April Ross

April Ross is only one of the beach volleyball athletes to win medals at least twice in an Olympics. Ross will compete in Tokyo to compete for her third Olympic medal with Alix Klineman who is a first time Olympian. Ross aims to earn an Olympic debut gold, but she is also aiming to earn more. It may well be that it is her last chance, at 39 years old. Nevertheless she is confident that top honors are firmly within reach. Ross through NBC Boston, said that If the team is performing very well, or even at all, it could be able to win gold. That's why I'm taking some luck as well. Ross was a Californian born in Costa Mesa in 1982. She grew up in Costa Mesa along with her parents and sibling. Along with participating in a variety of sports, Ross also attended Newport Harbor High School. Along with indoor volleyball, she was a basketball player and also ran track as a pre-collegiate athlete. However, she was a standout at this level. Her college biography states that she was an outside hitter middle blocker, as well as a setter throughout her volleyball time at high school. The award was presented to her as the Gatorade National Circle of Champions player of the Year in 1999, for her performance. She also captured the award in 2000. Orange County Athlete of the year award for volleyball. Ross has been working with Klineman from 2017, but Ross's beach game was well-established long before that. In reality, she's been a winner of numerous major tournaments and one of them was a renowned volleyball player. She teamed up along with Jennifer Kessy from 2007-2013, and also was Klineman's trainer. Kessy as well as Ross proved to be a formidable force in the world circuit, winning a 2009 world title as a team. They were awarded a silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games held in London. Misty Maytreanor (Jennings) as well as Misty Maytreanor clinched gold beating them to it. As fate would have it Ross became Walsh Jennings' new partner after May-Treanor's retirement. The team won bronze in beach volleyball at Rio Olympics in 2016. Following high school, and for a few many years before hitting the beach as a professional Ross played with the Trojans of USC as an NCAA. Her time in the Trojans' ranks was a memorable one. When she was a freshman in 2000 the Trojans' performance earned her the Pac-10 and NCAA Young Player of the Year awards. Additionally, she assisted her Trojans get to the Final Four. Her personal tragedy was a crushing loss in her sophomore year however she was able to return her place as an All-American. Over the course of her final two seasons with the Trojans she was instrumental in helping them achieve consecutive championships. In 2003-2004, Ross was named the best female volleyball player on the collegiate scene in the US through the Honda Sports Award. Ross was a student at USC in International Relations. Margie Ross, Ross' mother, did not have the privilege of watching her daughter grow into the beach volleyball's biggest star. Ross's mother passed away from cancer of the breast when she was a sophomore in USC. She continues to cherish her late parent. Margie, on the beach as well as in everyday life, inspires her.