Ross-Fopma duo taking shape

The most recent winners on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals women’s beach tour are obviously linked by geography. But the recent pairing of 2014 AVP Most Valuable Player April Ross and fellow Costa Mesa resident Jennifer Fopma, who topped the field last week at the AVP Seattle event and team once again for the Manhattan Beach Open that begins with qualifying on Thursday, cannot be told without also touching on a little geometry.

Manhattan Beach, considered the most prestigious domestic tournament, will mark the fourth event of the season for No. 1-seeded Ross and Fopma, after Ross’ longtime partner and three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings was sidelined by a recurring shoulder injury.

Ross quickly turned to Fopma to fill in for Walsh Jennings, leaving Fopma to alter her just-realized plans to play with Brittany Hochevar. But with Walsh Jennings scheduled to return and reunite with Ross next week for the FIVB World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach, both Ross and Fopma have been practicing this week with their once and future partners, as well as with one another.

“It’s totally weird,” Fopma said of the logistical anomaly that all four players have thoroughly accepted. “It’s like a love triangle, but it’s like a square. Everyone is OK with it. I’ve had a couple conversations with [Walsh Jennings] and she has been totally supportive of [Fopma and Ross]. And Brittany was cheering us on in Seattle [where Ross-Fopma claimed their first title as a tandem on Sunday]. It’s a very bizarre love square, but we make it work.”

Ross, 33, a Newport Harbor High product who teamed with Jennifer Kessy to claim a silver medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012 and has 22 AVP titles, including her first Manhattan Beach crown with Walsh Jennings last year, has cultivated the kind of talent that typically makes things work on the court.

The 6-foot-1 Ross, who led USC to NCAA indoor championships in 2002 and 2003 and was also the AVP’s top player in 2013, is considered the top women’s server, among the most efficient and productive hitters, as well as an elite defender.

“I feel like we aren’t even playing the same game, because she is on a different level,” Fopma said of Ross, who in addition to her 22 AVP wins (16 coming since the tour re-emerged in 2012) has won 16 Federation International de Volleyball titles. “And the great thing about April is that she brings out the best in all her partners. It’s amazing to me that I get to be on the court learning from her. She is so easy to play with because she can do everything really well. I feel really blessed.”

Ross, whose dual penchant for perfection and harmony with her partner make her both a ruthless competitor and a compassionate, supportive teammate, said she has been inspired to excel, despite playing without Walsh Jennings, the career victories leader who won Olympic gold in 2004, 2008 and 2012 with former partner and Newport Harbor standout Misty May-Treanor.

“For me, it’s another challenge and an opportunity to get better,” said Ross, who believes she has yet to approach her peak. “It threw me out of my comfort zone a little and it reinforced how much you have to fight in this game to be successful. It just shook some things up a little bit, which I think is great. I like competing and it’s just super fun to be out there.”

Ross and Walsh Jennings went 136-0 and won all seven AVP events last season, then opened the 2015 campaign by topping the field in New Orleans in May to make it eight straight. But Walsh Jennings’ flimsy right shoulder dislocated yet again in July, prompting more than a month of rehabilitation and recovery.

Ross said she and Walsh Jennings remain committed to qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ross also said she plans to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Until then, Fopma, 33, who doubled her AVP win total with last week’s triumph, remains a strong Plan B. Fopma, the AVP’s top blocker in 2013, said her pairing with Ross had also helped elevate the 6-3 longtime Bellflower resident to the sport’s A-list.

“I definitely have added a decent amount of Twitter followers because of April, which is a little silly, but also exciting,” Fopma said. “[Ross] has helped my career a whole bunch, but what is so fun for me is that we’re playing at a really high level right now. I’m most definitely trying to savor every moment of this opportunity. Whatever comes out of it, I’m happy with. And maybe I can convince [Ross] to play with me in 2020.”