One of Team USA's volleyball stars had to dip out mid-game to talk to his wife and keep her in check, so who exactly is Jackie Anderson? Meet the woman more important than a 2024 Olympic Games gold medal.
Matt Anderson, aged 37, is a legend within his sport and has claimed two FIVB World Cups, bronze at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and bronze at the FIVB 2018 World Championship games since his debut in 2006.
In his quest to become an Olympic champion, the 6ft10in outside hitter leapt into the knockout stages against Japan although it wasn't easy as he found a challenge from his wife of all people as she sat in the crowd.
Jackie Anderson's repeated calls of affection to her husband proved to be a bit too distracting whilst he had his Olympic dreams on the line as a funny TikTok video captured him blowing a kiss back to her before telling her he needs to keep his head focused on court.
"When your wife is trying to distract you during kind of an important match... I love you @snackieanderson," posted Matt to Instagram, attracting some 143,000 likes online.
The pair met in 2017 and it didn't take them long to forge their love as they got married in 2020 Indiana, and they share two children together, a boy and a girl named Jaime and Virginia "Juno" June.
Before meeting her husband, Anderson (maiden name of Gillum) worked as a freelance photographer and a food stylist. She also formed the Magic Meadow company, which is a nature-focused healing retreat within Zionsville in Indiana.
Anderson is very supportive of her partner's volleyball career and can be regularly spotted at his events such as the CEV Champions League or the 2024 Olympic Games, although the latter is actually her first one because of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21.
A Deeper Dive into Matt Anderson's Career
It’s not often that an athlete on a team sport like volleyball has the longevity to appear in four Olympic games, but that’s exactly what Team USA’s Matt Anderson has done.
This time in Paris, he has his entire family by his side, including Jackie, his wife of four years.
Matt and Jackie first went public with their relationship in 2018, with Matt proposing soon after. Jackie, or “Snackie,” as she is affectionately known, is a food stylist and photographer. She describes her life as “an organized chaos as we travel around the world for my husband’s volleyball career,” according to the bio on her personal website.
Through that chaos, the couple have welcomed two kids, son Jamie and daughter Juno. Both made the trip to Paris to support their dad, who is vying for his second Olympic medal.
Keep scrolling for Matt and Jackie Anderson’s full relationship timeline:
The Anderson Romance Timeline
Matt and Jackie met through mutual friends at the USA Volleyball Cup in Chicago.
Matt first revealed his girlfriend Jackie via Instagram showing the two of them posing together.
“Snuck up to Malibu for the evening to kick it with my babe of a girlfriend and her friends!” he captioned the pic.
Matt proposed, posting a series of photos via Instagram that showed Jackie donning the ring with a wide smile and the two kissing in celebration.
Matt and Jackie announced they were expecting a baby boy, due the following February.
The duo welcomed son Michael James “Jamie” Anderson.
“I can’t wait to see what the future has on deck for us!” Matt wrote via social media two weeks after Jamie’s arrival.
The family of three traveled to Tokyo for the belated 2020 Summer Olympics, with Jamie wearing a custom Matt Anderson shirsey for his dad. Though USA men’s volleyball won a bronze medal in 2016, the team did not medal in Tokyo.
“Heartbroken, but not broken,” Matt wrote via Instagram. “Saddened, but full of love. Older, wiser, and more experienced. Family first then Paris 2024.”
Matt and Jackie tied the knot in a ceremony surrounded by friends and family. The couple posted a slew of wedding photos, showing off Jackie’s dress, baby Jamie, Jackie’s bridesmaids and the carnival theme they designed for the wedding. Guests were treated to cotton candy, street corn, corn dogs, funnel cakes, wine slushies and other traditional carnival attractions like a massive Ferris wheel.
“It was the most magical weekend of our lives and we can’t thank everyone enough who made it so special,” Jackie wrote via Instagram.
The two announced they were expecting a baby girl in a shoot with Jamie that they posted via Instagram. In the carousel, Jamie, then 1, appeared to be enjoying an ice cream cone and expressing shock over the news.
“We’re so full of love and joy to announce we’re having a baby GIRL in the spring of 2022! Swipe to see Jamie’s initial reaction to us telling him the news!!!” Matt wrote.
