In this episode, we welcome U.S. Beach Olympic silver medalist Jen Kessy to the show (2:03 - 1:00:17). We take a deep dive into Jen's career. First we chat about Jen's recent induction into the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame Ceremony in Orlando. Jen chats all about her career, including the all USA Beach finals match at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Jen talks about coaching former teammate April Ross and her partner Alix Klineman ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games and so much more!
The USA Volleyball Show
Episode 147: All-Time Great Beach Female Athlete featuring Jen Kessy
Mon, 15 Jun 2026In this episode, we welcome Olympic gold medalist and two-time Olympian Riley Salmon to the show (3:43 - 1:11:37). We take a deep dive into Riley's career. We start off by celebrating Riley and his upcoming induction into the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame. Riley shares all about his career, including his incredible journey at the Beijing Olympic Games. Riley shares about how important your team is and the importance of "we." Riley talks about his coaching background and what he's been doing since retirement. We have a special guest that crashes the interview and so much more!
2026 Hall of Fame Silent Auction: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/usavolleyballfoundationauction/items/
In this episode, we welcome 3-time Olympic medalist Foluke Akinradewo to the show (3:16 - 59:19). We're diving into Foluke's illustrious career, starting with celebrating her upcoming induction into the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame. Foluke then shares stories from her career and memories from all of her Olympic experiences. She catches us up on her family, what she's been doing since retirement, her upcoming start in nursing school and so much more!
Get your tickets to the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame: https://go.usav.org/26halloffame
Silent Auction: 2026 - Hall of Fame
In this episode, we welcome 4-time Paralympic medalist Nichole Millage-Faust to the show (2:20 - 1:09:37). We take a deep dive into Nichole's career. We start by celebrating her upcoming induction into the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame. Nichole then shares about some stories from her career and memories from all of her Paralympic experiences. She catches up on what she's been doing since retirement, we have a surprise guest crash the interview and so much more!
Get your tickets to the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame: https://go.usav.org/26halloffame
In this episode, we welcome University of Maryland Eastern Shore Men's head coach Dr. Anitra Brockman and 'Why Not Us' director Victor Vitarelli to the show (2:40 - 1:21:16). We go behind the scenes into the creation of the ESPN Original documentary focusing on the creation of the UMES Men's volleyball program. Anitra talks about what drew her to UMES and some of the goals she has. Victor talks about why he got involved in this project and gave some insights in the creation of the documentary and so much more! Stream 'Why Not Us' on ESPN+ and the ESPN App today.
