Donald Suxho
Donald Suxho (born February 21, 1976) is an Albanian-American professional volleyball player and a player for the U.S. Olympic Team. As a setter, he participated in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece as well as the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Suxho and his family came to America in 1996 and lived in Natick, Massachusetts while searching for a college. He eventually chose to play for the University of Southern California and became one of the most well-known volleyball players to come out of USC.[1] Playing careerSuxho's father Peter is the former coach of the Albanian Junior National team as well as the Natick High School boys and girls volleyball coach and it was under his tutelage in the U.S. and Albania that Suxho learned the game. Suxho played for the Albanian junior national team from 1991 to 1996 and made the national team while still a teenager in 1995–96.[2] While at USC, Suxho was a four-year starter for a nationally ranked team. He set a number of Trojan records, including 164 career aces. He became one of the top players in school history and was a two-time All-American and AVCA National Player of the Year as a senior in 2000. Following graduation, he played professional beach volleyball in Poland and has been a member of the U.S. Olympic Team since 2001. He competed in the Athens Olympics but missed Beijing due to injury.[2] In 2012, he was one of 40 USC athletes to make an Olympic team.[3] In addition to his playing career, Suxho served as the USC assistant men's volleyball coach during the 2001–02 season. In the summer of 2014, Suxho played with "Studenti" in Tirana Albania for a European Tournament. IMG AcademyIn 2022 IMG Academy hired Suxho as Director of Volleyball to launch the acclaimed private athletic school's entry into the sport of girl's indoor volleyball, beginning in fall of 2023.[4][5][6] Donald Suxho resigned from his role as IMG volleyball director due to “personal reasons” in November 2023. Awards
References
External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Donald Suxho.
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