Alix Klineman, April Ross One Cup Away from AVP Champions Cup

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Alix Klineman and April Ross, two of the US's best women's beach volleyball teams, took home the Wilson Cup today, beating Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan, 21-15, 21-19 on the sand in Long Beach. The Wilson Cup is part of the three-weekend Champions Cup tournament the AVP is holding in place of its canceled 2020 tour. That tour included the famous Manhattan Beach Open.

The Champions Cup is being played without a live in-person audience due to COVID-19. It is livestreamed on Amazon Prime, however, so fans can catch the action up close on Saturday and Sunday. Qualifier games are played on Friday and not broadcast. The Association of Volleyball Players canceled its 2020 tour earlier this year due to COVID-19.

Last weekend, Klineman of Manhattan Beach and Ross of Costa Mesa took home the Monster Hydro Cup, defeating Sara Hughes and Brandie Wilkerson, 24-22, 21-19. They beat Humana-Paredes and Pavan in the semifinals, 14-21, 21-15, 15-12 to advance to the championship final. Next weekend, the Porsche Cup is the final Cup competition and winners of the Porsche Cup and overall Champions Cup will be crowned. Qualifiers are held on Friday, July 31, with action livestreamed Saturday and Sunday on Amazon Prime.

Klineman's AVP bio reads, "Alix played indoor volleyball from age 8 to age 26. She attended Mira Costa High School, then went on to play at Stanford, and competed professionally overseas for five seasons before switching to beach volleyball in 2017. In her first season, she was voted AVP Rookie of the Year. In 2018, she teamed up with April Ross and they won four AVP events. Alix was named Best Blocker, Most Improved, and Team of the Year at the end of that breakout season. In 2019, the A-Team took home three more AVP titles Alix was named Best Blocker and Team of the Year again.

"Internationally, Klineman has also won four events, and she and Ross are currently ranked as the #2 team in the world. When Alix is not competing, you can usually find her in the kitchen. She loves to cook, eat, travel, and spend time with friends and family."

This article originally appeared on the Manhattan Beach Patch