April Ross

April Ross is only one of the beach volleyball players to have won medals more than once at an Olympics. Ross will compete in Tokyo for her 3rd Olympic medal alongside Alix Klineman, who is a first-time Olympian. Ross is determined to earn more than her first Olympic medal. With her age of 39, this may be Ross' last opportunity to claim the Olympic gold. The athlete is optimistic she will be able to win top awards. If we do our best or even if we do well, I believe we'll be able to win that gold medal Ross declared on NBC Boston. "I'm trying to also try to have a bit of luck." Ross is born in the year 1982. Costa Mesa California where she lived with her parents and sister. Along with competing in various sport, she also attended Newport Harbor High School. Being a pre-athlete, she also played indoor track and volleyball. When she played in the final sport she stood out. When she played in her time at the high school level as per her college profile, she played as an outside-hitter, middle-blocker and setter. The award was presented to her as the Gatorade National Circle of Champions Player of the Year in 1999 for her achievements. Also, in 2000 she was awarded the Orange County Athlete of the Year for volleyball. Ross and Klineman began their partnership in 2017, However, Ross had been a beach-scene celebrity for a long time prior to. As a matter of fact Ross has been a winner of several major tournaments in her career together with two other partners. One of them is a volleyball legend. Jennifer Kessy was her partner for six years, from 2007 until 2013. She also coached Klineman as well as herself. Kessy and Ross were strong on the world circuit, winning a 2009 world title together. In 2012, the duo took silver in London's Olympics. They were beaten out for the gold medal by the legendary team comprised of Misty May-Treanor as well as Kerri Walsh (Jennings). Ross was Walsh Jennings new partner after May-Treanor's resignation. In 2016, the duo were awarded bronze medals at the Rio Olympics for beach volleyball. Ross was a student athlete for USC Trojans before starting her professional career. She was a player in high school and in years prior to hitting the beach professionally. Ross's Trojans experience was impressive. She was an All-American and Pac-10 freshman of the year when she was a teen freshman. Her Trojans made it to the Final Four. The Trojans suffered a heartbreaking personal loss in her sophomore season, but she still repeated as an All-American. Over the course of her final two seasons she led the Trojans up to the summit and won consecutive national titles. She was a fantastic volleyball player, winning the Honda Sports Award in 2003-04 as the top female volleyball player at the college level. Ross had been an international studies major at USC. Margie Ross, Ross' mother, was never given the chance to watch her daughter become the beach volleyball's biggest star. Ross's mother passed away from breast carcinoma in 2001. Ross had just become sophomore at USC. In the aftermath, Ross remains close to her deceased parent. Margie is a constant source of inspiration to her, both on and off the beach.