April Ross

April Ross is only one of the few beach volleyball athletes to win medals at least twice in an Olympics. Alix-Klineman will be competing with April Ross in Tokyo for her third gold medal over the next couple of days. Ross wants to achieve more than her initial Olympic medal. As she turns 39, it could be Ross' last chance to win an Olympic gold. Nevertheless she is confident that winning the gold medal is in reach. If we perform at our very top or perform well, I think we'll win the gold medal Ross declared on NBC Boston. Also, it's the result of luck. Ross was born in California in Costa Mesa, California in 1982. She lived here with her father, mother and sister. She was able to participate in many activities during her time at Newport Harbor High School. When she was a student in the prep school she was a participant in indoor volleyball along with basketball and running track. In her final game she was clearly the standout. As per her biography her high school days, she was a volleyball player as an outside hitter (middle blocker) as well as a setting (outside blocker). For her efforts she was awarded the 1999 Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player of the Year. In 2000, she was named Orange County Athlete of the Year for volleyball. Ross and Klineman may be working on a project 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 competitions with different players. A couple of those has become an icon of the volleyball world. Ross teamed up with Jennifer Kessy from 2007-2013, and was also Klineman's personal trainer. Ross, Kessy's fellow teammate who was the winner of the world championship together with Kessy in 2009, also was significant on the an international level. They were awarded a silver medal in the 2012 Olympic Games held in London. They were knocked out of the gold medal by the legendary duo comprising Misty and Kerri Walsh (Jennings). Ross Jennings took over for May-Treanor after she had retired. The team won bronze in beach volleyball during the Rio Olympics in 2016. Ross was a Trojans player for the USC in her college the years prior to her professional career. The time she spent at USC was one to remember. In 2000 she was named Pac-10 Freshman as well as NCAA Freshman Of The Year, and was also an All-American. Her performance also assisted in helping the Trojans to make it to the Final Four. After her sophomore year she was devastated by a personal loss, yet was able to be named an All-American. Over the course of her final two seasons, she took the Trojans up the mountain and clinched consecutive national championships. Individually she had cemented herself as an all-time great by winning the 2003-2004 Honda Sports Award as the most outstanding female college volleyball player. Ross had been an international studies major at USC. Sadly, Ross mother Margie did not get to see Ross's daughter reach the very top of beach volleyball stardom. Ross's mother passed away from breast cancer while she was a sophomore at USC. But she still keeps her mother in her heart. Margie remains a constant source of inspiration to her in and out of the water.