Reigning Olympic champion April Ross will begin the upcoming beach volleyball season with a new partner as Alix Klineman recovers from shoulder surgery.

Ross will team up with 34-year-old Emily Day. Day’s previous partner Betsi Flint will form a new duo with Kelly Claes as part of a big American reshuffle at the start of the new Olympic cycle.

Ross and Day are expected to make their international debut next month, at the opening event of the new Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

39-year-old Ross is one of the most decorated players in the history of beach volleyball. She is a three-time Olympic medallist, won London 2012 silver with Jennifer Kessy, a Rio 2016 bronze with Kerri Walsh and a Tokyo 2020 gold with Alix Klineman. She has also played in three FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship gold medal matches, winning the world title in 2009 alongside Kessy. She teamed up with Alix in 2018 and their pair is currently placed sixth in the FIVB World Ranking.

Day is also a highly-experienced beach athlete. She has played on USA’s national circuits since 2007 and at FIVB events since 2011. The 1.86m-tall American collected three golds, three silvers and a bronze on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Tour. Most recently, she and Flint reached the quarterfinals of the Itapema 4-star in November.

Meanwhile, Alix has taken care of some “lingering shoulder issues” and underwent surgery in January. “Everything went smoothly and healing is already going better than expected. Obviously, I will be away from the sand for the foreseeable future. I’m bummed I’ll miss out on upcoming tournaments, but I’m also really relieved to have this behind me and look forward to coming back feeling even better...” she said in an Instagram post.

USA Volleyball has listed a total of five women’s and five men’s pairs on the new roster of the American beach volleyball national team:

Women:

Kelly Claes & Betsi Flint

Terese Cannon & Sarah Sponcil

April Ross & Emily Day

Kelley Kolinske & Sara Hughes

Emily Stockman & Lauren Fendrick

Men:

Tri Bourne & Trevor Crabb

Chaim Schalk & Theo Brunner

Troy Field & Chase Budinger

Nick Lucena & Andy Benesh

Taylor Crabb & Taylor Sander

Quick links:
Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour
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