Avery Skinner is an American outside hitter for Savino Del Bene Scandicci and the United States women’s national volleyball team. Born on April 25, 1999, in Katy, Texas, the 186 cm attacker won an NCAA championship with Kentucky before moving into professional volleyball in France and Italy. She made her senior U.S. debut in 2022 and reached the Olympic podium two years later in Paris.
Skinner’s career has combined high-volume left-side scoring with a substantial serve-reception role. She became an Olympic starter during the Paris 2024 tournament, helping the United States win silver, then added a major club title when Scandicci won the 2025 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship. Named one of the tournament’s Best Outside Hitters, she remained with Scandicci for 2026–27 while continuing as the U.S. national team’s number 3.
Player Information
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Avery Skinner |
| Date of Birth | April 25, 1999 |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | Katy, Texas, United States |
| Hometown | Katy, Texas, United States |
| Position | Outside Hitter |
| Height | 186 cm |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Spike Reach | 309 cm |
| Block Reach | 299 cm |
| Dominant Hand | Right |
| College | University of Kentucky; Baylor University |
| Previous Clubs | Béziers Volley, Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 |
| Current Club | Savino Del Bene Scandicci |
| Club Number | 4 |
| National Team | United States Women’s National Volleyball Team |
| National-Team Number | 3 |
| Career Status | Active |
| @averyskinnerr |
Current CEV competition data lists Skinner at 186 cm and 75 kg, with a 309 cm spike reach and 299 cm block reach. Those figures are consistent with her current Scandicci context, while USA Volleyball lists her height as 6 feet 1 inch.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Skinner grew up in Katy, Texas, in a family already closely connected to high-level sport. Her father, Brian Skinner, played 14 seasons in the NBA after a college basketball career at Baylor, while Avery and several of her siblings pursued competitive sports of their own.
She played high-school volleyball through HCYA and competed at club level for Houston Skyline. Baylor’s collegiate biography records two Texas state championships in 2015 and 2016, an Under Armour All-American selection and a Houston Skyline single-season record of 780 kills. She was also rated among the leading players in her recruiting class before joining Kentucky.
The family connection to volleyball eventually became particularly visible through her younger sister Madisen Skinner. Avery and Madisen were teammates at Kentucky during the Wildcats’ championship season, and both later reached the senior United States national team. USA Volleyball’s Avery Skinner athlete profile lists five younger siblings—Madisen, Jada, Brian, Phoenix and Malachi—and notes that Madisen made her senior U.S. debut in 2024.
Skinner enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 2017. She immediately entered the outside-hitter rotation, earning SEC All-Freshman recognition after recording 363 kills in her first college season.
Her role grew steadily over four years. By the 2020–21 season, Skinner was producing 3.77 kills per set while hitting .366 and earned AVCA First-Team All-America and All-SEC First Team honors. That season turned Kentucky from a consistent SEC power into a national champion.
College Career
Four SEC Titles and a National Championship at Kentucky
Skinner’s Kentucky class won the SEC championship in each of its four seasons. The Wildcats also reached the NCAA Tournament every year, but the final season produced the breakthrough that defined her college career.
Kentucky advanced to its first national semifinal in program history during the delayed 2020 NCAA tournament, played in spring 2021. Skinner scored 19 kills in the semifinal victory over Washington, helping send the Wildcats into a championship match against Texas.
In the final, Kentucky won 3–1 to claim both the program’s first national title and the first NCAA Division I women’s volleyball championship won by an SEC program. Skinner finished the championship match with 14 kills, while younger sister Madisen added a career-high 19.
Avery was selected to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. Across Kentucky’s five NCAA tournament matches, she averaged 3.71 kills per set and produced 63 kills.
Her overall Kentucky career ended with 821 kills in 86 matches. She also reached 100 career blocks, reflecting a front-row role that involved more than terminating high balls from the left pin.
