We caught up with Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist April Ross two days before she was named USA Volleyball’s head of coaching for the beach national teams, and discovered she was ready to quit the sport before she ever got started on the sand.

Ross, who won three Olympic medals, was an indoor volleyball All-American at Newport Harbor High and USC.

After earning Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and NCAA Player of the Year at USC, and leading the Trojans to two national championships, Ross played three years of professional indoor volleyball in Puerto Rico.

But the injuries piled up and she was prepared to enroll in graduate school.

“My body just kind of fell apart,” she said. “You have a whole team of managers (in the U.S.). You have your coach, obviously, and then your physical therapists that work on you. You have your weightlifting coach, who keeps you strong so you don’t get hurt. When I went down to Puerto Rico, I didn’t have any of that. My body broke down. I came home, had surgery on my knee and I was like, ‘I’m done with volleyball. I’m not playing ever again.’”

Ross said weightlifting was a vital part of her training in high school and college, but she struggled doing it on her own in Puerto Rico. Ross couldn’t lift her arm above her shoulder by the end of her third season, and her knee hurt so much that she didn’t even finish her the season.

“It was a really tough time for my body,” said Ross, who quit playing volleyball and wanted to come home. She was unsure of her future and briefly worked as a hostess at House of Blues in Anaheim.

“I did not want to play volleyball anymore,” Ross said. “I was completely burned out. I was hurt and just not having any fun. I was missing my friends and family too much. I had made some money, which I was going to use to go back to school and earn a graduate degree.

“For that summer, during an interim period of time, I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do. My stepsister was the manager at House of Blues in Downtown Disney and she offered me a job, so I went through the whole application process and she helped me get a job there and I worked there for a summer,” Ross said. “I remember once the men’s U.S. national team came in and I seated them at one point. It’s kind of funny. They trained right down the street in Anaheim and they all came in one night to eat. They enjoyed it and had a good time.”

Then, fate intervened.

A former college teammate and roommate, Keao Burdine, called and asked if Ross could play with her in a couple of beach tournaments.

“I was just doing it for fun,” said Ross. It took some time and a few bumpy rides before Ross could fully settle into the beach game.

“My knee had healed and so I just said ‘why not,’” Ross said. “I was really bad, so it was like starting over again, starting a new sport. I had to learn so much. But I fell in love with the sport and the culture and the people.”

Ross had no plans to make a career out of beach volleyball, she said. “I didn’t know the basic differences, which now would be considered pretty stupid questions, and I had a lot to learn.”

Ross said. Ross and Burdine failed to advance past six qualifiers on the AVP Tour, and, well, that hostess job at House of Blues was sounding better and better.

Ross retired in 2024, fulfilled after winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games and earning silver and bronze medals in the previous two Olympics.

“There was a lot of relief after (winning gold), and we (her partner was Alix Klineman) were elated and on cloud nine,” Ross said. “You accomplished what you set out to do. At the time, even when we were still in Tokyo, I felt a lot of closure, because I was 39 at the time and pretty decently older in terms of beach volleyball and Olympic volleyball and playing at that level.

“After that, I knew it was unlikely I would continue to play, regardless of how I did in tournaments. The gold medal sealed the deal for me,” Ross added. “Honestly, I was ready to go home. I played more (AVP Tour) volleyball after the Olympics at Manhattan Beach and Chicago, and we ended up winning those two tournaments. But it was hard to get motivated.”

Ross said she started to consider life after beach volleyball.

“I went through an identity crisis while coming down after the Olympics and I think that happened because I knew I had accomplished that final thing,” she said. “I am so grateful that I was able to reach my goals at the pinnacle of our sport.

“From my time at Newport Harbor, I don’t know why I’m like this, but it’s always about the next step. I made varsity, then can I get starting spot? We won CIF, now can we win state? Then I wasn’t even thinking about a scholarship, until I received my first (college recruiting) letter. Then it was OK, which college should I go to? And can I earn a starting spot? Can we win a national championship? What is the next step? I did that my whole career,” Ross said. “Can we win the gold medal at the Olympics? Once that was checked off, my job is done here.

“Even when I came back last summer on the AVP Tour, after having my son, the motivation wasn’t there and I didn’t have an ultimate goal to chase,” she added. “I had fun, and I’m glad I got to play with Alix and I did that. But it was a very different feeling.”

Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.

SCHEDULE | TICKETS | LIVE STREAMING | LIVE STATS

San Diego, CA – May 15 – The 2025 Men’s Senior Nationals tournament returns this weekend in San Diego. Fourteen clubs will descend on the UCSD Canyonview Aquatic Center from May 16-18 for three days of water polo action. Riptide Black and Puerto Rico get things started on Friday, May 16 at 11:30am pt and we crown a champion on Sunday, May 18 at 11:30am pt. Joining Riptide Black and Puerto Rico will be The Olympic Club, Channel Islands, Alumni, Los Angeles Athletic Club, New York Athletic Club, UC San Diego, Berkeley WPC, USA Youth Blue, USA Junior, Long Beach AF, New York Athletic Club B, and USA Youth Red. For a complete event schedule, click here.