The pair welcomed daughter Virginia June “Juno” Anderson. One week later, Jackie shared a series of photos showing Jamie posing with, playing with and photographing his baby sister.
Matt announced he was headed to his fourth Olympic games with a patriotic photo shoot featuring the family of four posing in front of an American flag balloon.
“Lucky to have been in the position to put my head down and work through pain, heartbreak, triumph, personal loss, and still come out with the endless support from my superhero wife @snackieanderson, my beautiful children, my family, and my friends. Can’t wait to have them all by my side at the Olympic Games in Paris!” Matt wrote.
Matt called out his wife for trying to distract him during a match at the 2024 Olympics. He posted a video via Instagram in which he could be seen blowing a kiss to the crowd before pointing to his head and then the court, seeming to indicate he needed to keep his head in the game.
Matt Anderson's Love for His Family
Matt Anderson is convinced that all roads lead back to Buffalo, and in some cases, to Orchard Park.
Anderson, an outside hitter/opposite on the U.S. Olympic men’s volleyball team, lives in California but is always quick to note that he’s a native of Western New York. Wherever he travels, he almost always ends up meeting someone with a connection to the region, whether it’s a relative who lives in the area, a past trip to Western New York, or, of course, someone who is a die-hard Bills fan.
Anderson isn’t shy about his fandom for the Bills, either.
“I grew up and I’m still a Buffalo Bills fan,” Anderson told The News, prior to the start of the Paris Olympics. “The Bills Mafia is my family, and we’re a group of people who’ve dealt with major heartbreaks. I just try to inspire and try to carry that responsibility, of being from Western New York.”
When Anderson played for the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he was approached by U.S. wrestler Jordan Burroughs. Burroughs wanted to meet Anderson so he could introduce Anderson to his wife, Lauren Mariacher, a former Canisius University track athlete, an Iroquois High graduate and a former Buffalo News reporter whose uncle is Pro Football Hall of Famer and legendary Bills running back Thurman Thomas.
“It’s a small world, and that Bills fan group is another way to connect to that community,” Anderson said.
Anderson has not yet met a Bills fan from a far-flung place such as Mongolia or Vanuatu, but can list the places he’s met Bills fans: He met some in Russia when he was playing professional volleyball for Zenit-Kazan. He’s met teachers in different countries who have a connection to the Bills or to Western New York.
He also met a volleyball player from Puerto Rico whom he described as a “huge” Bills fan.
“But I have no idea how.”
Maybe that’s the power of being a part of the Mafia.
No word yet if Anderson has met Jasmine Jones, a U.S. hurdler whose father is former Bills safety Henry Jones.
You’re originally from the Northeast. How have you liked living in the Hoosier state?
I grew up in West Seneca, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. My wife Jackie is from Indianapolis. In trying to find a place of our own to call home, we fell in love with our house in Zionsville—so much so that we got married on our property. I love the area. I’m not there as much as I’d like to be with my professional contract obligations and Team USA training, but I’ve been able to make a few friends through Jackie and our kids.
How did you wind up falling in love with volleyball?
The sport has been in my family. My grandfather played in the senior games, and two of my older sisters played high school, club, and college volleyball. I started to play my freshman year in high school after becoming bored with soccer. The real love of the game followed quickly after that. Being part of a team carried a sense of belonging. The transition to high school can be tough, but with volleyball practice starting early in the fall, I went into high school with built-in friends, some of whom I’m still close with to this day.
Who was your inspiration when you were first starting?
I wasn’t aware of who the best players in the world were when I first started playing. My inspirations then were the older guys on the varsity team at my high school. I wanted to be as confident as they were playing and as cool as they were off the court. That theme was constant as I continued at Penn State and throughout my years on Team USA, always striving to fill the shoes of those who had gone before me.
You seem to have a quiet confidence about your team. Why is that?
A majority of this team has been together and competing together for Team USA since 2013. During those 11 years, we’ve shown that we are able to win in big moments. Our dedication to our pursuit of Olympic gold has never wavered. We have worked hard to refine our systems of play. Every single one of us has fully invested in that process.
At the last summer Olympics in Tokyo, your team didn’t advance beyond pool play [the qualifying competition for the medal round], stunning fans. Were you and your teammates bitter over that unexpected outcome?
