{{short description|American volleyball player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox volleyball player | name = Karsta Lowe | image = Karsta Lowe 2016.jpg | caption = Lowe in 2016 | fullname = Karsta Frances Lowe | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1993|2|2}} | birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S. | hometown = Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S. | height = 6'4" | weight = 181 lbs. | spike = 124 in | block = 120 in | position = Opposite | teamnumber = 25 (national team)<br>17 (UCLA) | college = UCLA | currentclub = {{flagicon|IDN}} Jakarta Livin' Mandiri | years1 = 2014–2015 | team1 = {{flagicon|PUR}} Changas de Naranjito | years2 = 2015–2016 | team2 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Futura Busto Arsizio | years3 = 2016–2017 | team3 = {{flagicon|CHN}} Beijing BAIC Motors | years4 = 2018–2019 | team4 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Imoco Volley Conegliano | years5 = 2019–2020 | team5 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Futura Busto Arsizio | years6 = 2021–2022 | team6 = {{flagicon|USA}} Athletes Unlimited | years7 = 2022–2023 | team7 = {{flagicon|JPN}} JT Marvelous | years8 = 2023– | team8 = {{flagicon|IDN}} Jakarta Livin' Mandiri | nationalyears1 = 2015–2020 | nationalteam1 = {{flagicon|USA}} United States | medaltemplates-title = Medal record | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Volleyball}} {{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}} center|80px {{MedalBronze|2016 Rio de Janeiro|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|World Cup}} {{MedalSilver|2019 Japan|Team}} {{MedalBronze|2015 Japan|Team}} {{MedalCompetition | NORCECA Championship }} {{MedalSilver| 2019 San Juan | Team }} {{MedalCompetition|FIVB World Grand Prix}} {{MedalGold|2015 Omaha|Team}} {{MedalSilver|2016 Bangkok|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|Pan-American Cup}} {{MedalGold| 2019 Trujillo/Chiclayo|}} }}
'''Karsta Frances Lowe''' (born February 2, 1993) is an American volleyball player who was a first-team All-American at UCLA and who played for the United States women's national volleyball team. With the national team, she won the gold medal at the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix, and was honored as the Most Valuable Player. She also won bronze medals at the 2015 FIVB World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. She has played professionally in Puerto Rico, Italy, China, Japan, and Indonesia.
==Career== ===College=== Lowe played college women's volleyball at UCLA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=207926266 |title = 17 Karsta Lowe |website=UCLA Athletics |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301131204/http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=207926266 |archive-date=March 1, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, she was selected as an AVCA first-team All-American.<ref name="AA">{{Cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_volleyball_RB/2015/2015awards.pdf |website=NCAA |title=WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-AMERICA TEAMS AND AWARD WINNERS |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705195523/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_volleyball_RB/2015/2015awards.pdf |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Karsta Lowe Accepts AVCA First Team All-America Award|url = http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30500&ATCLID=209820820|website=UCLA Athletics |access-date = February 19, 2016|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160301160532/http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30500&ATCLID=209820820|archivedate = March 1, 2016}}</ref>
===International===
thumb|upright=0.56|left|alt=Karsta Lowe hitting volleyball.|Lowe playing for UCLA Lowe was a member of the United States women's national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix, and she was awarded Most Valuable Player of the tournament.<ref name="MVP">{{Cite web |url=https://uclabruins.com/news/2015/7/27/210235428.aspx |date=July 27, 2015 |website=UCLA Athletics |title=Lowe MVP at FIVB World Grand Prix |access-date=September 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022225251/https://uclabruins.com/news/2015/7/27/210235428.aspx |archive-date=October 22, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> She also won bronze medals at the 2015 World Cup and at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/news/2016/8/20/womens-volleyball-karsta-lowe-wins-bronze-at-rio-olympics.aspx|title=Karsta Lowe Wins Bronze at Rio Olympics|website=UCLA Athletics|date=August 20, 2016|accessdate=January 2, 2018|archive-date=January 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103073126/http://www.uclabruins.com/news/2016/8/20/womens-volleyball-karsta-lowe-wins-bronze-at-rio-olympics.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
By 2019, she played for Imoco Volley in Italy. In February–March 2021, she participated in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited, a professional volleyball league in the United States. She finished fifth among all scorers with 3,566 total points.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://auprosports.com/leaderboard/?season=3|title=AU Pro Sports - 2021 Leaderboard|accessdate=August 24, 2021|archive-date=August 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824215701/https://auprosports.com/leaderboard/?season=3|url-status=live}}</ref>
Lowe played with Japanese club JT Marvelous in the 2022–23 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jti.co.jp/sports/marvelous/information/topics/2022/2206_03/index.html|title=新加入選手のお知らせ|accessdate=July 1, 2022|archive-date=July 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701085114/https://www.jti.co.jp/sports/marvelous/information/topics/2022/2206_03/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Personal life==
After the 2016 Summer Olympics, Lowe went back to school, earning a partial master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Southern California.<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web |url=https://usavolleyball.org/athlete/karsta-lowe/ |website=USA Volleyball |title=Karsta Lowe |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605211042/https://usavolleyball.org/athlete/karsta-lowe/ |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2022, Lowe took part in a TED Talk video presentation in which she shares her struggle with mental health and how she has found healing. She made the video to encourage those with mental health problems.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150522010321/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/athletes/Karsta-Lowe USA Volleyball profile] * [http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=207926266 UCLA profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301131204/http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=207926266 |date=March 1, 2016 }} * [https://uclabruins.com/sports/2023/7/11/ucla-womens-volleyball-olympians.aspx UCLA Women's Volleyball Olympians] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbgB8WBFhV4 Karsta Lowe Ted Talk video]
{{s-start}} {{s-ach|aw}} {{succession box | | before = {{flagicon|JPN}} Yūko Sano | after = {{flagicon|BRA}} Natália Pereira | title = Most Valuable Player of <br>FIVB World Grand Prix | years = 2015 |}} {{s-end}}
{{navboxes |title=USA squads |bg= #002868 |fg= #ffffff |list1= {{USA world cup Squad 2015}} {{United States women's volleyball squad 2016 Summer Olympics}} {{USA world cup Squad 2019}} {{Footer USA Volleyball 2016 Summer Olympics}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Karsta}} Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:American women's volleyball players Category:UCLA Bruins women's volleyball players Category:Opposite hitters Category:Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in volleyball Category:Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:American expatriate volleyball players in China Category:American expatriate volleyball players in Italy Category:American expatriate volleyball players in Japan Category:American expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia Category:Expatriate volleyball players in Indonesia Category:Volleyball players from San Diego Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Athletes Unlimited volleyball players Category:USC Trojans women's volleyball coaches Category:La Costa Canyon High School alumni