Four-time Olympic volleyball player Lloy James Ball, 51, has been sentenced to roughly six months of home detention following his third conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI). The legal proceedings conclude a case stemming from an arrest earlier this year in Steuben County, Indiana, United States.

Ball entered a plea agreement regarding the misdemeanor charge. Under the terms of the sentence handed down by the court, the Olympic gold medalist will complete his period of home detention under electronic monitoring rather than serving active jail time. The sentence accounts for his previous alcohol-related driving offenses, marking his third conviction for operating while impaired.

Lloy Ball

A resident of Angola, Ball remains a prominent local figure through his community athletic initiatives, including running volleyball clinics alongside his father Arnie Ball. Despite Lloy’s high-profile sports career and contributions to regional athletics, court officials confirmed that the home detention order will be strictly enforced as part of his probation conditions.

Born Fort Wayne, Indiana, Lloy turned 51 on February 17, 2023. He is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished setters in international volleyball history.

Raised in Woodburn, Indiana, Lloy excelled as a multi-sport athlete at Woodlan High School in Woodburn before attending Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)in Fort Wayne. Playing under his father as the head coach, Lloy earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American honors four times and led IPFW to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament semifinals.

Currently, Ball is the head coach of the girls’ volleyball team of Angola High School in Angola, Indiana. On September 29, 2023, he will check into the Steuben County Community Corrections program.

Olympics

In 1993, Lloy made his debut with the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, embarking on a 15-year international career that spanned 398 appearances. He made history as the first male American volleyball player to compete in four consecutive Olympic Games in 1996, in 2000, in 2004 and in 2008.

The pinnacle of Lloy’s international career arrived at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he captained Team USA to an undefeated 8–0 run to secure the gold medal. That same year, he was named Most Valuable Player and Best Setter at the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) World League.

Professionally, Lloy competed for top European clubs in Italy, Greece, and Russia, winning the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV) Champions League with Zenit Kazan. Inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2015, Lloy later co-founded the Volleyball League of America (VLA) and continues to direct grassroots training programs through his organization Team Pineapple.