It’s hard to translate the feelings about our performance in Tokyo into simple emotions. “Heartbreaking” is a term that comes up often because of the amount of time and effort we individually and collectively put into preparing for those games. It amounted to five years. And we had great performances along the way, so we were slotted in as a favorite. And then not to advance from pool play … it was shock, followed by grief.
How is this team going to grab the gold in Paris?
We’ll do it by leveraging our strength, which is in the way we can adapt our game plans to specific opponents and still stay true to our core system of play. We’ve really worked hard over the past few years, especially to implement new strategies that give us more ways to win by exploiting the weaknesses in other teams.
You are a three-time Olympian, soon to have four under your belt, at age 37. Have you got a fifth in you?
I realize I am very fortunate to have had this long career. Of course, I also understand the finiteness and fragility of being a professional athlete. As I continue to play, my body feels the wear and tear more. But I’m dedicated to putting everything I have, physically and mentally, into the Paris games. Then, with the support of my family, I’ll take it year by year after that. The Los Angeles 2028 games are still far off.
You’re clearly a big family guy. Did you grow up in a close-knit family?
You’re right; my family is everything to me. And yes, I grew up spending every weekend and holiday with aunts, uncles, and cousins. My cousins were my first friends, actually, and they remain a great reminder of who I am deep down inside. My brother and I inadvertently started a holiday tradition by dressing up as Uncle Eddie from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation one Christmas. The next year we wore Batman and Superman jumpsuits. Our dressing up for Christmas eventually expanded into themed New Year’s parties the whole family participated in. I remember a masquerade, a disco- themed party, and a pajama party. I want to give my kids an even better childhood than I had.
You travel 50 weeks out of the year to locations as far away as Korea, Italy, China, and Turkey. Surely that is difficult?
Yes, plain and simple. Jackie is the best thing in my life, providing constant support and love, as well as challenging me to be better for myself and for our family. My children, Jamie and Juno, are my inspiration to be the father that they deserve, the one I know I’m capable of being. But I can only be that father when I’m active in their lives and present. However, I feel setting the examples of dedication, consistency, sacrifice, and grace as I pursue my professional goals is valuable to them as well. Finding the balance between work and home requires consistent attention, but I’m committed to doing it.
Has that ongoing challenge affected your focus on the court at all?
At times it has been very trying. It’s a delicate balance that I fight for daily. Juno and Jamie are still so young, and it’s been difficult to miss their early childhood milestones. Being away from my wife is just as hard, if not worse. I’ve considered retirement a few times since starting a family. But right now, I’m confident in my abilities to be fully invested in our team’s mission to bring home gold from Paris.
Was the struggle to maintain a work- life balance part of the reason you quit volleyball for a time?
I was pushing everything aside for the sake of my volleyball career and the teams I played for. I sacrificed my personal life with everyone dear to me, which only made me a selfish and lonesome person. So I stopped playing to address the major derailment of my relationships with the people I cared about most, my family. I returned to volleyball a few months later, after time in therapy and being more open with my loved ones. Before I took the break, I was sure it would only hurt my abilities on the court. But ironically, it enriched my life so much that it carried over to the court and significantly increased my enjoyment of playing.
During your offseasons, you played for Russian volleyball team Zenit- Kazan. Being a fan favorite, your jersey was hung from the arena rafters in St. Petersburg. What accomplishment is most memorable to you from your time in Russia?
We won 18 gold medals in the seven seasons I was with them, including winning the CEV Champions League Competition [the top men’s volleyball competition for the whole of Europe] for four consecutive years. Zenit- Kazan is one of the best club teams of the past 20-plus years.
How about when it comes to Team USA? Which achievement are you most proud of?
Two come to mind. We played 11 matches in 15 days at the 2015 World Cup to win the title for the United States for the first time in 30 years. That was a big accomplishment. And, of course, taking the bronze home from Rio.
What’s next for Matt Anderson once his competitive days are over? Or have you not thought that far ahead?
I actually have thought about it, although I haven’t allowed myself to fully dive into all the possibilities. I have spent the last 20 years on someone else’s schedule, having my days planned out for me by coaches, trainers, travel agents. It will be foreign to me to have full control of my daily life. All I know for certain right now is that I will take some time to be fully present at home with Jackie and our kids, enjoying the fruits of my hard work, before embarking on anything else.
