Taylor Sander: Mormon Athlete

Taylor Sander is an Olympic athlete with a bronze medal in volleyball won at the 2016 Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the games, he led all receivers (81 receptions and eight faults on 166 attempts) and was third in aces (11 aces). He won a gold medal at the 2015 World Cup in Japan.

He was part of the United States men's national volleyball team at the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021. His younger brother, Brenden, was an alternate for the team. The team placed tenth overall.

Sander was born on March 17, 1992, in Fountain Valley, California. He grew up in Huntington Beach where he played volleyball for his high school and went on to study at Brigham Young University where he was a four-time AVCA All-American, the 2014 American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year, 2013 and 2014 MPSF Player of the Year, 2013 and 2014 MPSF Tournament MVP, and four-time All-MPSF First Team.

He was with BluVolley Verona (Italy) from 2014 to 2016. He also played with Beijing Volleyball, Al Arabi Doha, Volley Lube, Sada Cruzeiro. His team from 2020–2021 is Skra Bełchatów.

In 2015, Sander married Rachel McQuivey, a hurdler and long jumper with BYU. They had their first child in June 2018. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.