Men’s volleyball — Clay Stanley, USA

Clay Stanley started high school as a typical Hawaiian teenager.

“Just hanging out with buddies, surfing, doing things that kids do,” he said.

But with volleyball in his bloodlines, it was almost inevitable that he’d someday get off the beach and into the gym. More than a decade later, the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Stanley is the leading scorer for the U.S. Olympic team and his 80-mph-plus serve (men generally serve about 60 mph) is one the best at these games.

“When you have a guy who can hit the ball like Clay does, we’re going to ride him. Especially when he’s on,” said American captain Lloy Ball.

Stanley’s father, Jon, was a starter on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team in Mexico City. Stanley’s spot on this year’s team gave USA volleyball its first father-son duo. Stanley’s mother, Sandra Haine, comes from a volleyball family and also played the sport professionally.

The U.S. fell to Russia Thursday in four sets, dropping to 1-2 in pool play. Up next is Australia today.

The Americans will be looking for some better decisions from the 26-year-old Stanley. They want him to hit a faster spike, not as high, and be a little less predictable with his favorite crosscourt shot.

Said middle blocker Ryan Millar: “I don’t think that’ll be a problem for him.”