April Ross

April Ross is only one of only a handful of beach volleyball athletes to win medals multiple times at an Olympics. She will be competing in Tokyo for her third Olympic medal with Alix Klineman who is a first-time Olympian. Ross hopes to win her Olympic first gold medal however, she also hopes for more. At 39, this could be Ross' last chance to win the gold medal at an Olympics. Still confident but she is not sure. If we do our highest or perform well, I think we can get that gold medal Ross said via NBC Boston. In addition, I'm planning be relying on a little bit of good luck. Ross was born in Costa Mesa, California in the year 1982. Her parents and sister lived in the area. Ross was a competitive athlete in a variety of sports during her time at Newport Harbor High School. The prep sports she played included indoor volleyball along with basketball as well as running and track. While she did well when playing indoors however, it was evident that her skills were above average. As per her biography her high school days, she played volleyball as an outside hitter (middle blocker) as well as a setter (outside blocker). To honor her achievements she was awarded the Gatorade Award for the National Player of 1999. The 2000 Orange County Athlete of the Month was also received by her in volleyball. Ross and Klineman might be working on a project in 2017, but Ross was an experienced player at the beach before they joined forces. In actual Ross has won a number of major tournaments in her career with two partners. One of them is a legend. Jennifer Kessy coached her from 2007 to 2013. Alongside Kessy Ross was an ace on the international stage, claiming the world championship in 2009. In 2012, the pair won silver at London's Olympics. Misty May, Kerri Walsh and Kerri Jennings were the trio that could take home the gold. Ross Jennings became Walsh Jennings partner in fate when Maytreanor retired. They both won beach volleyball bronze for the Rio Olympics in the year 2016. Following high school, and for a few many years before hitting the sand as a pro Ross balled out with the Trojans of USC as an collegiate. She had a great run in the college. In 2000 she was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and NCAA Freshman of the Year, and was also an All-American. She was also an integral player to help the Trojans make their way to the Final Four. In her sophomore season she suffered a devastating personal tragedy, but earned the distinction of being an All-American. In her last two seasons as a member of the Trojans in the program, she led them to victory by winning consecutive national championships. In her own way Ross established her status in the history books by winning the Honda Sports Award for 2003-04. The award is given to the top female volleyball players at colleges across the United States. Ross was a student of International Relations at USC. Unfortunately Ross mom Margie was not able to witness her daughter ascend to the top levels of beach volleyball superstardom. In 2001 when Ross was a sophomore in USC her mother died of breast cancer. She continues to hold her lost parent near and close. Margie is a constant source of inspiration to her on and off the beach.