Cole Hartke is an American volleyball player who competes as an opposite and outside hitter for Pepperdine University and represents the United States at senior international level. Born on April 20, 2006, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Hartke stands 211 cm and has developed from a USA Volleyball youth international into one of the leading scorers in NCAA men’s volleyball and a senior U.S. opposite.
His international progression has moved quickly. Hartke won the 2024 NORCECA U21 Continental Championship with the United States, helped the U.S. claim its first-ever medal at the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship with bronze in 2025, and joined the senior national team during the 2026 Volleyball Nations League. That first senior season ended with VNL silver and a NORCECA Continental Championship gold medal.
At Pepperdine, Hartke was named the 2025 MPSF Freshman of the Year before producing an even stronger sophomore season. In 2026, he led the NCAA in kills per set and points per set, earned AVCA First Team All-America recognition and finished as one of four finalists for the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Player of the Year award.
Player Information
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Cole Hartke |
| Date of Birth | April 20, 2006 |
| Born | Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States |
| Hometown | Barrington, Illinois, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| High School | Barrington High School |
| College / University | Pepperdine University |
| Field of Study | Business Administration |
| Position | Opposite / Outside Hitter |
| Height | 211 cm |
| Youth Clubs | Sports Performance Volleyball Club, Pipeline Volleyball Club |
| Current Team | Pepperdine Waves |
| College Number | 10 |
| National Team | United States Men’s National Volleyball Team |
| Senior National-Team Number | 18 |
| Senior National Team Since | 2026 |
| @cole.hartke |
Hartke has been listed at multiple closely related heights during his development, ranging from 6-foot-10 to 7-foot depending on the roster and competition. Volleyball World’s current international profile lists him at 211 cm, while Pepperdine’s 2027 roster lists 6-foot-11. His position has also evolved: USA Volleyball listed him primarily as an outside hitter during parts of his youth career, while the 2025 U21 World Championship and his 2026 senior international appearances list him as an opposite. Pepperdine currently identifies him as an OH/OPP.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Hartke grew up in Barrington, Illinois, after being born in nearby Arlington Heights. Volleyball was already part of his family background. His mother, Amy Hartke, played at Northern Illinois University from 1990 through 1993 and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1993 and 1994. His parents are Michael and Amy Hartke, and he has two brothers, Gabriel and Luke.
He attended Barrington High School, graduating in 2024 after four varsity seasons. By the end of his high-school career, Hartke had become one of the more prominent boys’ volleyball prospects in Illinois, earning AVCA First Team All-America, first-team all-state and conference Player of the Year recognition. His club development included time with Sports Performance Volleyball Club and Pipeline Volleyball Club, and Pepperdine credits him as a three-time JVA All-American as well as a Volleyball Magazine All-American.
His involvement with USA Volleyball began before college. Hartke participated in the U19 national-team pathway and was part of the 2023 U19 program, although he did not compete at that year’s World Championship. He moved into the U21 group the following year and was selected for the team that played the 2024 NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Mexico.
Hartke ultimately chose Pepperdine despite the significant distance from Illinois to Malibu. In a Pepperdine feature on his freshman transition, he described the program’s family environment as an important part of that decision. The move placed him in one of the traditional programs of NCAA men’s volleyball and gave him an immediate opportunity to play a major offensive role.
Club Career
Freshman Breakthrough at Pepperdine
Hartke entered Pepperdine’s starting rotation almost immediately in 2025. He appeared in 27 matches and 100 sets, starting 26 times, and finished his freshman season with 359 kills and 47 service aces. His combination of size and offensive range allowed Pepperdine to use him across the pin positions, although he increasingly developed into a high-volume opposite.
An early indication of his attacking ceiling came against D’Youville in January. Hartke produced 11 kills without an attacking error on 12 swings, a .917 hitting percentage that Pepperdine recorded as a single-match program record. Later that month, he reached 24 kills against Loyola Chicago, and his scoring remained consistent once MPSF play began.
