Michelle Bartsch-Hackley

{{Infobox volleyball biography

| name = Michelle Bartsch-Hackley

| image = 2016 Michelle Bartsch (cropped).jpg

| caption = Bartsch in 2016

| fullname = Michelle Bartsch-Hackley

| nickname = Mesh, Mitch, Bartschy, Panda, Slugger{{cite web|year=2021|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/volleyball/athlete-profile-n1298747-bartsch-hackley-michelle.htm#bio|title=2020 Olympic Profile|access-date=August 6, 2021|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718013308/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/volleyball/athlete-profile-n1298747-bartsch-hackley-michelle.htm#bio|url-status=dead}}

| nationality = American

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|2|12}}

| birth_place = Kansas City, Kansas{{cite web |year = 2021 |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/volleyball/athlete-profile-n1298747-bartsch-hackley-michelle.htm#bio|title=2020 Olympic Profile|access-date = August 6, 2021}}

| hometown = Collinsville, Illinois

| height = {{convert|190|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|90|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| spike = {{convert|305|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| block = {{convert|296|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| college =

| position = Outside hitter / opposite Hitter

| currentclub = {{flagicon|USA}} Columbus Fury

| teamnumber = 14 (national team)

| coachyears = 2023

| coachteams = Ohio State Univ. (Assistant coach)

| years1 = 2008–2011

| team1 = {{flagicon|USA}} University of Illinois

| years2 = 2012

| team2 = {{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} Llaneras de Toa Baja

| years3 = 2013–2014

| team3 = {{flagicon|GER}} Rote Raben

| years4 = 2014–16

| team4 = {{flagicon|GER}} Dresdner SC

| years5 = 2016–17

| team5 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Neruda Bolzano

| years6 = 2017–18

| team6 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Futura Busto Arsizio

| years7 = 2018–19

| team7 = {{flagicon|ITA}} AGIL Novara

| years8 = 2019–20

| team8 = {{flagicon|CHN}} Beijing BAIC Motors

| years9 = 2020–2022

| team9 = {{flagicon|TUR}} Vakıfbank Istanbul

| years10 = 2024–

| team10 = {{flagicon|USA}} Columbus Fury

| nationalyears = 2015 - 2021

| nationalteam = {{flagicon|USA}} United States

| medaltemplates-title = Medal record

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry |the {{USA}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

}}

Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (born February 12, 1990) is an American professional volleyball player for the United States women's national volleyball team. She played collegiate volleyball with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini from 2008 to 2011. She won gold with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.{{Cite web|title=Volleyball BARTSCH-HACKLEY Michelle|url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/volleyball/athlete-profile-n1298747-bartsch-hackley-michelle.htm|url-status=dead|access-date=2021-07-26|work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics|publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|language=en-us|archive-date=2021-07-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718013308/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/volleyball/athlete-profile-n1298747-bartsch-hackley-michelle.htm}}

Career

Bartsch's career began at Collinsville High School in Illinois, where she excelled at basketball, swimming and track and field. While playing for her high school, she joined the US youth selections, winning the gold medal at the US Under-18 Championship in 2006 and the North American Under-20 Championship in 2008. She was also awarded the title of Best Server in the competition.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

From 2008 to 2011, she played for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, reaching the NCAA Division I National Championship in her senior year, losing to the University of California, Los Angeles; despite this defeat, she received several individual awards during the season.

She made her professional debut in 2012 with Llaneras de Toa Baja, in the Liga de Voleibol Superior Feminino in Puerto Rico.

She then played for Rote Raben Vilsbiburg from 2013 to 2014, winning the German Cup. She stayed in Germany the following season, but played for the Dresdner Sportclub 1898 club, who would go on to win the German Championship 2015 and again the German Championship plus the German Cup in 2016. In 2015 she made her debut in the US national team.{{Cite news|url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/athletes/Michelle-Bartsch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626014957/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/athletes/Michelle-Bartsch|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 26, 2015|title=Michelle Bartsch-Hackley|work=Team USA|access-date=2018-02-17|language=en}} In 2015, she won a gold medal at the Pan American Games. In 2017, she won a gold medal at the 2017 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup,{{Cite news|url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/usa-teams/indoor-volleyball/women/athletes-and-rosters/2017-rosters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218091450/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/usa-teams/indoor-volleyball/women/athletes-and-rosters/2017-rosters|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 18, 2018|title=2017 Rosters|work=Team USA|access-date=2018-02-17|language=en}} and a bronze medal at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Grand Champions Cup.{{Cite news|url=http://grandchampionscup.2017.women.fivb.com/en/resultsandranking/round1 |title=Results and Ranking |publisher=FIVB |access-date=2021-12-27 |language=en}}

In 2016–17, she played for Neruda Volley di Bolzano in Serie A1. In 2017 she played in Futura Volley Busto Arsizio. In 2018 she was recruited by AGIL Volley. In 2019 she played for Beijing BAIC Motor China Volleyball League.

