USA Olympic Volleyball: Destinee Hooker Key to Quarterfinal Match

Twenty-four-year old Destinee Hooker has been the unprecedented hero for Team USA in women's volleyball during these Olympics.

The San Antonio native has led the Americans into their quarterfinal matchup with the Dominican Republic, and has done so in commanding fashion.

Standing at a WNBA-like 6'4'', 161 pounds, Hooker has dominated in London, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

She's recorded 60 points in her last three matches, including a 22-point performance against China during Team USA's victory in straight sets.

Hooker has led the team in points in all of its games, and in order for Team USA to prevail against a Dominican Republic squad, she will have to continue her domination on the court.

The Dominican Republic swept Algeria 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals, and coming off a straight-set victory gives the medal-less country momentum heading into its match against Team USA.

It will either be the younger Dominicans, or the overly dominant Americans taking on the winner of Korea/Italy in the semifinals.

Hooker, a 5-star athlete at the University of Texas, was named MVP during the 2009 season when her Longhorns were ousted by Penn State in the finals.

Needless to say, she's been the MVP of a Team USA that is extremely close to winning the gold medal.

After U.S. captain Lindsey Berg left the team's final preliminary pool play game against Turkey with an ankle injury, the rest of the team stepped up in her absence.

Hooker kept her foot on the accelerator, just as she's done throughout these Olympics, and led Team USA to a date with the Dominicans.

In a sport that doesn't have nearly the popularity in the USA like football or baseball, Hooker has made herself a well-known figure in these Olympics, and her total command of the tournament has been the reason why.

Her fiery will to win (as displayed in every spike she delivers) along with her humble demeanor makes her one of the best Olympians the United States has overseas.

The only thing to top it off with is a gold medal.