The life of a professional athlete is one that most people would justifiably envy. Fame, fortune, and in many cases legions of fans are just a few of the benefits that major sports stars enjoy. Many folks have dreamed of going pro in their favorite sport (no matter how unrealistic the thought might be) since they were small children and some cases even into young adulthood. For most, the dream fades at some point, as they begin to focus on other goals. While the majority of people won’t go on to enjoy the privileges of being a mega sports star, they likely have one thing these stars envy, and that’s privacy.

Those who compete at the highest level in championship games or even the Olympics are constantly being photographed by the paparazzi. True, most competitors probably get used to it after a while, but there are still some images out there that they probably wish didn’t exist. This is especially true when discussing some of their most embarrassing mishaps.

Embarrassing moments are a part of everyone’s life. Unfortunately, especially in sports,  there is seemingly always a photographer around to capture them. There is no better example of a sport that’s full of embarrassing moments than women’s volleyball. For those who may doubt this statement, here are 15 photos that will quickly change your mind.

15 Brianne Riley

Brianne Riley is former indoor college volleyball player for the University of Kansas. Over the course of her college career the 5-foot-6 libero out from Naperville, Il started 116 matches. Her highlights include becoming Kansas’s all-time digs leader (with 2,053), Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week in 2013, and the Big 12 Rookie of the Week in 2010. While attending the university, she majored in health and nursing.

Of all the nasty tumbles featured in our article, the one shown here look to be among the worst. While some players hit their shoulders or their heads, Riley appears to have landed on both in the instance. Unfortunately, the mouthpiece probably didn’t help much in this situation, and of course, there was someone with a camera nearby to capture the awkward fall.

14 Right In The Face

Since over half her face is covered up by a volleyball, it’s extremely difficult to determine who this player is exactly. We know she is clearly an indoor volleyball player and by the looks of thing, probably plays (or played) for a college. Of course in this instance, the young athlete may be glad we can’t quite tell who she is.

When discussing dangerous sports, volleyball probably isn’t the first one that comes mind. However, after seeing this image, maybe it should be. This shot proves that even non-contact sports can a bit painful at times. Here we see the girl in the photo trying to bump the ball, only to have it land right smack in her face. This clearly wasn’t one of the sport’s greatest moments.

13 Winifer Fernandez

Winifer Fernandez (pictured on the right) is a 23-year-old indoor volleyball standout who hails from the Dominican Republic. The 5-foot-7 brunette is currently a member of the Dominican national team. She has been a part of clubs that have won both the Pan-American Cup in 2016 and the Bolivarian Games in 2017. However, she is arguably better known for being featured in a  series of racy photos and a video that went viral. For the reasons previously mentioned, she is easily the most well known Dominican volleyball player in the game today.

It’s really not clear what Fernandez is trying to hit in this photo, as the volleyball is about three feet from where her hands are. Unfortunately, her opponent looks like she is about to be on the receiving end of a shot to the head, in a moment that won’t be on either player's highlight reel.

12 Fan Wang, Superwoman!

Fan Wang, the person in our photo, is a 24-year-old beach volleyball player who is from the Hebei, China. The 6-foot-2 star has already managed to win over $193,000 over the course of her relatively young career. She has finished as high as 2nd in some high profile international tournaments and is currently one of the top players representing her home country of China.

This photo shows that a specific camera angle can have a big impact on how a photo turns out. In this shot, Wang looks like she is getting ready to take flight in one the Superman films from the 1980s. It would certainly be interesting to see the looks on villains like Lex Luthor’s face when they saw a 6-foot-2 volleyball player in a swimsuit coming straight at them.

11 Kerri Walsh Jennings' Dive

Even casual beach volleyball fans will likely recognize Kerri Walsh Jennings in this photo. After all, she is one of the sport’s biggest stars, both literally and figuratively. At 6-foot-3, the American is quite tall even by pro volleyball standards. Here impressive height has no doubt helped her, along with her former partner Misty May-Treanor, capture a total of three Olympic gold medals over the course of her career. Due to her stature and upbeat personality, Jennings was given the nickname “Six Feet of Sunshine.”

When you are one of the most famous beach volleyball players in the world, there are going to be a lot of cameras on you when competing. This will result in some odd facial expressions as well as some malfunctions being captured, as was clearly the case in this instance.

10 Markéta Sluková's Synchronized Dive

Here we have two outstanding beach volleyball players out of the of the Czech Republic, Marketa Slukova (on the left) and Kristyna Kolocova (shown on the right). The duo is probably best known for their appearance in the 2012 Olympic Games were they ended up finishing 5th overall. Slukova is 29 years of age and is just under 6-feet-tall. She is considered to be the greatest female beach volleyball player her country has ever produced. Kolocova, a solid player in her own right, is also 29-years-old.

This hilarious photo almost looks like a shampoo commercial with the two blonde Olympians diving for the ball. While both ladies are looking phenomenal in the shot, it still comes off as a bit cheesy and perhaps even embarrassing.

9 Destinee's Olympics Tumble

Destinee Hooker (who’s falling in the photo) is an indoor volleyball star who is best known for helping Team USA capture a silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games which were held in London, England. Despite being born in Germany, she is a US citizen who grew up in San Antonio, Texas. The 6-foot-5 opposite attacker (that’s a position in volleyball) was also a part of teams that won the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Nasty spills are very much a part of indoor volleyball. However, this particular fall looks both slightly embarrassing and bit painful. Unfortunately, this photo was captured during the 2012 Olympics, meaning there were probably more eyes than usual on the tall Texan. On the plus side, she did end up winning silver at the Games, meaning the tumble was definitely worth it.

