Accolades Aren’t Turning Ross’ Head

The best ever.

Though frequently misused and nearly impossible to validate, it’s the superlative applied to senior April Ross, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter at Newport Harbor High.

Ross, who has committed to play volleyball at USC, was the The Times Orange County player of the year and the Southern Section Division I-AA co-MVP last season.

Ross is also a two-time all-league selection in volleyball and basketball and reached the state finals in the high jump as a freshman.

“April’s versatility is what separates her from a lot of players,” said Charlie Brande, Ross’ club coach at Orange County Volleyball Club who also coaches the UC Irvine men’s team.

“I think her best position in college will be middle blocker because she’s quick and explosive. But she could play outside hitter or even set.

“She could be the best player to ever come out of Orange County.”

Ross and her teammates have an opportunity to accomplish a first in Southern Section girls’ volleyball--win three consecutive top division championships--when the playoffs begin next week.

Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, winners of nine section titles, never won three in a row.

Even former Newport Harbor standout Misty May, a two-time college player of the year at Long Beach State, never won three consecutive section titles.

Newport Harbor won the section’s Division I-AA title in 1997 when Ross started as a sophomore alongside junior setter Jennifer Carey, who now starts for Hawaii.

The next season, Newport Harbor defeated Capistrano Valley in the Division I-AA final and Ross, Carey and the Sailors went on to win the Division I state title too.

“In her sophomore year, she was already put in the role of being our go-to girl,” Carey said. “I don’t know how many balls I’ve set that girl, but I knew I could always depend on her.

“By her junior year, I really saw the leader come out in her. She leads more by example, and if she doesn’t like the way things are going, she wants the ball.”

Especially this time of year.

Ross earned MVP honors last weekend when she helped Newport Harbor win the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

“Santa Barbara has always been one of my favorite tournaments,” Ross said. “All the best teams are there, just like [Southern Section] and state playoffs.

“And the playoffs, that’s what you play for. Your whole season is geared up for those tournaments. It all comes down to that, and that’s how it’s always been.”

Said Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn: “She stepped it up mentally last week. The closer it gets to the playoffs, the more focused she’ll be.”

That’s good news for Newport Harbor, top-ranked in the Division I-AA section poll and second-ranked in the Division I state poll, and bad news for opponents.

“April brings such a completeness,” said Mater Dei Coach Craig Pazanti, whose team is top-ranked in the Division I state poll. “She’s the best passer and best attacker in the county.”

Irvine Coach Mark Mednick has had a front-row seat for Ross’ performances, playing Newport Harbor at least twice during Sea View League play the last four seasons.

No game could have been more painful for Mednick as the one two weeks ago, when he watched Irvine gain a match point against Newport Harbor, with a 14-3 lead in the fourth game, only to have Ross and the Sailors rally to win that game and the match with a Game 5 victory.

“It looks like April is hitting the ball at only 70% most of the times,” Mednick said. “But she just finds the holes.”

In spite of the praise and glare of the postseason spotlight, Ross tries to keep an even keel.

“I don’t pay attention to that stuff anymore,” Ross said. “In my sophomore year, I got really excited when I saw my name in paper.

“But I think I’m learning to put it all in perspective. I know volleyball is not one of the most important things in life. Volleyball just happens to be something I’m good at and if people notice, fine.

“If not, that’s OK too.”

Said Newport Harbor teammate Krista Dill: “People know how genuinely nice she is. You feel comfortable around her. She’s not selfish.”

When Glenn asked Ross to help with the setting this season, he said she gladly accepted with her “team-first” attitude.

“I enjoy setting,” Ross said. “But I think we play worse when I set. Last weekend was the first game we won, I think, when I was setting.

“But I noticed at the Santa Barbara tournament that we’re playing more as a team. We’ve always been the same team, but something just clicked this weekend. I don’t know. I just hope it keeps going.”

Ross will enter USC next season with two of the nation’s top middle blocker recruits, Torrance Bishop Montgomery’s Katie Olsovsky and Bakersfield Centennial’s Kelli Lantz.

“They’re building on something at SC and I want to be a part of that,” Ross said. “I just want to play.”