April Ross

Since her debut on the pro beach volleyball scene in 2006, April Ross has cemented her role as a champion and one of the most universally loved players on tour. Lauded for her powerful serve, energy and competitive drive, Ross's easygoing personality off the sand makes her one of today’s most authentic, engaging and accessible athletes.

California born and raised, Ross began her volleyball career indoors where she was a three-sport athlete at Newport Harbor High where she was the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Ross then led USC to back-to-back NCAA Championships and was named a Honda Award Winner and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2003. After time spent playing professionally indoors overseas, she swapped her sneakers for sand and was the AVP Rookie of the Year in 2006 and FIVB Rookie of the Year in 2007.

After nabbing several FIVB championships, including the 2009 FIVB World Championship, Ross and her then partner, Jennifer Kessy won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Ross partnered with Kerri Walsh-Jennings for the 2016 Rio Olympics, sweeping every AVP tour stop en route to an inspiring Olympic Bronze.

On August 6, 2021, Alix Klineman and Ross captured the gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics, after winning in straight sets versus Australia. In the entire tournament, they went undefeated in match play, and only lost one set throughout 7 matches. The win allowed Ross to complete the trifecta of winning an Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medal.

When Ross was a sophomore in college, she lost her mother to metastatic breast cancer. Nearly two decades later, Ross remembers her mother, Margie, not only as a warrior but also as a source of strength and inspiration. To honor her mother’s memory, Ross is committed to using her platform as an Olympian to raise breast cancer awareness.