Hang around a beach volleyball tournament for any length of time, and you'll figure out one thing fast: almost everybody has a nickname (whether they know it or not). Some are affectionate, some are snarky and others demonstrate profound respect, but all are a window into the personalities of the players.

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The Lion King Aleksander Samoilvos of Latvia compets during semi final at the Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series in Gstaad, Switzerland on July 12, 2015 Photocredit: Alexander Langreiter

Swatch Major Series expert analyst Julius Brink will be the first to tell you what players called him back when he was still on the World Tour and winning the 2012 Olympics: Foolius. (Given his sense of humor, they probably still call him that to this day.)

With his crushing blocks, Brink's partner at the London Games, Jonas Reckermann, inspired fans to re-name him The Wrecking Ball.

Then there was a European player dubbed Bankomat (cash machine) by a certain opponent who loved to go up against him because he was an easy mark!

Here are just a few of the nicknames for athletes on the roster in this inaugural Swatch Major Series season. They seem to fall into themes, such as...

ANIMALS
Alex Ranghieri of Italy is known as The Italian Stallion for his swagger and, some say, for his sex appeal.

Latvia’s Aleksandrs Samoilovs has earned the moniker The Lion King for his eye-catching mane of golden hair. (It’s said that others have dubbed him Microphone Head for the silhouette that hairstyle creates – an instant visual, even if it’s somewhat less poetic.)

Brazilian fans have given Alison Cerutti, one of their leading players, the nickname of Mamute (the mammoth) for the way he uses his 203cm / 6'8” frame at the net to reject balls with formidable blocks.

Brazilian Alison Cerutti also known as the Mamute/Mammoth Photocredit: Samo Vidic

Like his namesake The Pterodactyl, Austria’s Alexander Horst is a scary guy (on court, at least) who can fly when he needs to stop a ball.

ATTITUDE
With her positive personality, the American superstar Kerri Walsh Jennings merits her nickname of Six Feet of Sunshine, which could also describe the way the three-time Olympic gold medalist tends to dazzle fans and blindside rivals.

Kerri Walsh Jennings aka Six Feet of Sunshine of the USA against Agatha Bednarczuk, Barbara Seixas of Brazil compete during the Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series in Gstaad, Switzerland on July 10, 2015 Photocredit: Andreas Langreiter