TJ DeFalco
American volleyball player (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Torey James DeFalco (born April 10, 1997) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for JTEKT Stings and the U.S. national team.[1][2] DeFalco took home a bronze medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
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Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
| Torey DeFalco | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DeFalco in 2019 | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Torey James DeFalco | ||||
| Nickname | T.J. | ||||
| Born | April 10, 1997 Springfield, Missouri, U.S. | ||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg) | ||||
| Spike | 130 in (340 cm) | ||||
| Block | 129 in (328 cm) | ||||
| College / University | California State University, Long Beach | ||||
| Volleyball information | |||||
| Position | Outside hitter | ||||
| Current club | JTEKT Stings | ||||
| Career | |||||
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| National team | |||||
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Early life
DeFalco was raised on a farm in Missouri until the age of nine, when his family moved to California. He attended Huntington Beach High School, where his performance on the volleyball team earned him national attention.[3]
DeFalco is one of seven children. His sister, Teagan, played beach volleyball for the Washington Huskies. She now plays for Vegas Thrill.[4]
Career
College
Recognized as the top recruit in the country,[5] DeFalco enrolled at California State University, Long Beach, where he majored in Consumer Affairs. While at LBSU, he reached the NCAA Final Four all four years (2016–2019) and won the NCAA Championship twice (2018, 2019). He was a two–time AVCA Player of the Year (2017, 2019), the AVCA Newcomer of the Year (2016), and a four–time AVCA First Team All American (2016–2019). He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 NCAA Championships, as well as being named to the NCAA All–Tournament Team three times (2016, 2018, 2019).[6]
Club
In June 2019, DeFalco signed his first professional volleyball contract with the Italian team, Volley Callipo.[7] For the 2021–22 season, he joined AZS Olsztyn.[8] For the 2022–23 PlusLiga season, he signed a contract with Resovia.[9]
National team
DeFalco joined the U.S. National Team in 2015, while he was still in high school.[10] He competed with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Honors
Club
- CEV Cup
2023–24 – with Asseco Resovia
College
- Domestic
- 2018
NCAA National Championship, with Long Beach State[11] - 2019 NCAA National Championship, with Long Beach State[12]
- 2018
Youth national team
Individual awards
- 2014: NORCECA U19 Championship – Most valuable player
- 2014: NORCECA U19 Championship – Best outside hitter
- 2016: NCAA National Championship – All-tournament team
- 2017: AVCA National Player of the Year
- 2018: NCAA National Championship – All-tournament team
- 2019: AVCA National Player of the Year
- 2019: NCAA National Championship – All-tournament team (Most outstanding player)
- 2019: NORCECA Championship – Best outside spiker
Statistics
- 2021–22 PlusLiga – Best scorer (536 points)
