuanaTeam
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Ciudad JuárezTeam
NORCECA Championship
Gold medal – first place2011 Caguas

Foluke Atinuke Gunderson (née Akinradewo; born October 5, 1987) is an indoor volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Japanese club Hisamitsu Springs. Born in Canada, she represents the United States internationally. Gunderson won gold with the national team at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, 2014 World Championship, the Rimini Volleyball Nations League, and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics,[1][2] silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her 2020 Olympics win allowed her to complete the trifecta of winning an Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medal.[3]

High school and personal life

Gunderson was born in London, Ontario, to Ayoola and Comfort Akinradewo. Her siblings are Folu and Foluso Akinradewo. She holds a tri-citizenship with Canada, Nigeria, and the United States, and used to audition for commercials when she was little.[4]

Gunderson attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she was a three-year letter winner in volleyball and was also on the basketball and track & field teams. She was an All-American selection in 2003 and 2004 and an all-state selection in 2002, 2003 and 2004. She was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Volleyball Player of the Year in 2005. In addition to volleyball, she was an all-state selection in basketball and was a four-time Florida State Champion in track. She made her US international debut before the start of her freshman year at Stanford.[5] She helped the US win the 2004 NORCECA Continental Women's Junior Championship, and then was the starting middle blocker on the U.S. Women's Junior National Team at the 2005 FIVB World Championships.[5]

Stanford

Gunderson majored in human biology at Stanford University.[6]

As a freshman in 2005, she was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Pacific Region Freshman of the Year.[7] She was named an AVCA Second Team All-American and led the squad in hitting percentage (.397), a mark which ranked third in the Pac-10, 13th in the nation and third for a single-season in school history. In 2006, she was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team as she led Stanford to an NCAA Division I runner-up finish to Nebraska. For the year, she was named a First Team All-American by the AVCA.[8][9]

In 2007, Gunderson was named the AVCA National Player of the Year[10] and was the Honda Sports Award winner for volleyball.[11][12][13] She broke the Pac-10 and Stanford single season hitting percentage record by more than 50 points, as she averaged .499 percentage, a mark that was first in the nation and second since rally-scoring was introduced in 2001. She was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team as she led Stanford to their second consecutive Division I national runner-up finish to Penn State. As a senior in 2008, Gunderson repeated as the Pac-10 Player of the Year and got her third consecutive Honda Award nomination. She repeated as a First Team All-American and led Stanford to their third consecutive NCAA title match. She finished her collegiate career with the best career hitting efficiency (.446) of any NCAA Division I player.[5]

Club volleyball

Gunderson joined Toyota Auto Body Queenseis in October 2010.[14][15] In the 2010–11 V.Premier League, Gunderson was named the winner of the Spike award.[16] Gunderson won the silver medal in the 2012 FIVB Club World Championship, playing with the Azerbaijani club Rabita Baku.[17]

In 2013 Gunderson's club, Rabita Baku, won the Azerbaijan Super League Championship[18] winning their sixth title in a row.[19][20] She won the league's Best Spiker award.[21]

International career

2012

Gunderson competed for Team USA in the 2012 Summer Olympics.[22] She earned a silver medal for her efforts.[23]

2014

Gunderson was part of the USA national team that won the 2014 World Championship gold medal when the team defeated China 3–1 in the final match.[24][25] It was the USA's first-ever gold in any of the three major volleyball tournaments.[5]

2016

Gunderson was part of the US bronze medal-winning team at the 2016 Olympics.[5] She started all eight games. She was named in the 2016 Olympic Games Dream Team at middle blocker.[5]

2021

In May 2021, she was named to the 18-player roster for the FIVB Volleyball Nations League tournament.[26] that will be played May 25-June 24 in Rimini, Italy. It is the only major international competition before the Tokyo Olympics in July.

On June 7, 2021, US National Team head coach Karch Kiraly announced she would be part of the 12-player Olympic roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[27]

Awards

Individual

College

  • Four-time AVCA All-American (2005, second team; 2006–08, first team)
  • Three-time Volleyball Magazine first team All-American (2006–08)
  • Four-time All-Pac-10 team (2005–08)
  • Two-time NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team (2006, 2007)
  • 2008 – Volleyball Magazine National co-Player of the Year
  • 2008 – Honda Award nominee
  • 2008 – Pac-10 Player of the Year
  • 2007 – AVCA National Player of the Year
  • 2007 – Pac-10 Player of the Year
  • 2007 – Honda Award winner for volleyball
  • 2007 – NCAA Stanford Regional MVP
  • 2007 – Pac-10 Player of the Week (Oct. 1)
  • 2006 – Honda Award nominee
  • 2005 – AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year
  • 2005 – Pac-10 Freshman of the Year

National team

Clubs

References

  1. ↑ FIVB. "USA claim third FIVB World Grand Prix title with perfect record". Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Volleyball - AKINRADEWO Foluke". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  3. ↑ USA Volleyball [@usavolleyball] (August 8, 2021). "Saving the best for last. @JordanLarson10 & @fakinradewo now have a complete set of Olympic medals: 🥈 in London 2012, 🥉 in Rio 2016 and 🥇 in Tokyo 2020" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "Getting to know Foluke Akinradewo". volleyball.teamusa.org. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Foluke Akinradewo". Team USA. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ CBS Interactive. "Foluke Akinradewo". Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  7. ↑ St. Thomas Aquinas. "Raider Reflections" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Stanford places four on All-American squad". cstv.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011.
  9. ↑ "WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-AMERICA TEAMS AND AWARD WINNERS" (PDF). NCAA. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ American Volleyball Coaches Association. "2007 AVCA All-America Teams". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  11. ↑ "2007 Division I National Player of the Year is Foluke Akinradewo". Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Stanford's Foluke Akinradewo Wins Honda Sports Award For Volleyball". Pac-12. January 17, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Volleyball". CWSA. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  14. ↑ "クインシーズ｜TOYOTA AUTO BODY". July 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ "選手詳細 | バレーボール Vリーグ オフィシャルサイト". バレーボール Vリーグ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  16. ↑ "【お知らせ】2010/11Ｖ・プレミアリーグ個人表彰選手 | バレーボール Vリーグ オフィシャルサイト". バレーボール Vリーグ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Trentino Diatec and Sollys Nestle crowned in Doha". Doha, Qatar: FIVB. October 19, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Рабита" празднует чемпионство (in Russian). Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation. April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  19. ↑ ""Rabitə" ölkə çempionudur!" (in Azerbaijani). Azərbaycan QƏZETİ. April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  20. ↑ ""Rabitə" ölkə çempionudur" (in Azerbaijani). Azərbaycan QƏZETİ. April 28, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Super Liqanın "ən"ləri bəlli oldu" (in Azerbaijani). Record.az. April 28, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Foluke Akinradewo - Volleyball - Olympic Athlete". London 2012 Olympics. London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Shocked Americans leave London with silver - Volleyball News | NBC Olympics". October 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  24. ↑ Benedetti, Valeria (October 12, 2014). "Volley, Mondiale: Usa batte Cina 3-1". La Gazzetta dello sport (in Italian). Milan, Italy. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  25. ↑ "USA win first World Championship title, China and Brazil complete the podium". Milan, Italy: FIVB. May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Kiraly announces 18 USA Volleyball women on FIVB VNL Roster |". May 13, 2021.
  27. ↑ "USAV Announces U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team". USA Volleyball. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.

Sources

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