Reigning Olympic champion April Ross will begin the upcoming beach volleyball season with a new partner as Alix Klineman recovers from shoulder surgery.
Tlaxcala, Mexico
Olympic champ April Ross to begin new season with new partner
Emily Day steps in as Alix Klineman recovers from surgery
Published 09:32, 04 Feb 2022
April Ross in action at Tokyo 2020
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 & Flint take the gold at the 2021 Brno 2-star
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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