All matches will be broadcast LIVE on Overnght, subscribe today by visiting Overnght.com. LIVE stats of all matches will be provided by 6-8 Sports.

Pool Location

UCSD Canyonview Aquatic Center

3302 Voigt Drive

La Jolla, CA 92093

Admission

$15 per day

$25 for the weekend

 

Three years ago, when I first picked up a camera for The Prospector, I could not have imagined where the journey would lead. I was a nervous engineering major, hoping to contribute a few photos and gain experience. I never expected a newsroom to become a place I could call home.

Balancing deadlines with engineering coursework tested my limits more times than I could count. There were days when the camera felt too heavy, and the blank cutline box seemed impossible. But even during those moments, the newsroom gave me something to hold onto, a reminder that my work mattered, even when it felt small.

None of this would have been possible without the people who stood beside me, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who made this journey unforgettable.

Vero, thank you for bringing me into Student Media and Publications as a work-study student and giving me a chance to grow with little to no experience in journalism. Your trust in me opened the door to opportunities I never imagined.

Isa, thank you for always welcoming me with a smile and being there whenever I needed help or advice. Your kindness and support made the newsroom feel like a second home.

Amy, thank you for being my first friend at Student Media and Publications and showing me how to get by smoothly. Thank you also for always helping me with the camera equipment, even when I sometimes kept it too long.

Catching, thank you for bringing so much laughter and light into my life. I cannot tell you how many bad days you turned around just by being yourself. Your positivity made everything better.

Alyda, even though we only had a year together, it feels like we have been friends for much longer. I will miss the endless laughs, conversations, and spontaneous moments that made every day a little brighter.

Sofia and Gael, my favorite duo, thank you for all the laughs that made even the busiest, most stressful days easier to get through. Your energy and friendship are truly special.

Iziah, thank you for being the best photography partner I could have asked for. Whether we were out on assignment or brainstorming ideas, your creativity and friendship made the work more meaningful.

Avery and Emmanuel, thank you for being some of my kindest and most genuine friends. You made me feel welcome from the beginning and were always there for me.

Sebastian, thank you for being the coolest coworker and an even better friend. Your presence always made the newsroom a better and more exciting place.

To Diego, Jesie, Ximena, Kristian, Vianah, Joseph, Jazmine, Evelyn, Cameron, Daniela, Sadie, and Yael, thank you for creating a family within The Prospector. Working alongside all of you made every day more inspiring. I cannot wait to see the incredible work you will continue to create.

To my family and boyfriend, thank you for being my most excellent support system throughout this journey. Your encouragement, belief in my potential, and constant help with my photography gave me the confidence and skills I needed to grow. I am forever grateful for everything you have done to help me become who I am today.

Graduating with my bachelor’s in engineering innovation and leadership with a concentration in civil engineering, a minor in structural engineering, and an emphasis in computer science while simultaneously working as a photographer at The Prospector and Minero Magazine was an impossible mission without the generous help I received from my friends and family.

Now, as I say goodbye, there is a sadness I cannot ignore. It is hard to leave a place that gave me a voice and even harder to leave the people who helped me find it. But there is gratitude, too, for every assignment that challenged me, every late night that taught me resilience, and every story that reminded me why journalism matters.

Thank you, Prospector family, for everything. The deadlines, the laughter, the long nights and the memories will always stay with me. Here are the stories we told, and the ones still waiting to be discovered.

SalmaPaola Baca was a staff photographer and may not be reached at [email protected] but may be reached on Instagram @bysalmapaola.

LA CROSSE, Wis. – A select few from Gustavus track & field posted their final qualifying times and marks Wednesday at the UW-La Crosse Final Qualifier. 

Kate Carlson ran the 100-meter in 12.16 in both the first round and finals. Megan Geraets clocked a 24.27 in the second heat of the 200-meter and ran a 24.91 in the finals, while McKenzie Luetmer ran a 27.17 in the first heat and Carlson went 24.91 in the second heat. And Luetmer crossed the 400-meter line in 59.55. 

In the field, Geraets posted an 18-7 (5.66 meters) in the long jump, while Sarrah Lindner jumped 17-8.75 (5.40) and Katie Petersen marked at 15-5.5 (4.71). Lili Guy landed at 38-2.75 (11.65) in the triple jump and Lindner went 37-1.75 (11.32). In the discus, Olivia Duncan posted a 127-3 (38.78). 

For the men, Zechariah Kyoore ran the 100-meter in 11.06 and Conner Martens followed in 11.36. Kyoore and Martens also ran the 200-meter and clocked times of 22.58 and 22.82. Tennessee Fossen closed out his season with a 49.82 in the 400-meter. Adding hurdles to the 400-meter, Sam Schulze crossed the line in 55.25. 

And in the field, Brendan Carlson cleared 6-2.25 (1.89) in the high jump while Isaiah Subah marked 21-8 (6.60) in the long jump. 

Selections for the 2025 DIII men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships will be revealed on Friday, via a press release on NCAA.com by 7 p.m. Qualifying marks from Saturday, March 1, to Friday, May 16, are considered.