STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford women’s volleyball great Foluke Akinradewo has been selected for induction into the 2026 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame during its annual ceremony at the Dorothy C. Boyce Banquet on May 20 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld in Florida.
Akinradewo, who played on the Farm from 2005-08, is already a member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2021, she became the most-decorated Olympian from Stanford in the sport of indoor women's volleyball, winning silver in London in 2012, bronze in Rio de Janeiro, where she was named Best Middle Blocker, in 2016 and gold in Tokyo in 2020.
The USA Volleyball induction class includes All-Time Great Male Indoor Athletes Riley Salmon and Dave Saunders, All-Time Great Female Indoor Athletes Akinradewo and Prikeba (Keba) Phipps, All-Time Great Female Beach Athlete Jen Kessy, All-Time Great Male Beach Athlete Phil Dalhausser, and All-Time Great Female Sitting Athlete Nichole Millage.
The prestigious All-Time Great Athlete Award is presented to players who have competed for at least five years on a U.S. National Team and participated in a minimum of five top-level international competitions such as the Olympic Games, FIVB World Championship, FIVB World Cup, or NORCECA Championship.
While at Stanford, Akinradewo became the seventh four-time AVCA All-American in school history and was National Player of the Year as a junior in 2007 and senior in 2008. Named Pac-10 Player of the Year as a junior and senior, she was also the 2005 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and finished her career as one of the most distinguished performers in program history, leading Stanford to NCAA runner-up finishes her last three seasons.
As a junior, she bettered the school's single-season hitting percentage record with a mark of .499, ranking first in the nation. Following her senior season, Akinradewo was nominated for the Honda Award for the third consecutive year. She finished her collegiate career with a .446 hitting percentage, the highest of any NCAA Division I player.
Born in London, Ontario, Akinradewo enjoys tri-citizenship with Canada, Nigeria and the United States. After graduating with a degree in human biology, she went on to have a career in professional volleyball, winning Best Spiker in Japan in the 2010-11 season. Akinradewo competed in Switzerland for Volvo Zurich in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and was named Most Valuable Player in her second year. She also played in Japan and was selected Best Spiker in 2017-18 and Best Spiker, Best Blocker and Most Valuable Player in 2018-19.
Tickets for the banquet and ceremony are available for purchase. For sponsorship opportunities, please email Director of Stewardship and Foundation Operations Kyle Vaughn. Proceeds will benefit the USA Volleyball Foundation, supporting programs that grow and sustain the sport nationwide.
The induction ceremony will take place two days before the 2026 USA Volleyball Open National Championship begins at the Orange County Convention Center, making Orlando the center of the volleyball world for the week.