University Southern California Trojans
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
Photo by: AVP
April Ross and Alix Klineman Complete Undefeated AVP Trifecta
August 03, 2020 | Women's Volleyball, Women's Beach Volleyball, Features
USC All-American April Ross won the Porsche Cup to claim the 39th AVP championship trophy of her career
LONG BEACH, Calif. – USC women's volleyball All-American and two-time Olympic medalist April Ross and partner Alix Klineman (Stanford) won the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals) Porsche Cup in the shadows of the Aquarium of the Pacific to complete an undefeated 2020 season (12-0) on Sunday, Aug. 2. The duo also won the Monster Hydro Cup (July 19) and the Wilson Cup (July 26) to finish atop the AVP Champions Cup standings.
Â
USC All-American Sara Hughes and partner Brandie Wilkerson (York/Canada) claimed the bronze cup after finishing the Porsche Cup event in fifth place. The pair was took a runner-up finish for the Monster Hydro Cup and finished in third for the Wilson Cup.
Â
Klineman-Ross defeated USC All-American Kelly Claes and partner Sarah Sponcil (UCLA) in straight sets, 21-18, 21-17, in the Porsche Cup title match. Claes-Sponcil finished third for the Monster Hydro Cup and were fifth in the final standings for the Wilson Cup.
Â
The Porsche Cup victory marks the 10th all-time AVP win for the Klineman-Ross pairing. The duo won three AVP championships in 2019 and four events in 2018. For Ross as an individual, the Porsche Cup title is her 39th-career AVP victory. It also represents the 58th individual Trojan AVP women's win and marks the 45th event won by at least one female USC athlete. Between Ross, Claes, and Hughes, at least one USC player has won 23 of the last 41 AVP events since the 2015 season.
Â
In the men's tournament, Trojan Tri Bourne and partner Trevor Crabb went 4-0 to hoist the Porsche Cup. The win was Bourne's fourth career AVP victory and his first since the 2015 AVP Huntington Beach Open (with partner John Hyden). Bourne-Crabb finished third in the Champions Cup standings to take the bronze cup. Sunday's victories also marked the first time since that same 2015 Huntington Beach event that Trojans claimed both the men's and women's AVP titles at the same tournament (Ross and Lauren Fendrick).
Â
With the initial 2020 AVP season cancelled due to the COVID-19 world pandemic, the organization pivoted to hosting three events in Long Beach to comprise the 2020 AVP Champions Cup Series. The new format awarded six pairs with slots in main draw events with two more berths available through a one-day qualifying tournament.
Â
Seeded No. 1 in the main draw for the third time, Ross and Klineman defeated the eighth-seeded duo of Mackenzie Ponnet (Grand Canyon) and Sheila Shaw (Wisconsin), 21-15, 21-19. In the next round, Klineman-Ross met Claes-Sponcil for the first time and dispatched of the fourth-seeded duo, 21-17, 21-15, to advance to the semifinal round.
Â
In the semifinals, Klineman-Ross took down the sixth seed of Kelley Larsen Kolinske (Pepperdine) and Emily Stockman (Wichita State) in two sets, 21-18, 21-17. Down, 13-9, to Kolinske-Stockman, the A-Team used an 8-1 run to leap ahead and secure the match.
Â
Hughes and Wilkerson were seeded third but dropped a two-set decision to Kolinske-Stockman in the first round, 21-18, 21-13. Claes-Sponcil won a first-round match against Emily Day (Loyola Marymount) and Fendrick (UCLA), 24-22, 21-8, to advance. Following their first loss to Klineman-Ross, Claes and Sponcil eliminated Hughes-Wilkerson with a 21-16, 21-16 win and then made a big statement with a 21-16, 21-13 win over the world's top-ranked pair of Melissa Humana-Paredes (York) and Sarah Pavan (Nebraska).Â
Â
Among other Trojans in action, All-Americans Allie Wheeler (partner Corinne Quiggle, Pepperdine) and Terese Cannon (partner Kelly Reeves, UCLA) each took part in the qualifying tournament, but were defeated in their first matches.Â
Â
The Women of Troy went 6-5 in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of USC's losses were by narrow 3-2 decisions under Dain Blanton in his first year with the Trojans. A three-time national champion, USC finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2019 and claimed the program's third Pac-12 Championship with a dramatic 3-2 win over crosstown rival UCLA. 11 different Women of Troy have earned the program's 20 AVCA All-America certificates including returning junior Sammy Slater (2019).