Graduate Season at Baylor
Skinner graduated from Kentucky in 2021 and transferred to Baylor for her final season of college eligibility. The decision also connected her directly to her father’s alma mater: Brian Skinner had starred for Baylor men’s basketball before entering the NBA.
Baylor added Skinner as a graduate transfer after her national-championship season. The program’s signing announcement emphasized both her First-Team All-America background and championship experience.
She played all 28 matches for Baylor in 2021, finishing second on the team with 355 kills and averaging 3.51 kills per set. Her role also expanded in the backcourt: Skinner produced 255 digs, 49 blocks and 16 service aces while recording ten double-doubles.
She earned unanimous All-Big 12 First Team honors, AVCA Southwest All-Region recognition and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention. Academically, she was named a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American and pursued graduate study in speech-language pathology.
That final college season gave Skinner five years of NCAA experience across two major programs before she entered professional volleyball.
Club Career
Béziers and an Immediate French Cup Title
Skinner began her professional career with Béziers Volley in France for the 2022–23 season.
The first year produced both individual production and a major trophy. Skinner finished as Béziers’ leading scorer in the French league and in the Coupe de France. Her club later described the season as a particularly successful introduction to professional volleyball, with Skinner leaving France after helping Béziers capture the first French Cup in club history.
The final against RC Cannes went five sets. Skinner scored 23 points, all in attack, as Béziers won 3–2. She was named MVP of the final and finished as the competition’s leading scorer.
Béziers’ official farewell announcement confirmed that Skinner left after one season to move to Chieri in Italy, closing her first professional campaign with both a trophy and the experience of functioning as a primary scorer.
Two Seasons with Chieri
Skinner joined Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 for 2023–24, moving from France’s Ligue A to Italy’s Serie A1.
Her first Chieri season ended with another European trophy. The club advanced through the CEV Cup and faced Switzerland’s Viteos Neuchâtel in the final. Chieri won both legs, completing the title with a 3–1 victory in Turin. CEV’s final report confirmed Chieri as the 2024 CEV Cup champion, one season after the club had already won the Challenge Cup.
For Skinner, the CEV Cup extended a rapid transition from college volleyball into meaningful European matches. Within two professional seasons she had won domestic silverware in France and a continental competition in Italy.
She remained at Chieri for 2024–25. That season brought an even heavier scoring role. Across 28 Serie A1 appearances, Skinner scored 387 points, including 17 blocks and 14 aces. She also produced 111 points over eight CEV Challenge Cup matches as Chieri returned to another European final.
The Challenge Cup campaign ended in defeat to Roma, but Skinner remained central to the run. She scored 21 points in the first leg of the final and finished the European campaign among Chieri’s primary attacking options.
Her two seasons at Chieri established her as a consistent Serie A1 starter rather than a short-term overseas prospect. In June 2025, Savino Del Bene Scandicci signed her for the next stage of her Italian career.
Scandicci and a World Club Title
Skinner joined Savino Del Bene Scandicci for 2025–26, moving to a club built to contend for domestic, European and world titles.
The impact was immediate. Skinner played 43 matches across the season and totaled 523 points, 36 winning blocks and 14 aces. In Serie A1 alone, she scored 296 points, and the club reached the first Coppa Italia final in its history.
Scandicci also advanced to the Champions League Final Four. One of the decisive performances came in the quarterfinal against Fenerbahçe. After the tie reached a Golden Set in Istanbul, Skinner scored early in both attack and block and later delivered the point that moved Scandicci to 14–12. She finished the match with 16 points as Scandicci won the Golden Set 15–13.
The largest title of Skinner’s club career came several months earlier at the 2025 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship in São Paulo.
Scandicci entered the tournament for the first time and advanced through the event unbeaten. Skinner delivered 22 points against Osasco during pool play, then remained an important part of the starting lineup through the knockout rounds.
In the final against defending champion Conegliano, Scandicci won 3–1. Skinner contributed 18 kills while Ekaterina Antropova led the scoring. The victory gave Scandicci its first world club title.
