April Ross

April Ross was one of the few female beach volleyball athletes who earned medals in more than one Olympics. Alix Klineman, taking part for the very first time at Tokyo's Olympic Games and will attempt to win her third medal. Ross's dream is to earn her first Olympic gold medal. At 39 and has a long way to go, this could be her final chance. But she's convinced that the top awards are in reach. If we do our top or do well, I believe we'll win the gold medal Ross stated on NBC Boston. Therefore, I'm hoping to have a little bit of luck as well. Ross was born in California in Costa Mesa in 1982. Her family lived in the area along with her parents and sister. Ross went on to play in many activities during her time at Newport Harbor High School. Being a pre-athlete she was also a participant in indoor track and volleyball. In her final game she was clearly the standout. Based on her bio, she played a middle blocker and outside hitting volleyball player throughout her time in high school. In recognition of her accomplishments, she received the Gatorade Award for the National Player of 1999. The 2000 Orange County Athlete of the Month was also received by her due to her volleyball skills. Ross and Klineman started their relationship in 2017 however, Ross had been a beach-scene celebrity for a long time prior to. She has won numerous events, one of which was with an iconic volleyball player. Between 2007 and 2013 she was in a partnership by Jennifer Kessy, who is now her coach. Kessy as well as Ross proved to be strong on the international arena, taking home a 2009 world title together. The duo would go into winning a silver in the 2012 Olympic Games at London. Misty May Treanor and Kerri Jennings the legendary team that was the winners of the 2012 Olympics in London, beat them out to win the gold medal. As fate would have it Ross was Walsh Jennings' new partner after May-Treanor's retirement. Together, they took home bronze medals in beach volleyball for the Rio Olympics in the year 2016. Following high school, and for a few several years prior to hitting the sand as a pro Ross played to the Trojans at USC while an collegiate. Her experience at USC was quite impressive. In 2000, she was voted Pac-10 Freshman as well as NCAA Freshman Of The Year and an All-American. The Trojans could also make it to the Final Four with her help. The second season of her career she was devastated by a personal tragedy, but managed to earn the honor of being named an All-American. Over the course of her final two seasons she led the Trojans to the top of the mountain and took home consecutive national championships. In her own way, she cemented her place in the history books by winning the Honda Sports Award for 2003-04. The award is given to the most outstanding female volleyball players at colleges across the nation. Ross studied at USC in International Relations. Margie Ross, Ross' mother, was never given the chance to watch her daughter grow into the beach volleyball's biggest star. Ross suffered the loss of the breast cancer that she battled in 2001. Ross was then a sophomore. She continues to cherish her mother who died. Margie remains a constant source of inspiration to her, both on and off the beach.