Eduarda Santos Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos are world champions, taking the crown at the Beach Volleyball World Championships Rome 2022 on Sunday.

The Brazilian duo downed Sophie Bukovec and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) in the tournament’s final, capping off eight consecutive victories for the title.

Youth Olympic champions at Nanjing 2014, the Brazilians kept their composure to hold off Bukovec and Wilkerson to lift another trophy eight years later.

“I’m so happy that I’m out of words to describe my feelings,” Duda told Volleyball World. “It’s really a dream come true. I’m just so happy with the result of our work. We were able to put everything we trained into work and every match was better than the previous one. I have to thank my partner, our team, our sponsors and family members because we wouldn’t have done it without them.”

Sunday’s win brings the world title back to Brazil for the first time since 2015.

The University of Southern California defeated Florida State to win the NCAA beach volleyball national championship Sunday.

With the win, the Trojans secured back-to-back titles and their fourth ever national championship in beach volleyball.

The top-ranked Trojans split the first two matches with the Seminoles before dominating the final three to take home the win.

After a sweep by Hailey Harward and Tina Graudina to give the Trojans a 2-1 lead, USC’s Julia Scoles and Delaynie Maple swept FSU duo Anna Long and Kate Privett 25-23, 21-12 to secure the national title.

USC is now 18-5 all-time against Florida State, having won five straight. They also now hold a 23-4 all-time duals record at the NCAA championship.

April Ross cemented her place in beach volleyball history over the summer, capturing gold along with partner Alix Klineman during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The top of the podium had long eluded the American star, with Ross winning silver and bronze at the 2012 and 2016 Games, respectively. For most athletes, securing the medal trifecta would signal a logical end to a remarkable career. But not for Ross.

At 39 years old, the American superstar says she is not yet ready to step off the sand.

“I considered retiring [after Tokyo],” Ross admits. “I accomplished my biggest goal — all the goals I have in volleyball.”

While the Costa Mesa native says she always thought she would move onto something else, Ross says right now, “I just feel like I’m playing such good volleyball and physically, I feel great.

“I still feel very young and just can’t wrap my head around the idea of walking away while I’m still competitive.”

Ross’ enduring drive means fans may be treated to a fourth Olympic run from the beach volleyball icon, with her sights set on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“I’m going to continue playing and Paris is only three years away, so going to give it all I have,” says Ross. “And if it’s in the cards, [I’ll] go to Paris.”

The 2024 Olympics, however, Ross says, will “for sure” mark the end of her career, with the Team USA star already starting to envision her life post-volleyball.

Winning gold in Tokyo

The Tokyo Summer Games marked the apex of Ross’ career, a culmination of two previous Olympic campaigns with two different partners.

Ross entered the 2012 London Olympics as the No. 4 seed alongside partner Jennifer Kessy. The duo pulled off an upset over the No. 1-seeded Brazil team to set up a gold-medal match against Team USA giants Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings. Ross ultimately fell to her American teammates in her Olympic debut, heading home with a still-impressive silver medal.

“My first one, I thought it was a one-time deal,” says Ross, adding that growing up, she never thought the Olympics were an “attainable goal.” After three Olympic appearances, the awe still hasn’t worn off, with Ross calling the tournament both the pinnacle and an honor.

Ross made her second Olympic appearance as Walsh-Jennings’ partner, with the team ultimately capturing bronze in Rio de Janeiro.

“My second one, I was like, ‘OK, this is amazing. Playing with Kerri. We’re going to win gold,’” admits Ross. After falling short of her goal in 2016, Ross says she “didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Regrouping, Ross linked up with a relative beach volleyball newcomer in Klineman at the end of 2017. The unexpected grouping paid off, with the Americans dominating the competition in Tokyo. Ross and Klineman only dropped one set throughout the seven-match 2021 Olympic competition, defeating Australia in the final to clinch gold.

The feat was made even more impressive given the atmosphere surrounding the Tokyo Olympics, with no spectators permitted on the premise amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“The no fans was a little bit weird, visually. Just the fact that we would be in the stadium and the stands were empty,” says Ross. “I think had they put banners up so that you couldn’t see the empty seats or something it wouldn’t be so weird, but literally seeing the empty seats was strange.”

As the competition went on, Ross remembers more media and people from the delegation being allowed into the stands, culminating in a final she describes as “pretty loud” with “a lot of chanting.”

The moment was understandably significant for Ross, who says having one more chance at gold was “so big” for her.

“In the moment, I felt pretty calm, pretty prepared,” recalls Ross. “I had a lot of nerves. But I just wanted it really badly.”

The A-Team origin story

Given Ross and Klineman’s dominance, it’s hard to believe that Tokyo marked the duo’s first major tournament together and that Klineman was only a few years into her beach volleyball career. The 32-year-old only left her indoor volleyball career in 2017 to pursue a run on the sand with Ross. Teaming with Klineman was a decision the veteran Ross did not make lightly.

