49ers Hitched to Rising Star in Volleyball

She bounds across the volleyball court with grace, the picture-book athlete. Suddenly, she takes off. Floating upward, she cocks her right arm above the net, and at the leap’s apex strikes the ball with devastating force. With a boom, it rockets to the floor, past helpless opponents.

She smiles.

Another kill for Tara Cross.

“Easy money,” the public address announcer shouts above the cheering fans.

This was a common scene as Cross and her Cal State Long Beach teammates defeated San Jose State, 15-2, 15-8, 15-11, last Saturday night in the 49er gym.

A 20-year-old junior, Cross is a 5-foot-11 package of near-perfection, to whom volleyball is life. A catastrophe almost befell that life after her freshman season--a degenerative disc in her lower back threatened her career. But to no one’s surprise, she has overcome it with hard work and heart.

“I thought I wasn’t going to play again, but I was determined to play as a sophomore,” she said.

She couldn’t run, so her therapy consisted of walking and exercises in a swimming pool. Her boyfriend, former 49er football player Spencer Battle, often worked out with her. “She’s totally dedicated, there’s nothing else to say,” Battle said.

Her Stats Are Dazzling

Cross came back to play in 136 games last year and accumulate dazzling statistics, including a school-record 49 kills in a five-game victory at Florida State. She was named a second-team All-American and now seems destined to fulfill her dream of playing on the U.S. Olympic team in 1992.

According to 49er Coach Brian Gimmillaro, Cross and Teee Williams of the University of Hawaii are the two best players in the country, “But Tara may be the best all-around player,” Gimmillaro said.

“She’s a genius in sports I.Q.,” Gimmillaro continued. “She is one of those people who can picture what you’re trying to tell them. You can see it sink in.”

Gimmillaro has coached Cross since she was a member of his Cal Junior Volleyball Club in the 10th grade. He coached her one year at Gahr High School in Cerritos before he left for CSULB and she transferred for her senior season to Southern California Christian High in Orange.

“There is no weakness in her game,” Gimmillaro said. “She’s tremendous at every skill. She’s a great spiker, but she also can set. She’s led the (Big West) conference in digs. She’s the best blocker and best communicator. No one passes better. Up until this year she was not a great server, but now she’s in the top 10 in the conference in aces. She works at getting better.”

Conference Leader in Kills

But Cross’ reputation remains as the crowd-pleasing big hitter who lights gyms with excitement. She leads the Big West this season in kills per game with 5.92 and in hitting percentage--of her 479 kill attempts, 37.7% have been successful. She is also second in the league with 3.75 digs per game.

The kills have come so regularly that the thrill has worn off a bit--not for 49er fans but for the outside hitter herself.

“I don’t really get too excited with hitting unless it’s 14-14 in a major game and I put the ball down,” said Cross, who began playing volleyball in the 8th grade at Irvine Junior High, two years after she first saw the game being played on a playground and thought it was stupid.

Her success is reflected in the buoyant confidence she shows on the court. There is a hint of style--her dark eyes are ringed with violet makeup, she wears her white socks knee-high and tapes not only her hands and wrists but each finger, like white rings, giving her the bejeweled look of an Egyptian queen.

But there is no sign of arrogance.

“There’s no reason for her to act as a star,” Gimmillaro said. “She’s no more important than any other member of the team, and she feels that way. She’s the most giving athlete I’ve ever met. Everything is for the team. In meetings she always talks about what will be best for the team. She’s so unselfish.”

Aiming for National Championship

Although the Olympics remain Cross’ long-range goal, her immediate focus is on trying to help make the 49ers national champions. The team, before Wednesday night’s match against Cal State Northridge, had an 11-3 record and was ranked 8th in the NCAA poll.

“There are still doubts in people’s minds about Long Beach, that we’re not a powerful team that can play with the big girls,” Cross said.

Admired as an athlete, Cross is also revered as a person.

“She’s going to be a friend of mine my whole life,” Gimmillaro said.

Trisonya Thompson, a 49er redshirt senior who has known Cross since they were teammates at Gahr, said Cross has not changed: “She’s just a sweetheart, everybody’s friend.”

Cross describes herself as shy: “I keep to myself, but I do have fun.”

“The girl can dance,” Gimmillaro said.

Cross’ disposition seems perfect for volleyball; in fact, all the 49ers seem to share her traits. They willingly endure three-hour practices, hurtling their bodies across the floor. Although they play before small crowds, they display a genuine enthusiasm that bonds them tightly. Every successful shot--and even unsuccessful ones that follow admirable efforts--fill the players with almost unbearable joy as they congratulate one another.

‘A Lot of Teamwork’

Such deportment is necessitated by the nature of the sport. “It has something to do with six people in a 30- by-30-foot square trying to control a ball that is moving quickly,” Gimmillaro said. “It takes a lot of teamwork. Every person has to pass, play defense, block and hit. There can’t be one person running everything.”

But when games get tight, Cross takes over in a manner that leaves no doubt as to who is in charge. In the third game against once-beaten San Jose, the 49ers blew a big lead and let the Spartans catch up, 10-10. But in the next couple of minutes, Cross scored on two kills and forced two side-outs to regain the momentum that led quickly to victory and proof that the 49ers could play with the big girls.

Afterward, Cross assessed her performance--a match-high 20 kills and 11 digs--with typical humility.

“I thought I played pretty good, but it wasn’t one of my best games,” she said.

She walked over to her mother, who was sitting in the stands, and accepted a hug. “I’ll be right back, Mom,” she said, and hurried toward the dressing room.

As her daughter left, Ruthie Larry watched with a mother’s pride. “She doesn’t change,” Larry said. “She’s always Tara.”