FIVB also selected Skinner as one of the tournament’s Best Outside Hitters, alongside Gabi Guimarães.
That combination—world title, Dream Team selection and a full season as one of Scandicci’s principal receivers and scorers—led to a contract renewal. In May 2026, the club confirmed that Skinner would stay for 2026–27.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–2021 | University of Kentucky | United States |
| 2021 | Baylor University | United States |
| 2022–2023 | Béziers Volley | France |
| 2023–2025 | Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 | Italy |
| 2025–present | Savino Del Bene Scandicci | Italy |
National Team Career
Senior Debut and Pan American Breakthrough
Skinner trained previously with the U.S. Collegiate National Team, but her senior international career began in 2022.
Her first major senior competition was the Pan American Cup. The tournament immediately demonstrated that her college scoring could translate to international volleyball. The United States won bronze, while Skinner finished as the competition’s Best Scorer and received a Best Spiker award.
In the bronze-medal victory over Mexico, she scored 13 points and produced a team-high four blocks. USA Volleyball’s tournament recap confirmed her Best Scorer and Second Best Spiker honors.
Skinner then remained with the U.S. group for the Pan American Cup Final Six, where the Americans won silver. She led the U.S. with 11 points in the final against the Dominican Republic.
Those tournaments were developmental competitions rather than the full senior A-team calendar, but they established her in the national-team pipeline at age 23.
Moving Into the Main National Team
Skinner’s role expanded during the 2023 season.
She played in the Volleyball Nations League as the United States reached the semifinals and finished fourth. Later that summer, she was part of the team that earned silver at the NORCECA Continental Championship.
The year also included the Road to Paris Olympic qualifier. The United States secured Olympic qualification, although Skinner had not yet established the starting role she would eventually claim in Paris.
By 2024 she was competing directly for one of the Olympic outside-hitter positions. The first VNL week was also personally notable because Madisen Skinner made her senior national-team debut, allowing the sisters to represent the United States together at senior level for the first time.
Avery played throughout the 2024 VNL and was selected to the 12-player Olympic roster. She became the first Kentucky volleyball alumna to compete at an Olympic Games.
Paris 2024: From Game Changer to Olympic Starter
Skinner did not begin the Paris Olympics as one of the United States’ two starting outside hitters.
Against China in the opening match, head coach Karch Kiraly turned to Skinner and Kathryn Plummer after the Americans fell behind by two sets. The pair changed the match. Skinner scored 17 points on 15 kills and two aces, hit .400 and led all players with 17 successful receptions as the U.S. forced a fifth set before losing.
The performance changed the lineup. USA Volleyball later described Kiraly’s combination of Skinner and Plummer as the team’s “slugger lineup,” and the two started the rest of the United States’ Olympic matches.
The U.S. then defeated Serbia and France to escape pool play before sweeping Poland in the quarterfinals.
Brazil presented the strongest test in the semifinal. The match went five sets, and the United States prevailed 15–11 in the tiebreak. Skinner scored 15 points and produced ten digs, while Plummer led the team offensively.
Italy defeated the United States 3–0 in the gold-medal match, leaving Skinner with Olympic silver in her first Games.
Across six matches, she scored 72 points: 64 in attack, five from blocks and three from serve. The official Paris tournament statistics also credit her with a substantial backcourt workload, including ten digs in both the quarterfinal against Poland and semifinal against Brazil.
The tournament was a major change in Skinner’s international standing. She arrived as a first-time Olympian competing within a veteran outside-hitter group and left Paris as a starting six-rotation player on a silver-medal team.
The Post-Paris Cycle
Skinner remained with the U.S. national team after Paris as Erik Sullivan succeeded Kiraly as head coach.
She returned during the 2025 VNL and then played at her first senior World Championship in Thailand. The tournament also created another chapter in the Skinner family story: Madisen was on the roster alongside Avery.
In the opening match against Slovenia, the sisters combined for 28 points. Avery led the United States with 15—14 kills and one ace—while Madisen added 13. Volleyball World’s match report highlighted the sisters as the key scoring pair in the 3–1 victory.
