Ranking the 25 best women volleyball players in the world
Volleyball is among the world's most loved sports. Many professional volleyballers play the sport as a full-time career. There are many elite women volleyball players in the present-day world. They are come from different nations and play for different teams.
Source: UGC
The best women volleyball players of all time have made impressive career records. They are known for their stamina, strength, good pivoting skills, and motivation on the field. Discover more about them today.
Best women volleyball players in the world
Below are the best female volleyball players of all time you should know about. They have an excellent understanding of the game.
25. Misty May-Treanor
- Full name: Misty Elizabeth May-Treanor
- Date of birth: 30th July 1977
- Age: 45 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Misty May-Treanor is one of the top female volleyball players of all time. She a retired American professional beach volleyball player.
She was a three-time Olympic gold medalist during her playing years. In August 2012, Misty May-Treanor was named the most successful female beach volleyball player, having won 112 tournaments in local and international competitions.
24. Winifer Fernandez
- Full name: Winifer María Fernández Pérez
- Date of birth: 6th January 1995
- Age: 28 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Winifer Fernandez is one of the most famous women volleyball players today. Her position is Libero, and she has played for Santiago and Cienfuegos in her home country.
The volleyballer signed a contract with Caribeñas New Horizons in 2018. She was part of a title-winning team.
23. Zehra Güneş
Source: UGC
- Full name: Zehra Güneş
- Date of birth: 7th July 1999
- Age: 23 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Kartal, Türkiye
Zehra Güneş is one of the hottest female volleyball players in the present-day world. She plays in the middle blocker position. She is currently signed with Vakıfbank Istanbul and is part of the Turkey women's national volleyball team.
22. Gabrielle Reece
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Gabrielle Allyse Reece
- Date of birth: 6th January 1970
- Age: 53 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: La Jolla, California, United States of America
Gabrielle Reece is one of the best women volleyball players in the USA. Besides playing the sport, she is an announcer, actress, and fashion model. Reece is a former professional beach volleyball player and Nike’s first female spokeswoman.
21. Kerri Walsh Jennings
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings
- Date of birth: 15th August 1978
- Age: 44 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Santa Clara, California, United States of America
Kerri Walsh Jennings is among the most famous women beach volleyball players. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. In 2000, she played for the U.S. indoor volleyball team at the Sydney Olympic Games.
20. Yelizaveta Tishchenko
Source: UGC
- Full name: Yelizaveta Tishchenko
- Date of birth: 7th February 1975
- Age: 48 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Kyiv, Ukraine
Yelizaveta Tishchenko is one of the most beautiful female volleyball players of all time. She made her debut for the Soviet national team in 1991. She participated in three Olympic Games in a row (1996, 2000, and 2004) and took home a silver medal twice.
19. Yelena Godina
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Yelena Mikhailovna Godina
- Date of birth: 17th September 1977
- Age: 45 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Yekaterinburg, Russia
Yelena Godina is a Russian player who was a part of the national team that won the silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and the gold medal at the 2006 Volleyball World Championship in Japan. She participated in the Olympics in 1996 and 2008.
18. Milena Rašić
- Full name: Milena Rašić
- Date of birth: 25th October 1990
- Age: 32 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Pristina, Kosovo
Milena Rašić is among the most famous women volleyball players of all time. She was a professional player for Serbia who represented her country on the women's national team. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics and took home a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
17. Natália Pereira
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Natália Zilio Pereira
- Date of birth: 4th April 1989
- Age: 33 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Ponta Grossa, State of Paraná, Brazil
Natália Pereira helped the Brazil women's national volleyball team win the gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics. She won the Most Valuable Player award and the gold medal at the 2016 FIVB World Grand Prix.
16. Gabriela Guimarães
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Gabriela Braga Guimarães
- Date of birth: 19th May 1994
- Age: 28 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Gabriela Guimarães is an outside spiker from Brazil. She plays indoor volleyball and participated in the Women's competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She took home a silver medal.
15. Fabiana Claudino
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Fabiana Marcelino Claudino
- Date of birth: 24th January 1985
- Age: 38 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
At the 2012 Olympics, Fabiana Claudino was part of the Brazil team that won the gold medal. She was awarded the Best Spiker award at the 2006 World Grand Prix in Reggio Calabria, Italy, where Brazil won the gold medal for the sixth time. She also represented her home country in Athens, Greece, for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
14. Monica De Gennaro
- Full name: Monica De Gennaro
- Date of birth: 8th January 1987
- Age: 36 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Piano di Sorrento, Italy
Monica De Gennaro is a member of the Italy women's national volleyball team and Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley as a professional player. She participated in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
13. Eda Erdem Dündar
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Eda Erdem Dündar
- Date of birth: 22nd June 1987
- Age: 35 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: İstanbul, Türkiye
Eda Erdem plays for Fenerbahçe SK and the national team. She captains both teams. She has participated in over 300 games for Turkey's national team.
12. Irina Kirillova
- Full name: Irina Vladimirovna Kirillova
- Date of birth: 15th May 1965
- Age: 57 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Tula, Russia
Irina Kirillova won an Olympic gold medal for the Soviet Union while playing competitive volleyball and later represented Croatia. She represented Croatia on the women's national volleyball team in the 1990s. Kirillova was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017.
