April Ross
April Ross ( born June 20, 1982 in Costa Mesa, California ) is an American beach volleyball player and World Champion.
Career
Already at the end of their high school April Ross was appointed to the Junior National Team of the USA in indoor volleyball, she played for two years. The end of 2000 she was elected as the first student of USC to the American Freshman of the Year. After numerous other awards, among others, earned the student in four years at the University of the All-American selection, Ross coached at the 2003 American Volleyball national team. In her first year as a pro in 2006 as a beach volleyball player on the AVP the Californian Tour Rookie of the Year was. With her partner Keao Burdine she reached two ninth places. As of 2007, formed April Ross along with Jennifer Kessy a team. In their first joint FIVB tournament in 2007 in Paris, the two broke down right in the Country Quota, but in the very next tournament in Stavanger they managed a huge surprise. The set at No. 29 Ross / Kessy fought after recovering qualification among others by a semi-final victory against the Germans Goller / Ludwig to the finals before. They then defeated the Chinese women Jia Tian and Jie Wang and won the gold medal. Never before or since was a team that was ranked so low to win a FIVB tournament. The following year, the two U.S. women won the gold medal at the last two tournaments of the FIVB series in Asia. However, her biggest success achieved Jennifer Kessy and April Ross in 2009 when they could defeat the Brazilians Larissa França and Juliana Felisberta Silva in the final of Beach Volleyball World Cup.
2010
Successfully launched the two North Americans in the FIVB series. Did they still make do with fourth place in Brasilia, they could decide both the Tournament of Shanghai and the Foro Italico Beach Volley Grand Slam for themselves. In Seoul, they occupied after a semi-final defeat against Larissa / Juliana the bronze medal in Moscow, the two athletes from the United States in the final were defeated by the Chinese women Xue / Zhang Xi. The following events April Ross and Jennifer Kessy reached both in Marseille and Klagenfurt in fifth place. In Kristiansand they went without a fight the semi-finals, as their German opponents Angelina green and Rieke Brink - Abeler injury could not compete. However, the U.S. women lost both the semifinals and the small final and finished fourth. In the penultimate event of the year in Sanya Ross and Kessy failed, although in the semifinals to Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig, but could return the favor for the suffered in Norway defeat in the match for third place against the Salgado sisters Maria Clara and Carol and received the bronze medal.
2011
In the first five tournaments of the World Series Ross / Kessy won with the exception of the Sanya Open, where they finished in seventh place, one medal. At the opening in Brasilia she was as bronze as in Myslowice and Beijing, in the Shanghai Open the two U.S. women finished second. After the fifth place at the World Championships in Rome April Ross and Jennifer Kessy won in Norway her only tournament of the year. Subsequently, the two North Americans reached again only in seventh in Quebec City a place among the top eight teams. Medal winnings reach the two former world champions even at the events in Stare Jablonki and at the end of the season in Thailand. At both events, Ross and Kessy lost the final. She also occupied seventh place in Åland and a fifth place in The Hague. For their achievements during the year 2011 April Ross as Best Hitter and Best Server as was excellent.
2012
2012 were Ross / Kessy on nine FIVB tournaments and reached it without exception a top ten placement. At the Olympic Games in London, she won the silver medal.
2013
2013 were Ross / Kessy been on five FIVB tournaments and reached again this year it invariably top- ten finishes. At the World Championships in Stare Jabłonki Ross played because of a Verletztung Kessy with Whitney Pavlik and reached the fourth place.
Private life
As the daughter of Margie and Glenn Ross April Elizabeth was born in 1982 in Costa Mesa. Her sister called Amy, her step- mother Linda, her step- sister Mindy and her step- brothers Tommy, Jimmy and Weston. April Ross attended Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California, and received awards in volleyball and in track during all four years of schooling, and in basketball in three years. Subsequently, Ross enrolled at the University of Southern California in 2005 and consisted for their final exam in International Marketing. In November 2010, the world champion married beach volleyball Brad Keenan.