8 George W. Likes What He Sees

One doesn’t haven’t be a volleyball fan to be able to recognize the man holding the water bottle in this photo. The gentleman standing behind Kerri Wash Jennings in this photo is none other than former US President, George W. Bush. Prior to becoming president, Bush served as the 46th Governor of the state of Texas from 1995 to 2000. He also has some sports ties, having been part owner of the Texas Rangers, a Major League Baseball franchise.

Who knew the former president was a fan of women’s beach volleyball? Based on this photo, he appears to be a big fan of Olympic standout, Kerri Walsh Jennings. The smile on his face in the photo would suggest that Bush was in a rather cheerful mood when this image was captured.

7 Kate Middleton

It may be a bit difficult to tell with her hair partially covering her face, but the woman in this photo is Duchess of Cambridge aka Kate Middleton. For folks who have been living under a rock, Middleton is a British royal who is married to an heir to the English throne, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. The princess has been featured in nearly every major publication in the world and was named one of the “100 Most Influential People In The World” by Time Magazine in 2012 and again in 2013.

This image was captured back in 2013 while Middleton attended a SportsAid event for charity. The 32-year-old decided it was the perfect opportunity to show off her volleyball skills, but may have ended up showing more than she bargained for.

6 Getting Rid Of The Wedge

With the shot being taken from behind, it’s difficult to tell exactly who this indoor volleyball player is. However, she definitely appears to be making a wardrobe adjustment of sorts. Whoever this college player is, she looks to be wearing a relatively standard college uniform. While female beach volleyball players generally compete in bikinis, indoor competitors usually wear long sleeve shirts along with spandex-like bottoms, such as the one shown in the image here.

With her back clearly turned to the cameraperson, this poor young woman more than likely had no idea she was being photographed. That being said, it’s hard enough to play college sports but much harder with a wedgie. This  probably isn’t one of this player’s favorite photos, though it serves as a reminder that comfort comes first when competing.

5 Stanford vs. Oregon

This photo features some young ladies from the University of Oregon’s female indoor college volleyball team. The pic was captured while their team faced off against the women of Stanford University, which is located in Stanford, California. Both teams hail from well-known schools, meaning there were likely a lot of folks in attendance for this particular event.

In truth, it’s hard to tell who got the worst of it in this unfortunate collision. The tall girl on the right (#2) appears to have collided head first into her teammate. That being said, the arm of the girl she ran into looks like it’s in a pretty uncomfortable position as well. Moreover, the girl on the left, who appears to be jumping in the air for no reason, makes this photo slightly more awkward.

4 Watch Out!

US Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings has had a volleyball career for the ages. With 133 victories to her credit (as of 2016), Jennings has the distinction of being the all-time careers wins leader in women’s beach volleyball. She has also managed to make a great deal of money in the process, and as of 2016 had won roughly $2.5 million in winnings. The 39-year-old out of Santa Clara, California is still active and looking to add to her Hall of Fame resume.

This is a photo where the camera angle is playing tricks on the viewer. By the looks of things and especially given her body language, it appears the ball is heading right for Jennings. However, the ball is actually already behind her.

3 Scared Of The Ball?

The duo of Misty May-Treanor (on the right) and Kerri Walsh Jennings (on the left) probably don’t need an introduction, but in this case, they are getting one anyway. May-Treanor is an American beach volleyball player who is widely considered to the best female to have ever played the game. She, along with her partner Jennings, has won three Olympic gold medals over the course of her Hall of Fame career. The 5-foot-10 brunette out of Los Angeles, California has won a combined 112 championships in domestic and international competition.

While it probably wasn’t actually the case, Jennings almost looks like she was afraid of the ball in this instance. That being said, she also looks she is about to get punched in the rear end by her teammate, so that may also have been a concern.

2 Lezana Placette Tumbling Over

This photo features a French beach volleyball player named Lezana Placette. Placette was born in Croix, France and currently resides in Grenoble, city located in the southeastern portion of the country. The 5-foot-11 athlete is just 20 years of age and is still making a name for herself on the international scene. The best may very well be yet to come for the future star.

Seeing photos like this one may cause one to ask; what hurts more falling on an indoor volleyball court, or wiping out on the hard sand in a beach volleyball setting? While the answer probably was a lot to do with landing, it’s fair to assume neither experience is very pleasant. Here we have Placette landing shoulder-first in an incident she would probably prefer to forget.

1 Kerri Walsh Jennings' Funny Face

Kerri Walsh Jennings is best known for winning Olympic gold medals with her former teammate Misty May-Treanor. However, following May-Treanor's retirement, Jennings found a different partner for the 2016 Olympic Games which were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That partner was none other than April Ross, who she previously competed against in the 2012 games. While the duo failed to win the gold, they didn’t leave empty-handed and captured a bronze medal. Outside of Olympic play, Jennings was won three World Championships.

Someone should probably tell Kerri Walsh Jennings that volleyballs aren’t edible as she appears to be trying to taste the one in this photo. Joking aside, after having competed for so many years, getting photographed making some funny faces likely just comes with the territory.