Elaine Youngs

Elaine Youngs played for the US in volleyball at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and then came back to play beach volleyball at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Youngs won a bronze medal in beach volleyball at the 2004 Athina Olympics, playing alongside Holly McPeak. Youngs also won a bronze medal in beach at the 1999 World Championships, and won a silver medal in indoor volleyball at the 1995 Pan American Games.

Youngs played college volleyball at UCLA, and also played for two years on the UCLA basketball team. She started playing beach in 1997 and played professionally through the 2009 season. Youngs won 51 beach volleyball tournaments during her career, 39 on the AVP Tour and 12 on the FIVB Tour. In 2001-02, she was the leading money winner on the AVP Tour. She was AVP MVP in 2002 and was the WPVA Rookie of the Year in 1997.

Youngs is a member of the California Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame, inducted in 2016. She was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006. She later settled far from the beach, in Durango, Colorado.