Elaine Clara Marie Hermenia Youngs (born February 14, 1970, inOrange, California) is an American former professional volleyball player who competed bothindoors and on thebeach.[1]
Youngs attendedUCLA, where as a freshman she started on a team that went undefeated through the regular season. They reached the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Texas. The following year the Bruins reached the semi-finals again, where they lost to a powerful squad from Nebraska. A knee injury caused her to miss the 1990 season. She wasred-shirted, returning for the 1991 season to help the team to win the national title. The team reached the championship match again in 1992, losing to Stanford. Youngs led the Bruins to the Final Four in each of the four seasons that she played. She also earned All-American honors in each of those four years. Youngs also spent two seasons playing on theBruins basketball team, averaging 5.7points per game. She graduated in 1993 with a degree in history.
Youngs was on theUSA Volleyball indoor team and won a silver medal at the1994 Goodwill Games.[2] She also played in the1996 Olympics, where the women placed seventh.[3]
Nicknamed "EY", Youngs beach career started in 1997, winning third place in her first pro beach volleyball tournament. In 1997 and then 1999–2000 Youngs partnered withLiz Masakayan who later became Youngs coach from 2004 through 2008. The duo missed going to the2000 Sydney Olympics by 50 points.[4] In 1998 Youngs partnered withNancy Reno until Nancy retired from pro beach volleyball. In 2001 Youngs partnered withBarbra Fontana, and from 2002 to 2004 partnered withHolly McPeak, winning the Beach Volleyball bronze medal together in the2004 Athens Olympics. She teamed withRachel Wacholder for the 2005 and much of the 2006 season. In August 2006, Wacholder left Youngs and partnered withJennifer Kessy Boss and Youngs replaced Wacholder withNicole Branagh for the 2007 AVP season. On September 8, 2007, Youngs won the Goddess of the Beach tournament for the first time inLas Vegas,Nevada. Branagh and Youngs achieved fifth place in the2008 Beijing Olympics and continued playing together in the 2009 season. In 2010, Nicole Branagh partnered with Misty May-Treanor, replacing Kerri Walsh. Youngs retired from professional volleyball at the end of the 2010 season.
In 2002 Youngs was chosen as the MVP of theAssociation of Volleyball Professionals. In 2004 she teamed withHolly McPeak to win the bronze medal at theSummer Olympics inAthens. In her career Youngs won 51 professional beach volleyball tournaments. On October 6, 2006, she was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.[5]
Youngs currently works as a realtor inDurango, Colorado.[6] During the winter, she enjoys "everything outdoors," including snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, camping and cross-country skiing.
1996 USA Olympic Volleyball Team (Men's beach - Gold & Silver medals) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | _pictogram.svg) | |
| Men's indoor | ||
| Women's indoor | ||
| Men's beach | ||
| Women's beach | ||
| Coaches | ||
2008 USA Olympic Volleyball Team (men's beach, women's beach and men's indoor - gold medals, women's indoor - silver medal) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | | |
| Men's indoor | ||
| Women's indoor | ||
| Men's beach | ||
| Women's beach | ||
| Coaches | ||
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