April Ross

April Ross was one of only a few women beach volleyball athletes who earned medals at more than one Olympics. She will be competing in Tokyo for her third Olympic gold medal along with Alix Klineman, who is a first time Olympian. Ross's dream is to earn her first Olympic gold medal. With her age of 39, this may be Ross' last chance to win an Olympic gold. Her optimism is that she will be able to win top awards. Ross told NBC Boston that if they are at their absolute best or even a good game, she believes the team could win a gold medal. Also, it's an issue of luck. Ross was born in California in the city of Costa Mesa in 1982. She lived here with her mother, father and sibling. Along with participating in a variety of sports, Ross also attended Newport Harbor High School. She was a basketball player and also ran track, in addition to her indoor volleyball achievements as a prep athlete. Though she excelled at indoor volleyball, it was clear that her abilities were higher than average. During her high school career she played middle blocker outside setter and hitter on the volleyball court per her bio at the college. As a tribute to her efforts, she received the Gatorade Award for National Player 1999. Also, in 2000 she was recognized as the Orange County Athlete of the year for volleyball. Ross and Klineman formed the partnership in 2017, However, Ross has been a beach star for years before. In reality, she was a winner of several major championships while playing using two partners, one of which is a volleyball icon. From 2007-2013 she played together with Jennifer Kessy who more recently was Klineman's coach. Kessy was Ross's co-coach at the World Championships of 2009. The duo eventually captured a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Misty May, Kerri Walsh and Kerri Jennings were the trio that could take home the gold. Ross Jennings was May-Treanor's replacement after she had retired. The pair took bronze at the Rio Olympics for beach volleyball. After high school and many years before hitting the sand as a pro Ross balled out to the Trojans at USC while an collegiate. This was an impressive performance for Ross during her time at the college level. In 2000, as a freshman she played her way to Pac-10 and NCAA Freshman of the Year awards and earned an All-American. She also helped the Trojans reach the Final Four. Her heart was broken through a tragedy in her life during her sophomore year. However, she was able to make it an All-American in her second year. Over the course of the two years she played for the Trojans they helped to win two consecutive titles. In 2003-2004, Ross was named as the most successful female volleyball player on the collegiate scene in America through the Honda Sports Award. Ross was an USC international relations student, was a volleyball star. Unfortunately, Ross mother Margie did not get to see Ross's daughter reach the very top of beach volleyball fame. Ross's mom died from cancer of the breast in 2001. Ross had just become sophomore at USC. This meant that Ross continues to be near to her mother who passed away. Margie is an inspiration on and off at the beach.