Hartke entered the 2025 conference tournament ranked among the MPSF leaders in both kills and points per set. He was the only freshman selected to the All-MPSF First Team and was named MPSF Freshman of the Year. His postseason then became part of one of Pepperdine’s strongest seasons in several years.
The Waves entered the MPSF Tournament as the fourth seed, defeated top-seeded UCLA in five sets in the semifinal and beat USC 3–1 for the championship. Hartke was selected to the MPSF All-Tournament Team as Pepperdine secured the conference’s automatic NCAA berth.
Pepperdine continued into the national tournament, defeating Loyola Chicago to reach the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 2019. Hartke contributed 11 kills and three aces in the quarterfinal victory and then scored 13 kills against Long Beach State in the semifinal. The Waves’ run ended there, but his freshman season had established him as one of the leading young attackers in the college game. He was subsequently named an AVCA Second Team All-American.
From Freshman Standout to National Player of the Year Finalist
Hartke’s sophomore season in 2026 brought a significant increase in production. Across 29 matches and 105 sets, he finished with 552 points while hitting .352. His 4.30 kills per set and 5.26 points per set both led the nation. He also supplied 49 aces, 85 total blocks and 133 digs.
One of his strongest weekends came in January against Loyola Chicago and Lewis. Hartke opened with 17 kills in a straight-set victory over Loyola, then produced a career-high 29 kills and 35 points as Pepperdine came back from two sets down to defeat Lewis. The performances earned him an unusual sweep of MPSF Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors as well as AVCA National Player of the Week.
His production remained high throughout the season, and Hartke was selected to the All-MPSF First Team for the second consecutive year. The AVCA named him a First Team All-American and later one of four finalists for National Collegiate Men’s Player of the Year alongside Andrew Rowan, Tread Rosenthal and Patrick Rogers.
Pepperdine finished the 2026 season 24–7 and returned to the NCAA tournament. Although the Waves were eliminated in the regional final, Hartke’s sophomore year represented another substantial individual step forward: he moved from national freshman recognition to the short list of the country’s leading collegiate players.
His work in the classroom also earned national recognition. Hartke, a Business Administration student with a reported 3.81 GPA, received College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-America honors in July 2026. Pepperdine identified him as just the sixth Academic All-American in program history.
National Team Career
Hartke’s first significant medal with USA Volleyball came at the 2024 NORCECA Men’s U21 Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico. At that stage he was still listed as an outside hitter. The United States went undefeated and swept Canada in the final to claim its first title at the competition since 2016. Hartke scored 11 points in the championship match on nine kills, one block and one ace.
By the 2025 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship in Jiangmen, his international role had shifted to opposite. The United States advanced through its first seven matches without a loss before falling to Iran in the semifinal. Hartke led the U.S. with 13 points in that defeat, including 10 kills and three blocks.
The Americans responded by sweeping Czechia in the bronze-medal match. Hartke scored 12 points on 10 kills and two blocks while hitting .500. The result was historically significant for the program: bronze was the first U.S. medal at the Men’s U21 World Championship.
Hartke moved directly from that youth-national-team foundation into the senior program in 2026. He was called into the U.S. roster for the Volleyball Nations League and quickly showed that his college scoring could translate to senior international competition.
His breakout senior match came against Canada in Ottawa. In a five-set comeback victory over the host team, Hartke scored 33 points with 24 kills, six blocks and three aces. He also discussed making attacking adjustments as Canada began shifting its block toward his preferred angles, offering an early example of his ability to adapt within a match rather than relying only on height and power.
Across the 2026 VNL, Volleyball World credited Hartke with 79 points: 61 from attack, 12 from blocks and six from serve. He remained on the roster through the Finals in China as the United States defeated Italy and Japan before losing a five-set championship match to Poland. The U.S. finished with silver in Hartke’s first senior VNL season.
