Ross selected best in nation

April Ross, a Newport Harbor High graduate who led USC’s women’s

volleyball team to a 35-0 record and its second-straight NCAA title

this season, has been named the nation’s most outstanding collegiate

woman athlete in her sport.

As the women’s volleyball player of the year, Ross will receive

the Honda Award, given annually to the top woman student-athlete in

12 sports. She is also automatically nominated for the Collegiate

Women Athlete of the Year, along with the winners in the other 11

sports. The voting for that award, which is called the

Honda-Broderick Cup, will be conducted in June.

As a team co-captain, Ross averaged a team-best 3.65 kills per

game, 4.64 points and 0.52 aces this season. She also averaged 3.15

digs and 0.70 blocks per game. During the NCAA tournament, Ross

averaged 3.7 kills, 3.5 digs and 4.4 points and was named to the

all-tournament team.

In her four-year career at USC, Ross started every match, leading

her teams to a 120-8 overall record, three Pac-10 titles and two NCAA

crowns. She was voted the Pac-10’s player of the year this year and

earned her second straight selection to the AVCA All-American team.

Ross was voted the player of the year over Kele Eveland of Georgia

Tech, Ogonna Nnamani of Stanford and Kim Willoughby of Hawaii.