Bartsch-Hackley was named an alternate to the U.S. volleyball team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She used this as motivation to earn a spot in the future Olympic Games, as she said in July 2021 "I think after being an alternate in 2016 I grew hungrier because I was so close at that time. The past few years I've tried to take every opportunity and use it to grow and improve."{{Cite web|title=OLYMPICS: U.S. women's volleyball's Bartsch-Hackley links Bradley to Tokyo Olympics|url=https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/bradley_news/olympics-u-s-womens-volleyballs-bartsch-hackley-links-bradley-to-tokyo-olympics/article_00dbd6c2-eb16-11eb-866f-0bd61c5e01a3.html|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Daily Journal|language=en-US}}

In 2020, she was inducted into the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|title=Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (2020) - Hall of Fame|url=https://fightingillini.com/honors/hall-of-fame/michelle-bartsch-hackley/6|access-date=2021-08-08|website=University of Illinois Athletics|language=en}}

In May 2021, she was named to the 18-player roster for the FIVB Volleyball Nations League tournament {{Cite web|url=https://volleyballmag.com/usa-women-vnl-roster-051321/|title=Kiraly announces 18 USA Volleyball women on FIVB VNL Roster ||date=13 May 2021}} played May 25-June 24 in Rimini, Italy. It was the only major international competition before the Tokyo Olympics in July. The U.S. team won gold and Bartsch-Hackley was named Best Outside Hitter and MVP.{{Cite web|title=OLYMPICS: U.S. women's volleyball's Bartsch-Hackley links Bradley to Tokyo Olympics|url=https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/bradley_news/olympics-u-s-womens-volleyballs-bartsch-hackley-links-bradley-to-tokyo-olympics/article_00dbd6c2-eb16-11eb-866f-0bd61c5e01a3.html|access-date=2021-08-08|website=The Daily Journal|language=en}}

On June 7, 2021, US National Team head coach Karch Kiraly announced she would be part of the 12-player Olympic roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.{{cite web|url=https://usavolleyball.org/story/usav-announces-u-s-olympic-womens-volleyball-team/|title=USAV Announces U.S. Olympic Women's Volleyball Team|publisher=USA Volleyball|language=English|date=June 7, 2021|accessdate=June 7, 2021}} On August 8, 2021, she won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. women's volleyball team that defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final match.{{Cite web|last=Reiner|first=Olivia|title=U.S. women's volleyball team beats Brazil 3-0 to win first Olympic gold medal|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/08/08/olympics-us-womens-volleyball-tops-brazil-win-first-gold-medal/5529454001/|access-date=2021-08-08|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}} She was named as co-"Best outside hitter" (along with teammate Jordan Larson) of the Olympics.{{Cite web|last=Reiner|first=Olivia|title=Olympics final update: Poulter, Bartsch-Hackley, Virtue win gold with Team USA volleyball|url=https://dailyillini.com/showcase/2021/08/08/olympics-final-update-poulter-bartsch-hackley-virtue-win-gold-with-team-usa-volleyball/|access-date=2021-08-08|website=The Daily Illini|language=en-US}}

On April 12, 2022, Bartsch-Hackley announced that she will take a break after the 2022 club season concludes and will leave volleyball indefinitely through at least January 2023. During this period, she will not participate in any competitions or sign with new clubs.{{Cite web |last=volleyballworld.com |title=Six teams to follow during the 2022 VNL |url=https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2022/news/six-teams-to-follow-during-the-2022-vnl |access-date=2022-05-21 |website=volleyballworld.com |language=en}}

Awards

=Clubs=

2021–22 CEV Women's Champions League – Champion with Vakıfbank

=Individual=

Personal life

Her husband is Corbin Hackley.{{Cite web|title=Michelle Bartsch-Hackley's Husband Was the First to Find Out She Made the Olympic Team|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/tokyo-summer-olympics/michelle-bartsch-hackleys-husband-was-the-first-to-find-out-she-made-the-olympic-team/2559455/|access-date=2021-08-08|website=NBC Chicago|language=en-US}} Her husband travels with her when she plays and brings along their dog, Champion.{{Cite web|title=Player - Michelle Bartsch-Hackley - FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2018|url=https://en.volleyballworld.com/en/vnl/2018/women/teams/usa-usa/players/michelle_bartsch-hackley?id=64451|access-date=2021-08-08|website=en.volleyballworld.com}}

Her mother, Julie, played volleyball for the University of Kansas. Her father, Michael, played soccer at Blackburn College.

Her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 2012 is in sports management.

Her brother, Andrew Bartsch, is married to Kelsey Card, who competed in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in the discus throw.{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Pete|date=2021-08-06|title=Watch party for Bartsch-Hackley, US spikers set for Kahok Stadium|url=https://www.theintelligencer.com/sports/article/Watch-party-for-Bartsch-Hackley-US-spikers-set-16370164.php|access-date=2021-08-08|website=The Edwardsville Intelligencer|language=en-US}}