April Ross - The Phoenix
VOLLEYBALL - HITTER - TEAM USA - OLYMPIAN - AVP - FIVB
ARCHETYPE: THE PHOENIX
Day 118/135
Athletic Accomplishments
April Ross is a two-time Olympic medalist in beach volleyball. She’s headed back to Tokyo this year, with her partner Alix Klineman, as the duo aim for their first gold medal.
Growing up in Newport Beach, California, Ross became a volleyball standout in high school. She was the two-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999. In her senior year (1999), she notched 624 kills and 526 digs, was the top recruit of her class, and won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award.
Ross attended the University of Southern California, where she had an immediate impact on the team. In 2000, she won both Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and National Freshman of the Year honors, while leading USC to the Final Four.
Ross hit a bit of a sophomore slump, attributable to both an injury and grieving her mother’s death. Her junior year, Ross refocused her purpose on the court, drawing on the strength and courage her mother showed in battling metastatic breast cancer. The results were extraordinary.
In 2002 and 2003, Ross was selected as First-Team All-American and led USC to back-to-back NCAA titles, including an undefeated season in 2003. She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female collegiate volleyball player in 2004, and finished her USC career a recordholder in points (1,430) and points per game.
As a pro, Ross had a rocky start, playing indoor volleyball in Puerto Rico before deciding to step away from the sport and return home to California. There, she found beach volleyball, and the rest is history.
Ross was the AVP Rookie of the Year in 2006 and FIVB Top Rookie in 2007, and continued to rack up honors on the pro circuit, including four consecutive years as AVP Most Valuable Player (2013–2017) and multiple salections as AVP Team of the Year: in 2012 (with Jennifer Kessy), in 2014 and 2016 (with Kerri Walsh Jennings), and 2019 (with Alix Klineman).
Ross also shined on the Olympic stage, winning a silver medal in 2012 and a bronze in 2016.
Character Archetype: The Phoenix
Twice, April Ross has risen from the ashes a better, stronger player and person.
The 6’1” volleyball star started her career indoors at USC, where she was National Freshman of the Year and helped the Trojans reach the Final Four. But sophomore year, Ross’s mother died of metastatic breast cancer. Her grades fell, her game suffered, and she got injured. That’s a slump.
But with time and reflection, Ross found a deeper purpose: playing for her mom. The result? National Player of the Year honors and back-to-back national championships. Rise & shine.
As a pro, Ross had a rocky start, playing indoor volleyball in Puerto Rico before deciding to step away from the sport and return home to California. In her words, she quit. But then she found beach volleyball. And the rest is history: racking up countless honors on the pro circuit, including Rookie of the Year, Best Offensive Player, and four consecutive years as AVP Most Valuable Player (2013–2017). Ross also earned multiple selections as AVP Team of the Year: in 2012 with Jennifer Kessy, in 2014 and 2016 with Kerri Walsh Jennings), and 2019 with Alix Klineman.
This summer, Ross has yet another chance to be reborn stronger and better. While she has already earned a bronze and silver Olympic medal, she has yet to win the elusive gold. But if we know one thing about Ross, she knows how to rise to the occasion.