11. Tijana Bošković
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Tijana Bošković
- Date of birth: 8th March 1997
- Age: 25 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tijana Bošković led the Serbian women's national volleyball team in scoring her first appearance at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship and the 2017 Women's European Volleyball Championship. She has been playing for Eczacıbaşı VitrA since the 2015–16 season.
10. Fabiana Oliveira
Source: UGC
- Full name: Fabiana Alvim de Oliveira
- Date of birth: 7th March 1980
- Age: 43 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Fabiana Oliveira is a former player who won the gold medal in the Summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012. She began playing volleyball at 13 and soon developed a preference for defence, eventually moving on to the libero position. In 2012, she received her initial call-up to the Brazil women's national team.
9. Sheilla Castro
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Sheilla Castro de Paula Blassioli
- Date of birth: 1st July 1983
- Age: 39 years (as of 2022)
- Place of birth: Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Sheilla Castro competed for her nation at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. The Brazilian team won the gold medal in both events. She also participated in the Olympics in 2016, when Brazil finished in fifth place. She retired on 9th April 2022.
8. Thaisa Menezes
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Thaísa Daher de Menezes
- Date of birth: 15th May 1987
- Age: 35 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Thaisa Menezes won back-to-back gold medals at the Olympics in 2008 and 2012. She is frequently mentioned as one of the finest Brazilian volleyball players of all time and has won multiple Best Spiker and Best Blocker Awards.
7. Yevgeniya Artamonova-Estes
- Full name: Yevgeniya Viktorovna Estes
- Date of birth: 17th July 1975
- Age: 47 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Yekaterinburg, Russia
Yevgeniya Viktorovna Estes is a Russian volleyball player who was a member of the national team and one of only two volleyball players that competed consecutively in six Olympic Games. She won silver medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
6. Lioubov Sokolova
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Lyubov Vladimirovna Sokolova
- Date of birth: 4th December 1977
- Age: 45 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Moscow, Russia
Lioubov Sokolova is a retired player who was a part of the national squad that took home silver at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, bronze at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 World Championships in Japan.
5. Brenda Castillo
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Brenda Castillo
- Date of birth: 5th June 1992
- Age: 30 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic
Brenda Castillo is a volleyball player from the Dominican Republic. She plays as a libero and was a member of the Dominican Republic national team that won fifth place in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
4. Hélia Souza
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Hélia Rogério de Souza
- Date of birth: 10th March 1970
- Age: 53 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
Hélia Souza competed for her country's national team in five consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. She won a gold medal in 2008 and won a bronze medal in 1996 and 2000. Her nickname is Fofão.
3. Ting Zhu
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Zhu Ting
- Date of birth: 29th November 1994
- Age: 30 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Dancheng County, Zhoukou, China
Ting Zhu is an outside hitter for the Chinese women's national team. From 2016 until 2019, she played for Istanbul. Currently, she represents the Italian team Savino del Bene Scandicci. Ting Zhu is regarded as one of the greatest and most decorated indoor volleyball players in history.
2. Yekaterina Gamova
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Yekaterina Aleksandrovna Gamova
- Date of birth: 17th October 1980
- Age: 42 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Chelyabinsk, Russia
Yekaterina Gamova is one of the best female volleyball players of all time. She is a retired player who was a part of the national squad that won silver at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and Sydney in 2000. Gamova has been referred to as the "Queen of Volleyball" due to her size and power at the net.
1. Yeon-Koung Kim
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Kim Yeon-Koung
- Date of birth: 26th February 1988
- Age: 35 years (as of 2023)
- Place of birth: Ansan-si, South Korea
Kim Yeon-Koung is arguably the world's no. 1 female volleyball player. She was a member and captain of the South Korean national team until August 2021. She was an outside hitter and the first volleyball player in Asian history to win the CEV Women's Champions League MVP title.
Recap of the best women volleyball players
| Rank | Name |
| 1 | Yeon-Koung Kim |
| 2 | Yekaterina Gamova |
| 3 | Ting Zhu |
| 4 | Hélia Souza |
| 5 | Brenda Castillo |
| 6 | Lioubov Sokolova |
| 7 | Yevgeniya Artamonova-Estes |
| 8 | Thaisa Menezes |
| 9 | Sheilla Castro |
| 10 | Fabiana Oliveira |
| 11 | Tijana Bošković |
| 12 | Irina Kirillova |
| 13 | Eda Erdem Dündar |
| 14 | Monica De Gennaro |
| 15 | Fabiana Claudino |
| 16 | Gabriela Guimarães |
| 17 | Natália Pereira |
| 18 | Milena Rašić |
| 19 | Yelena Godina |
| 20 | Yelizaveta Tishchenko |
| 21 | Kerri Walsh Jennings |
| 22 | Gabrielle Reece |
| 23 | Zehra Güneş |
| 24 | Winifer Fernandez |
| 25 | Misty May-Treanor |
How much do professional women volleyball players make?
The salaries earned by professional women volleyball players vary depending on their level of experience and the teams they are signed with.
Who is the best female volleyball player?
Yeon-Koung Kim is arguably the best female volleyball player ever. Before retiring in 2021, she was a member and captain of the South Korean national team.
Who is the no 1 women volleyball player in the world?
Yeon-Koung Kim is arguably the no 1 women volleyball player in the world. She was the first volleyball player in Asian history to win the CEV Women's Champions League MVP title.
The best women volleyball players have recorded impressive results in their careers. Some of them have retired from the sport, but their legacy speaks for them.
Source: Legit.ng
