Career Highlights

• Masakayan has won 44 titles in her career and over $572,000 in prize money.
• She and her partner, Elaine Youngs, teamed to win three tournaments in 2000, the FIVB Vitoria, Brazil event, the FIVB Espinho, Portugal event, and the FIVB Dalian, China event.
• In 1999, she and Youngs teamed to win the Oldsmobile Beach Volleyball Olympic Challenge Series tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and the AVP events in Clearwater, Florida, Hermosa Beach, California, and Chicago, Illinois.
• In 1997, she and Youngs won the WPVA events in Chicago, Illinois, and Kauai, Hawai'i.
• With partner, Karolyn Kirby, they won 26 tournament titles together between 1993-1995, a domestic record.
• Masakayan and Kirby won the inaugural 1994 Goodwill Games gold medal in St. Petersburg, Russia.
• She and Kirby teamed to win the 1994 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship title, where she was named the World's Most Outstanding Player.
• Was named the WPVA's most Valuable Player in 1992 and Co-MVP in 1993, along with Kirby.
• Was named the WPVA's Top Defensive Player in 1991 and 1992.
• Was named the WPVA's Best Hitter in 1995.
• She was named the WPVA's Most Inspirational Player after coming back from several knee surgeries in 1995.
• Was a member of the USA National Team for five years and was a starter at the 1998 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

  Best Team Ever? They make a good case for it. Liz Masakayan and Karolyn Kirby combined statistically in 1993, 1994, and 1995 to become the most successful team on the domestic tour. Together they won 26 events, including a record-tying 12 titles in 1993. In 32 tournaments, they had a 173-13 record, including a record 55-match win streak and 13-straight tournament titles. The team posted a 75-5 match mark in 1993 and won the last nine events of that season, including three grand slam titles. Masakayan and Kirby continued their success in 1993, with 11 wins and a 72-3 record.

College

• Lettered four years at UCLA.
• Helped lead the team to a 1984 NCAA Championship title. In the match, UCLA rallied from 11-2 down in the fifth game to win the title on a kill by Masakayan.
• Was a two-time, first-team All-American, a three-time, first team All-Conference team member, and was selected two times to the NCAA All-Tournament team.
• Set several single-season and career records at UCLA.
• Was the 1984 Broderick Award winner, which is given to the person considered the nation's premier collegiate athlete.
• Was named the 1985-1986 Female Athlete of the Year at UCLA.
• Was named to the 1980s All-Decade Team.
• Was named to the 1999 Volleyball Magazine All-Millennium Team.
• Was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame.

Personal

• Masakayan's mother is Liz Lazur.
• She has two brothers, Joe and Michael, and one sister, Michelle.
• She was an assistant volleyball coach at UCLA in 1991 and 1992.
• Hobbies include tennis, snowboarding, cycling, reading and cats.