Jake Gibb

BIRTH: Feb. 6, 1976

HOMETOWN: Bountiful, UT

RESIDES: Costa Mesa, CA

HEIGHT: 6-7

COLLEGE: Utah

THE SKINNY: Gibb is one of the rising stars on the AVP Tour and took home his first title in 2004 at the Austin Open alongside former partner Adam Jewell. Since the start of the 2004 season, Gibb has been in 16 finals, winning six titles with three different partners. He is the only player to finish ranked in the top five in each of the past three seasons.

Playing with Stein Metzger for the first time, the duo won the first two tournaments of 2005, becoming just the third team since 1990 to win consecutive tournaments to begin a partnership. They won in Belmar, then placed second in an FIVB Grand Slam event in Paris, logging the highest finish by an American team in 2005. Their win in Manhattan Beach in 2005 made Gibb and Metzger just the second team to win four domestic tournaments in a season since the turn of the century, and also marked the first time since the 2003 season opener that a number one-seeded team won an AVP open event. Gibb was chosen as the MVP of the AVP in 2005.

In 2006 he and Sean Rosenthal won the season-opening event on the CROCS AVP Tour, with their $50,000 prize money the largest payout since 1997. In addition to playing in six finals, the duo also played in three FIVB championships, winning in Acapulco. In February 2007 Gibb won the individual exhibition event in Albany, N.Y. In 2006, he ranked third in hitting percentage (.477), fifth in kill percentage (.599) and fifth in blocks (1.82 per game).

He is one of the few players on the AVP Tour that did not play volleyball in college. Instead, he grew in Bountiful, Utah, playing golf and basketball. It was not until he turned 21 that he took up the sport of beach volleyball with his twin brother, Coleman.

He is the youngest of 11 children (six brothers, five sisters). He graduated from the University of Utah in 2002 with a degree in business.

He and his wife Jane were married in 2000 and moved to Southern California in 2002. They currently reside in Costa Mesa, California.

FAVORITES:

Movie: American Beauty

Band: Midnight Oil

Meal: Pork burrito enchilada style, black beans, half hot/half mild sauce from Cafe Rio