The United States won its pool, swept Canada in the round of 16 and reached the quarterfinals before losing to Türkiye. The team finished fifth.
Skinner remained a significant part of the U.S. offense in 2026. Across 12 VNL matches she scored 129 points, including 111 kills, eight blocks and ten aces. Her attacking efficiency was listed at 45.49%.
She produced 21 points against Brazil and 19 against Türkiye during the preliminary round. The U.S. ultimately advanced to the VNL Finals before losing its quarterfinal to China.
The final major tournament of the summer was the NORCECA Continental Championship in Santo Domingo. Skinner remained number 3 and contributed throughout the event, including 15 points against Canada in pool play and a team-leading 14 points against Mexico.
The United States reached the final and finished with silver after losing another five-set match to Canada. The result gave Skinner her second senior NORCECA silver medal.
Playing Style & Strengths
Skinner’s clearest offensive trait is the weight she can generate from the left pin. Her swing combines a high contact point with a fast arm, allowing her to score through or off established blocks rather than depending exclusively on clean one-on-one situations.
That physical attacking profile became especially visible at the Paris Olympics. When she entered against China, Skinner immediately supplied the type of terminal offense the United States needed from the outside. She finished with 15 kills and two aces while hitting .400, then remained in the starting lineup for the rest of the tournament.
Her value, however, is not limited to front-row scoring. Skinner regularly plays a six-rotation role and takes significant serve-reception volume. That was already visible against China in Paris, when she combined 17 points with 17 successful receptions.
The same balance has carried into Italy. During the 2025–26 Serie A1 season with Scandicci, Skinner scored 350 points across league competition, including 323 attack points, while remaining one of the team’s primary receivers. League statistics recorded 193 perfect receptions for her over the season.
Those numbers help explain why she fits alongside a high-volume opposite such as Ekaterina Antropova. Scandicci does not need Skinner to take every difficult attack, but it can use her as a reliable left-side terminal option without removing her from reception.
Serving has also become a meaningful source of pressure. Skinner recorded ten aces during the 2026 VNL, ranking among the stronger U.S. servers in the competition. She had three aces in the opening match against Ukraine and two each against Germany, Türkiye and China.
Blocking is less central to her scoring profile than attacking, but her size and timing allow her to contribute against opposing right-side attackers. She recorded eight blocks during the 2026 VNL and seven at the 2025 Club World Championship.
Her overall profile is therefore that of a scoring outside hitter who can remain on the floor through all six rotations. The heavy arm is the most visible weapon, but her usefulness to both Scandicci and the United States comes from combining that offense with reception, defense, serving and enough blocking to avoid becoming a front-row mismatch.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Pan American Cup | Bronze |
| 2022 | Pan American Cup Final Six | Silver |
| 2023 | NORCECA Continental Championship | Silver |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Silver |
| 2026 | NORCECA Continental Championship | Silver |
Selected Club Honors
| Year / Season | Team | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Kentucky | NCAA Division I Championship | Winner |
| 2022–23 | Béziers Volley | French Cup | Winner |
| 2023–24 | Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 | CEV Cup | Winner |
| 2024–25 | Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 | CEV Challenge Cup | Runner-up |
| 2025 | Savino Del Bene Scandicci | FIVB Women’s Club World Championship | Winner |
| 2025–26 | Savino Del Bene Scandicci | Coppa Italia | Runner-up |
Selected Individual Awards
| Year / Season | Competition / Organization | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | AVCA | First-Team All-American |
| 2020 | NCAA Championship | All-Tournament Team |
| 2020 | CoSIDA | First-Team Academic All-American |
| 2021 | Big 12 | All-Big 12 First Team |
| 2021 | AVCA | All-America Honorable Mention |
| 2021 | CoSIDA | First-Team Academic All-American |
| 2022 | Pan American Cup | Best Scorer |
| 2022 | Pan American Cup | Second Best Spiker |
| 2023 | French Cup | Final MVP |
| 2025 | FIVB Women’s Club World Championship | Best Outside Hitter |
Family & Personal Life
Sport is a major part of Skinner’s family background. Her father, Brian Skinner, played college basketball at Baylor from 1994 to 1998 before spending 14 seasons in the NBA. That career exposed Avery to elite professional sport long before she became a professional athlete herself.