Hartke stayed with the national team through the 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship. He scored 27 points during the competition, including 25 kills, while serving primarily behind Jake Hanes in the opposite rotation. The United States went undefeated and beat Canada 3–2 in the final to win the continental title, giving Hartke a senior gold medal only months after his national-team debut.
Playing Style & Strengths
Hartke’s most obvious physical advantage is his size. At 211 cm, he is exceptionally tall even for an international opposite, and his height gives him a naturally high contact point in both attack and block. FIVB explored that part of his identity in a 2026 feature about life at seven feet tall, but his development at Pepperdine has increasingly shown that his game involves more than simply hitting over smaller blocks.
His primary value comes as a terminal right-side attacker. Hartke can create a steep attacking angle when the set is in system, while his reach also leaves him with usable options when the ball is pushed away from the net. The jump from 359 kills as a freshman to a national-best 4.30 kills per set as a sophomore is important because it came while he maintained a .352 attacking percentage.
Serving has also been a consistent scoring weapon. Hartke recorded 47 aces in his freshman season and another 49 in 2026. For a player of his height, producing that kind of service pressure makes him more difficult to neutralize because opponents cannot simply focus on his front-row rotations.
His block improved alongside the attacking volume. Pepperdine credited Hartke with 85 total blocks in 2026, and his six-block performance against Canada during the VNL demonstrated that his reach can translate against senior international attackers. The next step at that level is less about becoming taller or more powerful and more about reading setters, closing space efficiently and maintaining block discipline against faster offenses.
The Canada match also offered a useful illustration of his developing attacking intelligence. After recognizing that the Canadian block had begun protecting the corner against him, Hartke adjusted where he was attacking rather than repeatedly challenging the same defensive shape. That type of in-match problem solving becomes increasingly important as he moves deeper into international volleyball.
Major Achievements
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | NORCECA Men’s U21 Continental Championship | Gold |
| 2025 | FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship | Bronze |
| 2026 | Volleyball Nations League | Silver |
| 2026 | NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship | Gold |
Selected College Honors
| Year | Team | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pepperdine Waves | MPSF Championship | Champion |
| 2025 | Pepperdine Waves | NCAA Championship | Semifinalist |
Selected Individual Awards
| Year | Organization / Competition | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MPSF | Freshman of the Year |
| 2025 | MPSF | All-MPSF First Team |
| 2025 | MPSF Championship | All-Tournament Team |
| 2025 | AVCA | Second Team All-American |
| 2026 | MPSF | All-MPSF First Team |
| 2026 | AVCA | First Team All-American |
| 2026 | AVCA | National Collegiate Men’s Player of the Year Finalist |
| 2026 | College Sports Communicators | Second Team Academic All-American |
Personal Life & Interests
Hartke is the son of Michael and Amy Hartke and has two brothers, Gabriel and Luke. His mother’s collegiate volleyball background at Northern Illinois gave the family an existing connection to the sport before Cole developed into an international-level player himself.
At Pepperdine, Hartke studies Business Administration and has said that his long-term professional goal outside volleyball is to become a high-level executive. His 3.81 GPA through the 2025–26 academic year accompanied his Second Team Academic All-America recognition.
His listed interests include fishing and hunting. Pepperdine’s player bio names Aaron Russell and Kobe Bryant among his favorite professional athletes, with Verona and the Chicago Bears among his favorite teams. Russell is a particularly relevant volleyball reference point for Hartke: both are large American pin attackers who developed through NCAA volleyball before reaching the U.S. senior national-team level.
Hartke has also spoken publicly about some of the less glamorous consequences of being exceptionally tall. In his FIVB feature, he joked that reaching high shelves is useful while air travel is considerably less comfortable. The discussion provided a lighter look at a physical trait that has become one of the first things spectators notice when he steps onto the court.
Where Is Cole Hartke Playing Now?
Hartke remains at Pepperdine for the 2027 NCAA season. The university’s current roster lists him as a junior wearing No. 10 and identifies his position as outside hitter/opposite. He enters that season after two All-America selections, consecutive All-MPSF First Team honors and a sophomore year in which he led the country in both kills per set and points per set.
