April Ross

April Ross is only one of the beach volleyball players who have earned medals at least twice in an Olympics. She will be competing in Tokyo for her third Olympic medal with Alix Klineman, a first time Olympian. Ross is hoping to secure the Olympic debut gold, but she is also aiming for more. Perhaps it is her last chance, at 39 years old. She remains optimistic that she will be able to win top awards. If we do our top or do well, I believe we'll win the gold medal Ross said via NBC Boston. So I'm going to take the chance too. Ross was born the 22, 1982, located in Costa Mesa California. She lived there with her family. Ross went on to play in numerous sports during her time at Newport Harbor High School. She competed in basketball and track in addition to her indoor volleyball achievements as a prep athlete. When she played in the final sport she stood out. According to her bio, she was an outside blocker as well as a middle hitter on the volleyball court throughout her time in high school. She was named by the Gatorade National Circle of Champions player of the year in 1999 due to her accomplishments. In 2000, the Orange County Athlete of the Month was also received by her for volleyball. Ross and Klineman formed their partnership in 2017, but Ross was a beach scene celebrity for a long time prior to. As a matter of fact, Ross has won several significant tournaments during her time with two partners. One of them is a legend. She teamed up along with Jennifer Kessy from 2007-2013, and was also Klineman's personal trainer. Kessy was Ross's partner on the World Championships in 2009. The duo eventually captured an Olympic silver medal during the 2012 Olympic Games in London. They were defeated for the gold by the legendary group comprised of Misty May-Treanor as well as Kerri Walsh (Jennings). Ross became Walsh Jennings new partner after May-Treanor's resignation. They won the bronze medal in beach volleyball at Rio Olympics 2016. Ross played for the Trojans of USC throughout her college years before becoming a professional. And her run in the Trojans' ranks was an impressive one. In 2000, as a freshman she fought her way to Pac-10 and NCAA All-American Freshman of Year accolades. She also was an All-American. In addition, she helped her Trojans get to the Final Four. During her sophomore year she was devastated by a personal loss but still managed to make it back as an All-American. In her last two seasons in the program she led the Trojans up to the summit of the mountain netting consecutive national championships. As an individual, she established herself as an all-time great by winning the 2003-2004 Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female collegiate volleyball player. Ross had been an international studies student at USC. Margie Ross, Ross' mother, never had the opportunity to see her daughter grow into a beach volleyball superstar. Ross's mom passed away due to breast cancer while she was a sophomore at USC. She continues to cherish her mother who died. Margie is an inspiration on and off of the shore.