Her parents are Brian and Rebecca Skinner, and Avery is the oldest of six children. USA Volleyball lists her younger siblings as Madisen, Jada, Brian, Phoenix and Malachi.
Madisen has built the most closely connected career. The sisters played together at Kentucky and were part of the program’s 2020 NCAA championship team. After Avery transferred to Baylor, Madisen moved to Texas and won two more NCAA titles in 2022 and 2023.
Their paths converged again internationally. Madisen debuted for the U.S. senior national team during the 2024 VNL, and both sisters were later members of the 2025 World Championship roster. Their 28 combined points against Slovenia gave the family relationship a direct competitive role rather than simply being a biographical connection.
Avery also developed a strong academic résumé alongside volleyball. She was a First-Team Academic All-American at Kentucky and again at Baylor, then pursued graduate studies in speech-language pathology during her final college season.
Where Is Avery Skinner Playing Now?
As of October 2026, Skinner plays for Savino Del Bene Scandicci in Italy’s Serie A1 and wears number 4. The club renewed her for the 2026–27 season after a first year that included 523 points across all competitions, a Club World Championship title and the club’s second consecutive Champions League Final Four appearance.
She has remained a major part of Scandicci’s attack at the beginning of 2026–27. Through the club’s first five league appearances, league statistics credited her with 71 points—66 kills and five blocks—while attacking at 44.6%.
Skinner is also still active with the U.S. women’s national team. She played all three weeks of the 2026 VNL, appeared in the Finals and finished the competition with 129 points. She then helped the United States earn silver at the NORCECA Continental Championship in August.
At 27, she is simultaneously in an established role for a Champions League-level Italian club and part of the United States’ post-Paris Olympic cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Avery Skinner?
Avery Skinner was born on April 25, 1999. She is 27 years old as of October 2026.
How tall is Avery Skinner?
Skinner is 186 cm tall, approximately 6 feet 1 inch. Current CEV data also lists her at 75 kg with a 309 cm spike reach and 299 cm block reach.
What position does Avery Skinner play?
She is an outside hitter. Skinner plays a six-rotation role that combines left-side attacking with serve reception, defense, serving and blocking.
Which club does Avery Skinner play for?
Skinner plays for Savino Del Bene Scandicci in Italy’s Serie A1. She joined the club in 2025 after two seasons with Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 and renewed for the 2026–27 season.
Did Avery Skinner play at the Olympics?
Yes. Skinner made her Olympic debut at Paris 2024 and won a silver medal with the United States. She scored 72 points across six matches and became a starter after entering from the bench during the opening match against China.
Are Avery Skinner and Madisen Skinner sisters?
Yes. Avery is Madisen Skinner’s older sister. They won the 2020 NCAA championship together at Kentucky and later became teammates on the United States senior national team.
References
- USA Volleyball — Avery Skinner athlete profile
- Baylor Athletics — Avery Skinner 2021 player biography
- Kentucky Athletics — Kentucky wins the 2020 NCAA Volleyball National Championship
- Béziers Angels — Avery Skinner departure and 2022–23 season review
- CEV — Chieri ’76 crowned 2024 CEV Cup champions
- Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile — Avery Skinner career record
- Savino Del Bene Volley — Avery Skinner confirmed for 2026–27
- FIVB — Savino Del Bene win the 2025 Women’s Club World Championship
- USA Volleyball — Paris 2024 U.S. women’s Olympic review
- Volleyball World — Avery Skinner Paris 2024 player statistics
- Volleyball World — Skinner sisters lead USA in 2025 World Championship opener
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Women take silver at the 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship
