Kelly Cheng, who was born as Kelly Marie Claes is a professional beach volleyball player. She found love in the sport after following her father’s footsteps, who was a collegiate basketball player. She started earning her accomplishments from a very young age when she was in El Dorado High School. She attended college at the University of Southern California and found her teammate Sara Hughes.
Ever since then, they have made their duo legendary by winning multiple accolades till today. They etched their name in the history books by becoming the youngest duo to win an AVP Gold Series event, after they turned professional. In their collegiate career, Kelly along with her partner bagged a bronze medal at the U19 FIVB World Championships. They also won two NCAA Championships consecutively for the USC Trojans (2016, 2017).
Following this, she found a new partner Sarah Sponcil, with whom she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics together after winning gold medals at the 2019 FIVB four-star events.
Kelly Chang came to the spotlight for her individual brilliance after she earned the Pac-12 Player of the Year award twice. This solidified her position in the volleyball realm. From 2019-2021, she competed alongside Sponcil. The duo squared off together in multiple events, and won four medals, out of which two were silver, which she won at the 2019 FIVB Tokyo and 2019 FIVB The Hague. The other two are golds, which they clinched in the 2021 FIVB Sochi and FIVB Ostrava.
She has an extravagant resume when it comes to the World Tour. She has clinched a total of 13 medals, of which seven are gold (2021,2022, 2023, 2024), four are silver (2018, 2019, 2023), and two are bronze medals (2019 and 2024). She earned two gold medals in 2021, three in 2022, and one in 2023 and 2024 each. She also became the world champion in 2023 Tlaxcala.
Kelly Cheng Nationality
Kelly Cheng is American. She grew up in Fullerton, California, where her journey in volleyball began. She started her career at an early age and flourished exceptionally in her collegiate career alongside her partner Sara Hughes.
She went to high school at El Dorado High School, where she played volleyball and was awarded All-CIF Division 1A and Orange County Register All-Orange County first-team honors. She continued her high school passion at her university, the University of Southern California, where she won two NCAA titles consecutively and was also awarded the Pac-12 Player of the Year award along with Pac-12 Pair of the Year and Pac-12 Pairs Championships with Hughes. She graduated from the university in 2017, with a specialization in sociology.
Kelly Cheng Hometown
Kelly Cheng’s hometown is Fullerton, California. Here, she grew up with her two brothers, Ben and Danny, and one sister, Kristi. She graduated from her high school one semester early to be a part of USC’s beach volleyball program. She has also played sitting volleyball at the USAV Open National Championships.
One of the biggest supporters behind her career are her parents Paul and Quincy Claes, who played baseball for two years at San Diego State. She was also inspired by the legendary beach volleyball player and broadcaster Karch Kiraly.
Kelly Cheng’s Birthplace
Kelly Cheng was born in California, USA.
See more:- Kelly Cheng Parents
FAQ's On Kelly Cheng nationality
A. Kelly Cheng’s parents are Paul and Quincy Claes.
A. Kelly Cheng is 6 ft 2 in tall.
A. Kelly Cheng’s current partner is Sara Hughes.
A. Kelly Cheng was born on September 18, 1995, which makes her 28 years old.
