April Ross

April Ross has won more than one medal at the Olympics. She is one of the few female players of beach volleyball to have done so. She is set to compete in Tokyo for her 3rd Olympic medal alongside Alix Klineman who is a first time Olympian. Ross aims to earn an Olympic the first medal of gold however, she also hopes for more. In fact, at 39, it could be her last chance to accomplish this. Her confidence is high nevertheless. Ross on NBC Boston, said that when the team performs very well, or even at all, they could win a gold. "I'm trying to also try some luck." Ross, who was born 1982 and was raised within Costa Mesa California with her siblings and parents, started competing in sports at Newport Harbor High School. Ross went on to play in a myriad of activities during her time at Newport Harbor High School. Along with indoor volleyball, she played basketball and jogged track in her pre-college days. In the last sport she stood out. The college bio says that she was an outside hitter middle blocker and setter during her volleyball career during high school. For her efforts, she was honored as in 1999 as the Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year. In addition, she was awarded the 1999 Orange County Athlete of the Award for volleyball. Ross Klineman and Ross may have started working together at the beginning of 2017, but Ross was already an established athlete at the beach prior to when they came together. She has won major tournaments twice with different partners. A couple of those is an icon in the world of volleyball. In the period 2007 to 2013 she teamed with Jennifer Kessy who more recently played the role of Klineman's coach. Ross, Kessy's fellow teammate who won the world title alongside Kessy in 2009, was also an important player on the an international level. This duo went on to win a silver in the 2012 Olympic Games at London. Misty Maytreanor's legendary team and Kerri Jennings won the gold. It was fate that had them. Ross became Walsh Jennings' new partner when May-Treanor retired. Both went on to win the bronze beach volleyball medal at Rio Olympics in 2016 along with Walsh Jennings. Following high school, and for a few many years before hitting the sand as a pro Ross balled out for the USC Trojans as an NCAA. Ross's time in the Trojans was amazing. When she was a freshman at the school in 2000 she fought her way to Pac-10 as well as NCAA Freshman of the Year honors and earned an All-American. Her performance also assisted in helping the Trojans reach into the Final Four. Her sophomore year was the time she was devastated by a personal loss but still managed to be a second All-American. In her last two seasons in the Trojans in the program the team was led to success by winning two the national title in consecutive years. In 2003-04, Ross was named the top female volleyball player at a collegiate level in America according to the Honda Sports Award. Ross studied international relations at USC. Margie Ross never saw her daughter achieve the heights of the beach volleyball ladder. Ross lost the breast cancer that she battled in 2001. Ross was then a sophomore. She continues to cherish her parents who passed away. Margie is an inspiration on and off of the beach.