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Sarah Wilhite Parsons
2019055160424 2019-02-24 DVV Pokalfinale - 1D X MK II - 1220 - B70I3341.jpg
Wilhite Parsons in 2019
Personal information
Nationality American
Born (1995-07-30) July 30, 1995 (age 29)
Hometown Eden Prairie, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 75 kg (165 lb)
Spike 305 cm (120 in)
Block 300 cm (118 in)
College(s) University of Minnesota
Volleyball information
Position Outside hitter
Current club NEC Red Rockets
Number 18 (club)
13 (national team)
Career
Years Teams
2013–2016 United States Minnesota
2017–2018 Italy Busto
2018–2019 Germany Allianz MTV Stuttgart
2019–2020 Brazil Sesi Vôlei Bauru
2020– Japan NEC Red Rockets
National team
2017– United States United States
Honours
Women's volleyball
Representing  United States
Pan-American Cup
Gold 2017 Lima/Cañete Team
Gold 2018 Santo Domingo Team
Bronze 2023 Ponce Team
Pan American Cup Final Six
Gold 2023 Santo Domingo
NORCECA Champions Cup
Gold 2019 Colorado Springs Team

Sarah Grace Wilhite Parsons is an American professional volleyball player. She was born on July 30, 1995. Sarah plays as an outside hitter, which is a key attacking position in volleyball. She plays for the NEC Red Rockets club in Japan. She also plays for the United States women's national volleyball team.

About Sarah Wilhite Parsons

Sarah Wilhite Parsons grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She went to Eden Prairie High School. During high school, she was a top athlete. She was named the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2012. This award goes to the best high school athletes in each state. She was also ranked as the 14th best recruit in the country for volleyball.

Sarah is married to Jameson Parsons.

Volleyball Journey

College Career

Sarah Wilhite Parsons played college volleyball for the University of Minnesota. In her second year, 2014, she was a strong player. She made 309 kills, which means she successfully hit the ball to score points.

In 2015, during her junior year, she trained with the U.S. Collegiate National Team. She helped her Minnesota team reach the NCAA Final Four. This was the first time they had reached this stage since 2009.

Her coach, Hugh McCutcheon, saw her potential to become a team leader. In her final season in 2016, Sarah had an amazing year. She improved her all-around skills a lot. She averaged 4.20 kills per set, showing how good she was at scoring. She helped Minnesota reach the NCAA Final Four for the second year in a row.

Because of her great performance, Sarah won many awards. She was named the AVCA and ESPNW National Player of the Year. She was the first player from Minnesota to ever win this award. She also won the Big Ten Player of the Year award. In 2017, she was named Minnesota's Female Athlete of the Year. She finished her college career with 1,182 kills.

Playing for Team USA

Sarah Wilhite Parsons has played for the U.S. national team in many big tournaments. She played in the 2017 Pan-American Cup and the 2018 Pan-American Cup. She also played in the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix and the 2018 FIVB World Championship.

She has also played in preliminary rounds of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Sarah was chosen as an alternate player for the 2020 Olympic Games. This means she was ready to play if someone on the main team couldn't. However, she did not travel to Tokyo with the team.

Professional Clubs

After college, Sarah began her professional career playing for different clubs around the world:

  • Italy Busto in Italy (2017–2018)
  • Germany Allianz MTV Stuttgart in Germany (2018–2019)
  • Brazil Sesi Vôlei Bauru in Brazil (2019–2020)
  • Japan NEC Red Rockets in Japan (2020–present)

Achievements and Awards

Club Awards

  • 2022–2023 Simple cup icon.svg V.League Division 1 Champion with NEC Red Rockets
  • 2021–2022 Empress' Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship – Med 1.png Gold Medal with NEC Red Rockets
  • 2021–2022 Kurowashiki Tournament – Med 3.png Bronze Medal with NEC Red Rockets
  • 2019–2020 Brazilian Cup – Med 3.png Bronze Medal with Sesi Vôlei Bauru
  • 2019–2020 Paulista Championship – Med 3.png Bronze Medal with Sesi Vôlei Bauru
  • 2018–2019 German Bundesliga – Med 1.png Gold Medal with Allianz MTV Stuttgart
  • 2018–2019 German Cup – Med 2.png Silver Medal with Allianz MTV Stuttgart
  • 2017–2018 Italian Cup – Med 3.png Bronze Medal with Busto

College Awards

  • AVCA First Team All-American (2016)
  • ESPNW National Player of the Year (2016)
  • Big Ten Player of the Year (2016)

International Awards

  • 2019 NORCECA Champions Cup – Most Valuable Player (MVP)
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