Taylor Crabb

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Taylor Crabb (born January 26, 1992) is an American beach volleyball player who plays as a left-side defender with his partner Taylor Sander. He has won fourteen tournaments on the AVP Pro Tour and one gold medal on the FIVB World Tour.

Growing up in Hawaii in a volleyball-playing family, the sport was a big part of Crabb's childhood. He was a standout college an indoor volleyball player for the Long Beach State 49ers, and was the 2013 collegiate National Player of the Year. Upon graduating in 2014, he spent one season playing in the Pro A indoor volleyball league before leaving to focus on beach volleyball. For the next two years, he had limited success playing with his brother Trevor on the domestic AVP Pro Tour and the international FIVB World Tour. He split from Trevor to team up with Gibb at the end of 2016. In their third season together, Crabb and Gibb won their first World Tour title and entered the top ten of the world rankings. Crabb and Gibb were one of two United States men's beach volleyball teams that qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. However, despite being vaccinated and symptom-free, Crabb tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in Tokyo. As a result, Crabb was replaced by Tri Bourne at the tournament.

An undersized volleyball player, Crabb has been noted for his speed and knowledge of the sport. He won the 2018 and 2019 AVP most valuable player award.

Early life and junior years Crabb was born on January 26, 1992, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and hails from a sporting family. His father Chris was a professional indoor volleyball player, while his mother Paula was on the Southern Connecticut State University gymnastics team. His uncle Tony served as an assistant coach for the 1984 Olympic-gold-medal-winning United States men's national volleyball team, and his cousin Lindsey Berg is a two-time Olympic silver medalist with the United States women's national volleyball team. His brother Trevor, three years his senior, played NCAA Division I (D-I) indoor volleyball for the Long Beach State 49ers.

Volleyball was a big part of Crabb's childhood and he has "been playing since [he] could walk." He grew up playing two-on-two beach volleyball with his father and older brothers. From 2004 to 2010, Crabb played club an indoor volleyball in the youth ranks of the Outrigger Canoe Club; his club came in second at the 2010 USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in the 18s Open division. Crabb also played high school an indoor volleyball for Punahou School. In his senior year, Punahou completed an undefeated season by winning the state championship, with Crabb named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

International Crabb was a member of the United States national under-19 squad that finished tenth at the 2009 U19 World Championship. Crabb went on to captain the 12-man under-21 national team that competed at the 2011 U21 World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The United States finished fourth following losses to Argentina in the semifinals and Serbia in the bronze-medal match. By the end of the tournament, Crabb had scored a total of 75 points (23rd out of 85 players), posting a 0.34 kill percentage (17th out of 85 players) and averaging 1.58 digs per set (19th out of 94 players).

College Crabb turned down offers from other top D-I indoor volleyball programs to join his brother Trevor at Long Beach State, joining the 49ers in the 2010–11 season as an outside hitter. Crabb played in 29 matches (23 as a starter) in his freshman year, amassing 296 kills, while averaging 2.6 kills and 1.38 digs per set. He led the 49ers to their first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference finals in seven years, where they lost to the BYU Cougars. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Crabb was selected to the first team All-American and was voted National Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

Upon graduating from Long Beach State in 2014, Crabb signed with Arago de Sète to play professional indoor volleyball in the French Pro A league. Sète ended the 2014–15 regular season ranked 6th out of the 14 Pro A clubs, he is considered an undersized volleyball player. His collegiate coach Alan Knipe said that Crabb made up for his shorter stature with his 40 inch (100 cm) vertical jump, versatility and knowledge of the sport. while his teammate Gibb has praised his court coverage and understanding of beach volleyball. He has also noted that growing up as a smaller player turned out to be an advantage as it allowed him to play in a variety of indoor volleyball positions, which in turn made his game more well-rounded. He is known for his calm demeanor on court, which he credits to his father's influence.

Of the 74 players who competed in a Major Series main draw on the 2019 World Tour, Crabb ranked 37th for total points scored, averaging 5.37 points per set; and 26th for total kills, averaging 5.31 kills per set.

Personal life Crabb's middle name is Kikaha o Ke Kai, which means "glide over the ocean" in Hawaiian; it was given to him because his mother had participated in a 46-mile canoe race while pregnant with him.

Awards 2013 – AVCA National Player of the Year 2017 – AVP Best Defender 2018 – AVP Best Defender, AVP Most Valuable Player, AVP Men's Team of the Year (with Gibb) 2019 – AVP Best Defender, AVP Most Valuable Player, AVP Men's Team of the Year (with Gibb)