Â
For more information on the three-time national champion USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Â
USC All-American Sara Hughes and partner Brandie Wilkerson (York/Canada) claimed the bronze cup after finishing the Porsche Cup event in fifth place. The pair was took a runner-up finish for the Monster Hydro Cup and finished in third for the Wilson Cup.
Â
Klineman-Ross defeated USC All-American Kelly Claes and partner Sarah Sponcil (UCLA) in straight sets, 21-18, 21-17, in the Porsche Cup title match. Claes-Sponcil finished third for the Monster Hydro Cup and were fifth in the final standings for the Wilson Cup.
Â
The Porsche Cup victory marks the 10th all-time AVP win for the Klineman-Ross pairing. The duo won three AVP championships in 2019 and four events in 2018. For Ross as an individual, the Porsche Cup title is her 39th-career AVP victory. It also represents the 58th individual Trojan AVP women's win and marks the 45th event won by at least one female USC athlete. Between Ross, Claes, and Hughes, at least one USC player has won 23 of the last 41 AVP events since the 2015 season.
Â
In the men's tournament, Trojan Tri Bourne and partner Trevor Crabb went 4-0 to hoist the Porsche Cup. The win was Bourne's fourth career AVP victory and his first since the 2015 AVP Huntington Beach Open (with partner John Hyden). Bourne-Crabb finished third in the Champions Cup standings to take the bronze cup. Sunday's victories also marked the first time since that same 2015 Huntington Beach event that Trojans claimed both the men's and women's AVP titles at the same tournament (Ross and Lauren Fendrick).
Â
With the initial 2020 AVP season cancelled due to the COVID-19 world pandemic, the organization pivoted to hosting three events in Long Beach to comprise the 2020 AVP Champions Cup Series. The new format awarded six pairs with slots in main draw events with two more berths available through a one-day qualifying tournament.
Â
Seeded No. 1 in the main draw for the third time, Ross and Klineman defeated the eighth-seeded duo of Mackenzie Ponnet (Grand Canyon) and Sheila Shaw (Wisconsin), 21-15, 21-19. In the next round, Klineman-Ross met Claes-Sponcil for the first time and dispatched of the fourth-seeded duo, 21-17, 21-15, to advance to the semifinal round.
Â
In the semifinals, Klineman-Ross took down the sixth seed of Kelley Larsen Kolinske (Pepperdine) and Emily Stockman (Wichita State) in two sets, 21-18, 21-17. Down, 13-9, to Kolinske-Stockman, the A-Team used an 8-1 run to leap ahead and secure the match.
Â
Hughes and Wilkerson were seeded third but dropped a two-set decision to Kolinske-Stockman in the first round, 21-18, 21-13. Claes-Sponcil won a first-round match against Emily Day (Loyola Marymount) and Fendrick (UCLA), 24-22, 21-8, to advance. Following their first loss to Klineman-Ross, Claes and Sponcil eliminated Hughes-Wilkerson with a 21-16, 21-16 win and then made a big statement with a 21-16, 21-13 win over the world's top-ranked pair of Melissa Humana-Paredes (York) and Sarah Pavan (Nebraska).Â
Â
Among other Trojans in action, All-Americans Allie Wheeler (partner Corinne Quiggle, Pepperdine) and Terese Cannon (partner Kelly Reeves, UCLA) each took part in the qualifying tournament, but were defeated in their first matches.Â
Â
The Women of Troy went 6-5 in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of USC's losses were by narrow 3-2 decisions under Dain Blanton in his first year with the Trojans. A three-time national champion, USC finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2019 and claimed the program's third Pac-12 Championship with a dramatic 3-2 win over crosstown rival UCLA. 11 different Women of Troy have earned the program's 20 AVCA All-America certificates including returning junior Sammy Slater (2019).
Â
For more information on the three-time national champion USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Beach Volleyball - USC 1, LMU 3: Highlights (5/3/25)
Saturday, May 03
Beach Volleyball - USC 3, North Florida 0: Highlights (5/2/25)
Friday, May 02
USC Beach's Madison White | Trojans Live 4.14.25
Monday, April 14
Beach Volleyball - USC 3, Cal Poly 2: Highlights (4/11/25)
Friday, April 11
