Ayana Jean "A.J." Whitaker Sinclair (born August 16, 1992) is an American professional volleyball player for Pallavolo Hermaea of the Italian Serie A2. She played collegiate volleyball at Cal State Fullerton and Loyola Marymount University. She primarily plays the position of Middle Blocker, but also played Opposite early on in her career. Sinclair graduated from Vista Murrieta High School of Murrieta, California in 2010.
| A.J. Whitaker Sinclair | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Ayana Jean Whitaker Sinclair | ||||
| Born | August 16, 1992 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Spike | 124 in (315 cm) | ||||
| Block | 117 in (298 cm) | ||||
| College / University | California State University, Fullerton, Loyola Marymount University | ||||
| Volleyball information | |||||
| Position | Middle Blocker / Opposite | ||||
| Current team | Maccabi Haifa | ||||
| Number | 11 | ||||
| Career | |||||
| |||||
Early career
editBorn and raised in Southern California, Sinclair got a late start in athletics. Beginning her freshman year of high school, she competed in Varsity Track and Field earning all-league first team recognition and scholar athlete honors, followed by joining the school's volleyball team her senior year. By the season's end, Sinclair signed a deal to play volleyball for the California State University Fullerton Titans,[2] an NCAA Division I school, in 2010. In her first stand-out season with the Titans, Whitaker becomes a part of school history with a Big West Championship Win, securing a spot in the 2010 NCAA Championship. After two years with the Titans, Sinclair opted to use a red-shirt year and to transfer to Loyola Marymount University[3] to begin the 2013–2014 season. During the hiatus between teams, Whitaker signed on with the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA as a Cheerleader of the Crowd Crew, one of the teams many entertainment squads.
In 2014, Sinclair attended tryouts for the USA Women's National team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Whitaker was selected for the 2014 U.S. Collegiate National team roster, but due to a knee injury was unable to compete with the team.
Professional career
editIn 2015 Sinclair begins training in Huittinen, Finland with LP Vampula of Finland's first-division Lentopallon Mestaruusliigassa. After competing in the 2015-2016 preseason with LP Vampula, Sinclair returned to the USA due to a family emergency. In July 2016, Sinclair signed a contract with the Italian team Pallavolo Hermaea of Serie A2.[4]
References
edit- ^ Maccabi Haifa Volleyball Club [@maccabivolleyball] (August 16, 2024). "Welcome AJ Whitaker-Sinclair @sweetestsuge" – via Instagram.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "BIO Preview for /sports/w-volley/mtt/whitaker_ayana00.html". Cal State Fullerton Athletics. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ "Ayana Whitaker Bio - Loyola Marymount Official Athletic Site". Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ "www.hermaeavolley.it". hermaeavolley olbia. Retrieved December 24, 2016. [dead link]
External links
edit
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