July 31, 2012

Ex-USC indoor volleyball stars Jennifer Kessy and April Ross were tested but remained undefeated at the 2012 London Olympics by scoring a 21-15, 12-21, 15-8 victory over the Netherlands’ Marleen van Iersel and Sanne Keizer in preliminary round beach volleyball play on a late chilly Tuesday night (July 31).

The victory guarantees that Kessy/Ross, the world’s No. 4-ranked team, will advance on to the Round of 16 elimination play, even with one pool play match remaining.

It was a challenging match for the Americans against Keizer/van Iersel, the world’s No. 7 duo. The 55-minute match ended after midnight in London and the temperature was in the upper 50s. Kessy’s toes started to freeze during the second set and she had to take a 5-minute medical break to have the training staff warm them up with massage therapy.

It was just the third time that Kessy/Ross scored as few as 12 points in a 21-point set in 2012, with the first two times coming in April in the first two FIVB tourneys of the season (including to van Iersel and Keizer in Brazil).

Overall, Ross had 15 kills, 12 digs and 2 aces, while Kessy added 14 kills and 2 aces.

Kessy was a 2-time All-Conference performer at USC while lettering from 1995 to 1998. Ross, who lettered from 2000 to 2003, was a 2-time All-American and was the 2003 Honda Award winner for women's volleyball as she led the Women of Troy to the 2002 and 2003 NCAA titles. Kessy and Ross have combined for 21 pro tournament victories.

Kessy and Ross next face Spain’s Liliana Fernandez Steiner and Elsa Baquerizo McMillan, the world's No. 12 pair who was a 2-0 winner today over an Argentine team, on Thursday (Aug. 2) at 8:30 a.m. PT. Both teams are undefeated in 2 matches in Pool D play.

Follow Kessy/Ross and the rest of the 40 Trojan Olympians' quest for gold at www.usctrojans.com/london2012