His senior international status has also changed significantly since he arrived at Pepperdine. Hartke began 2026 without senior national-team experience and finished the summer with a VNL silver medal, a NORCECA gold medal and extensive competition against established international opponents. He wore No. 18 for the senior United States team.
That combination makes his current stage unusual for a college junior: Hartke is still developing within the NCAA system while already competing for meaningful playing time at the senior international level. His next Pepperdine season therefore sits alongside an increasingly important role in the U.S. player pool rather than preceding it.
Recent Performance Snapshot
Hartke’s 2026 Pepperdine season represented a major statistical step from his freshman year.
| 2026 Pepperdine Season | Total / Rate |
|---|---|
| Matches | 29 |
| Sets | 105 |
| Kills per Set | 4.30 |
| Points per Set | 5.26 |
| Hitting Percentage | .352 |
| Service Aces | 49 |
| Total Blocks | 85 |
| Digs | 133 |
| Total Points | 552 |
His first senior VNL season added another significant sample against international opposition.
| 2026 Volleyball Nations League | Total |
|---|---|
| Points | 79 |
| Attack Points | 61 |
| Block Points | 12 |
| Service Aces | 6 |
| Best Single-Match Total | 33 points vs. Canada |
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Cole Hartke?
Cole Hartke was born on April 20, 2006. He is 20 years old during the 2026–27 academic and international season.
How tall is Cole Hartke?
Volleyball World lists Hartke at 211 cm, approximately 6-foot-11. Some USA Volleyball competition rosters round his height to 7-foot.
What position does Cole Hartke play?
Hartke can play outside hitter and opposite. He appeared as an outside hitter earlier in the USA Volleyball youth pathway, but he played opposite at the 2025 U21 World Championship and for the senior United States team during the 2026 VNL and NORCECA Continental Championship. Pepperdine lists him as an OH/OPP.
Which college does Cole Hartke play for?
Hartke plays for Pepperdine University. He joined the Waves for the 2025 season and remains on the 2027 roster as a junior wearing No. 10.
Does Cole Hartke play for the U.S. senior national team?
Yes. Hartke joined the United States Men’s National Volleyball Team in 2026 and competed throughout the Volleyball Nations League, including the Finals. He also played at the 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship.
What has Cole Hartke won with Team USA?
Hartke won U21 NORCECA gold in 2024 and U21 World Championship bronze in 2025. At senior level, he earned Volleyball Nations League silver and NORCECA Continental Championship gold in 2026.
What are Cole Hartke’s biggest college awards?
He was the 2025 MPSF Freshman of the Year and an AVCA Second Team All-American, then became an AVCA First Team All-American and National Player of the Year finalist in 2026. He has also earned All-MPSF First Team honors in each of his first two college seasons.
References
- Pepperdine Athletics — Cole Hartke 2027 player profile
- USA Volleyball — Cole Hartke athlete profile
- Volleyball World — Cole Hartke 2026 Volleyball Nations League profile and statistics
- USA Volleyball — Cole Hartke scores 33 points against Canada in the 2026 VNL
- USA Volleyball — United States earns silver at the 2026 VNL Final
- USA Volleyball — 2026 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Men win the 2026 NORCECA Continental Championship
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Men’s U21 win bronze at the 2025 World Championship
- USA Volleyball — U.S. Men’s U21 win the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship
- MPSF — Cole Hartke named 2025 MPSF Freshman of the Year
- MPSF — Pepperdine wins the 2025 MPSF Championship
- AVCA — 2026 National Collegiate Men’s Player of the Year finalists
- Pepperdine Athletics — Cole Hartke earns 2026 Academic All-America honors
- FIVB — Cole Hartke: What It’s Like To Be 7 Feet Tall?
- Pepperdine University — Cole Hartke’s freshman journey to All-America recognition
