Dax Holdren
Encyclopedia
Dax Holdren is an American professional beach volleyball
player. Holdren is currently on the AVP
tour playing with Jeff Nygaard
.
Holdren was a late-comer to the sport of volleyball and did not begin playing until his junior year in high school. He joined the AVP in 1997 and was the tour's rookie of the year. He started his career playing with Todd Rogers
, a teammate of his at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara. The duo had eight wins together, including a World Tour victory in 2000 that was reached through qualification. Following his partnership with Rogers, Holdren partnered with Eric Fonoimoana
for two AVP seasons. In 2002, they were considered the dominant partnership on tour. Fonoimoana split with Holdren in 2003.
Holdren represented the United States with partner Stein Metzger
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Greece, where they finished fifth. The duo were not expected to win medals despite their unexpected win of the silver medal at the 2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships
in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil. Holdren and Metzger split as partners following their finish out of the medals in Athens; both Holdren and Metzger are smallish players for beach volleyball and had no plans to continue as partners, leading to Holdren's current pairing with Nygaard. During the 2005 AVP season, Holdren and Nygaard were the second-ranked pair in the league. Holdren himself finished second on the tour in digs with 909. Holdren and Nygaard are still primary partners, but in the 2007 season, Nygaard's treatment for cancer has reduced their play time together. While Nygaard underwent treatment, Holdren partnered with Kevin Wong
in several tournaments.
In his career, Holdren has 14 total wins on the AVP tour (eight with Rogers, five with Fonoimoana, one with Nygaard), most recently coming in 2005. He has had several sponsors, notably being sponsored by Nautica along with Mike Lambert.
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
player. Holdren is currently on the AVP
Association of Volleyball Professionals
The Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP, is a beach volleyball tour which takes place throughout the United States. The summer tour starts in April and continues almost every weekend until the end of October....
tour playing with Jeff Nygaard
Jeff Nygaard
Jeff Wayne Nygaard is an American beach volleyball player who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics with partner Dain Blanton in Athens, Greece. In 1996 and 2000 he was a member of the Men's Olympic National Indoor Team.Jeff Nygaard attended Robert M...
.
Holdren was a late-comer to the sport of volleyball and did not begin playing until his junior year in high school. He joined the AVP in 1997 and was the tour's rookie of the year. He started his career playing with Todd Rogers
Todd Rogers
Todd Jonathan Rogers is an American professional beach volleyball player. He and his partner, Phil Dalhausser, were the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 AVP Tour champions, and are the reigning FIVB world champions, and reigning Olympic gold medalists from the Summer Olympics in Beijing.Rogers and...
, a teammate of his at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara. The duo had eight wins together, including a World Tour victory in 2000 that was reached through qualification. Following his partnership with Rogers, Holdren partnered with Eric Fonoimoana
Eric Fonoimoana
Eric Fonoimoana is an American volleyball player who currently resides in Hermosa Beach, California. He was born in Manhattan Beach, California, and attended UCSB, where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity . He is most notable for winning the gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. He has...
for two AVP seasons. In 2002, they were considered the dominant partnership on tour. Fonoimoana split with Holdren in 2003.
Holdren represented the United States with partner Stein Metzger
Stein Metzger
Stein Metzger is a beach volleyball player from the United States, playing in the AVP. In 2006 he played with his high school teammate, Mike Lambert, and they advanced to the Final Four in fourteen of the fifteen team events, winning five times...
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece, where they finished fifth. The duo were not expected to win medals despite their unexpected win of the silver medal at the 2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships
2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships
These page shows the results of the IV Beach Volleybal World Championships, held from October 7 to October 12, 2003 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the fourth official edition of this event, after ten unofficial championships all held in Rio de Janeiro.-Final ranking:-Final ranking:-References:*...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil. Holdren and Metzger split as partners following their finish out of the medals in Athens; both Holdren and Metzger are smallish players for beach volleyball and had no plans to continue as partners, leading to Holdren's current pairing with Nygaard. During the 2005 AVP season, Holdren and Nygaard were the second-ranked pair in the league. Holdren himself finished second on the tour in digs with 909. Holdren and Nygaard are still primary partners, but in the 2007 season, Nygaard's treatment for cancer has reduced their play time together. While Nygaard underwent treatment, Holdren partnered with Kevin Wong
Kevin Wong
Kevin Kahn Wong is a professional beach volleyball player who currently competes on the AVP tour. In 2000, he placed fifth paired with Rob Heidger at the Sydney Olympics. Wong was named to People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" issue in 2000. He currently lives in Hawaii. He is 6'7" and...
in several tournaments.
In his career, Holdren has 14 total wins on the AVP tour (eight with Rogers, five with Fonoimoana, one with Nygaard), most recently coming in 2005. He has had several sponsors, notably being sponsored by Nautica along with Mike Lambert.