“For me, playing with Jen Kessy and playing with Kerri Walsh- Jennings, it was kind of a no-brainer,” said Ross. “Playing with Alix Klineman, she was new to the beach. She was very physical, but she had zero experience.

“Obviously it turned out great,” Ross says, “but I was just basing it on intangibles. Her mentality is so strong. Her attitude is so good and her work ethic is awesome.”

The team claimed their first AVP Pro Volleyball Tour win in 2018, kicking off a run of victories leading to the 2020 Summer Games.

Still, it wasn’t all easy. In a sport that is so dependent on communication and trust both on and off the court, Klineman and Ross had to quickly develop their chemistry as partners.

“That’s why it was a little bit risky to pick Alix, because I didn’t know how much time I was going to have with her, to build up those instincts and to know what she’s thinking when she’s on the court. How she’s going to move, how she’s going to react to different plays, so that I can play around her and we can play together as a team.”

Though Ross was aware of the gamble she was making, she could also see Klineman’s incredible potential and raw talent.

“I wanted to pick somebody I thought I could win a gold medal with, and it panned out.”

Growing the game

Ross’ success, along with the careers of Team USA stars May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings, has boosted beach volleyball’s popularity in America and globally.

“People love watching volleyball,” says Ross. “It’s my favorite sport to watch as well as play.”

Along with a growing fanbase, beach volleyball is also enjoying a steady progression in global competition.

“The level keeps getting better, in international beach volleyball for sure,” she says. “People keep putting money into their federations. And so, I think the level has gone up a ton.”

According to AVP, the NCAA saw a 400 percent increase in beach volleyball participation from 2011 to 2019. With excitement around beach volleyball growing, Ross has seen different avenues opening for fan engagement, including sports memorabilia.

“I collect stuff from my journey and the people that I’ve been with. I have autographed stuff of me and Jen and me and Kerri and me and Alix and yeah, I think it’s really cool and the community around women’s sports is growing,” says Ross. “There’s such a market for it, and I think there’s a lot of momentum behind it.”

Partnering with the Collective Marketplace on Athlete Direct, a platform connecting fans directly to items from their favorite sports icons, Ross sees an additional opportunity to engage with supporters. The Olympian has posted for sale, among other valuables, her signed closing ceremony and media jacket.

The burgeoning market for women’s sports memorabilia is something Ross hopes will progress the sport and inspire the next generation of athletes.

“It just creates more inspiration for them to want to reach that level,” says Ross of young athletes, “to pursue their goals and see these female athletes put in a position and a level that’s looked up to as much as some of the top male players.”

While Ross is unsure of what her future holds off the sand, she is committed to developing the game, saying, “I do want to stay in sports and help young people going forward.”

(Editor’s note: The Collective Marketplace on Athlete Direct is a sponsor of Just Women’s Sports.)

Alix Klineman and April Ross dominated the Tokyo Olympics, cruising to beach volleyball gold in commanding fashion. The partners, however, have an unlikely origin story, making their Olympic run even more impressive.

Before Ross ever entered Klineman’s life, the 31-year-old had to first make the switch from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball. Klineman had played indoor volleyball in high school, at Standford, professionally and for Team USA until 2017.

It was a slow transition, at first, to beach, with Klineman describing her first beach volleyball tournament as humbling.

“I think I got like a seventh my first tournament, but it was such bad volleyball,” Klineman tells Kelley O’Hara on the Just Women’s Sports podcast.

The gold medalist says at first, she dove into the sport, unafraid to make mistakes, but her trajectory completely changed after a chance meeting with Ross at the music festival Stagecoach.

“We were at Stagecoach, and like I said, we had some mutual friends. And we had both had a few drinks, and at one point she comes up to me, and her and Kerri [Walsh Jennings] had just broken up, and so she was like, ‘hey you know I see you are playing beach volleyball — I am going to need a partner for Tokyo.’”

Klineman was gobsmacked at first, thinking, “I suck at beach volleyball right now.”

She accepted Ross’s proposal anyway, though Ross quickly made an amendment to her offer, telling Klineman, “you need to get better first.”

The following day, Klineman was in disbelief, wondering, “did I just have too many drinks.” Klineman did, however, remember the night correctly, and she used Ross’s interest as motivation to improve.

“It was a huge risk for her to take me as a partner,” said Klineman, who had zero points on the AVP circuit, meaning the duo would have to qualify for their first tournaments together through risky single-elimination games.

The gamble, however, paid off, and the rest is history. The cherry on top? Klineman said Stagecoach caught wind of her and Ross’s meet volleyball cute and have since reached out to “take care of” the teammates for the upcoming summer.

Hear more about Klineman’s path to gold on the Just Women’s Sports Podcast here.

The A-Team continues to win.

After winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, April Ross and Alix Klineman are champions in the AVP once more. The partners won the Manhattan Beach Open on Sunday, defeating Eily Day and Betsi Flint in straight sets.

Ross and Klineman went 4-0 in the tournament. Ross is now a four-time Manhattan Beach champion, having also won it in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

Following the win, the two admitted they were still recovering from the Olympics.

“We were really exhausted,” Ross told VolleyballMag. “It hit me harder in the finals how special this is so, ‘Let’s see how we do.’

“The adrenaline went from 10 to 100.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure what my expectations for this week were,” Klineman said. “It’s been such a roller coaster winning gold in Tokyo, and we didn’t feel super sharp coming into this weekend. The crowd was amazing, and we took it point by point and it feels amazing to get our names on the pier again.”

After defeating Australia to win gold in beach volleyball Friday, Team USA’s April Ross spoke candidly about her Olympic journey with partner Alix Klineman by her side.

Ross said she was at a “loss for words” when asked by a reporter how it felt to be an Olympic gold medalist.

“I couldn’t have done this without Alix,” Ross went on to say. “To get a gold medal finally, this just feels so amazing.”

The two then addressed their evolution as teammates. Klineman had less than a year of beach volleyball experience when she partnered with Ross in late 2017.

“This is what we dream of, and this is why we sacrificed so much and worked so hard,” Klineman said. “It feels like such a fairytale, and I’m so grateful for April and the rest of our team.”

Ross, who won silver with Jen Kessy in 2012 and bronze with Kerri Walsh Jennings in 2016, completed her Tokyo Olympic run with the gold medal that had previously eluded her.

Hear from Ross and Klineman after their Olympic victory:

The United States beach volleyball duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman are Olympic champions.

Ross, who won silver and bronze medals prior to the Tokyo Olympics, took a gamble in late 2017 when she became partners with Klineman, who had less than a year of beach volleyball experience.

The payoff, however, has been a rather perfect Olympic campaign in Tokyo.

Ross and Klineman defeated Australia’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy in straight sets during Thursday night’s gold-medal match. The two, who never dropped a set through four elimination games, took the first set, 21-15, before sealing the win in the second, 21-16.

Team USA has won gold in four of the last five Olympic women’s beach volleyball tournaments.

Ross, who won silver with Jen Kessy in 2012 and bronze with Kerri Walsh Jennings in 2016, completed her Olympic collection with a gold medal.

She also cemented her spot in American beach volleyball history as one of just three women with multiple Olympic medals — Jennings and Misty May-Treanor are the others.

In her Olympic debut, the 31-year-old Klineman claimed the top prize.

Alix Klineman and April Ross dominated Wednesday’s beach volleyball semifinal, downing Switzerland in straight sets.

The commanding 21–12, 21–11 win earned Klineman and Ross a spot in the gold-medal match.

Ross credited the duo’s focused preparation for their stellar semifinal performance.

“I think we were just fired up,” she said afterward.

Klineman and Ross will face Australia on Thursday at 10:30 pm ET for Olympic gold. Ross, who already has silver and bronze medals from the 2012 and 2016 Games, will look to add gold to her collection and complete the Olympic trifecta.

April Ross and Alix Klineman are on to the beach volleyball semifinals in Tokyo.

The duo sent defending Olympic champion Laura Ludwig and partner Maggie Kozuch home in straight sets on Tuesday in the quarterfinals, winning by scores of 21-19, 21-19.

The win for Ross means that she is the last woman with an Olympic medal left in the beach volleyball pool.

In 2012, she won silver with partner Jennifer Kessy. In 2016, won bronze with Kerri Walsh Jennings.

A win against Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre on Thursday would automatically get both Ross and Klineman at least a silver medal, with the chance to win gold.

Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil, the American beach volleyball pairing, have been ousted from the Tokyo Olympics.

After winning the first set in their Round of 16 match Sunday, the American duo lost in three sets to Canada’s Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson, 22-24, 21-18, 15-13.

Claes and Sponcil trailed 11-6 in the first set but rallied to take the early lead at 19-18 before Bansley’s hit rolled across the net and out.

In the second, the Canadians were able to rally and force a tiebreaking third set, where the first to 15 wins and must win by two points. They led 12-11 when Sponcil’s serve flew past them and bounced off the sand.

Canada appeared to take a 13-11 lead after the hit, but the Americans’ challenge declared the ball in despite replays showing it missed the tape. Canada disputed the result and, on further review, it was ruled out.

From there, Wilkerson, a first-time Olympian, knocked down a pass at the net for a triple-set point. Canada captured the win on a Wilkerson kill to advance to the quarterfinals.

Claes, 25, and Sponcil, 24, came to Tokyo with great momentum as the youngest American team ever to qualify for the Olympic beach volleyball tournament. Claes and Sponcil are each two-time NCAA champions — at UCLA and Southern California, respectively.

In the process of qualifying for the Games, they knocked out five-time Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings.