SOURCE: USA Volleyball

Tara Cross-Battle

[first name pronounced TAR-ah, not TEAR-ah]

Major International Competition:
1995 World Cup
1995 World Grand Prix (gold)
1995 Canada Cup (gold)
1995 Pan American Games (silver)
1994 World Championship
1994 World Grand Prix
1993 FIVB Grand Champions Cup
1993 World Grand Prix
1993 NORCECA Championships (silver)
1992 FIVB Super Four (bronze)
1992 Olympics (bronze)
1991 World Cup
1991 NORCECA (silver)
1990 World Championship
1990 Goodwill Games

Highlights With USA National Team:
Named Team USA's MVP of 1995

"Most Valuable Player" and "Best Scorer" of 1995 World Grand Prix, winning $30,000 in bonus money

selected to 1995 All-Canada Cup team and was MVP of championship match (4-3-95)

rejoined USA national team in July-'94 after seeing limited action in 1993, due to participation in Italian pro league

her team-high 16 kills vs. Canada at '95 Pan American Games (3/17/95) clinched silver medal for Team USA

had 18 kills and two service aces in World Championship match vs. Japan (10-23-94) that clinched Group D title for USA

selected as best hitter at the World Championship Qualification Tournament in Ankara, Turkey (1993)

served as valuable offensive reserve with 32 kills in six matches at '92 Olympics

granted an automatic spot on the USA national team roster

shared post-season Players Award with Elaina Oden in 1991

started throughout '91 campaign

originally joined USA program in Jan., 1990

Other Volleyball Achievements:
Competed for Ancona in Italian Club League during 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons

accumulated international experience in summer of 1988 as member of USA `B' team against West Germany, and in summer of 1989 as member of `B' team against Canada and mixed `A/B' team which traveled to Japan

College/High School:
Two-time NCAA Division I Player of the Year at Long Beach State (1988-89)

four-time All-America and member of NCAA 1980s All-Decade team

led LBSU 49ers to 32-5 record and school's first-ever NCAA Division I national title in 1989

named NCAA Player of the Year as junior (1988), and shared '89 award with current USA teammate Teee Williams of Hawaii

winner of 1989 Honda Award (outstanding collegiate woman athlete) for volleyball

established NCAA career kill record (2,767)

her 779 kills (.353) in `89 set LBSU and Big West Conference record and is second-highest number of kills ever recorded by an NCAA player in a single season

holds several other school records:single-match kills (47 vs. Florida State in 1987), total attempts (5,694) and digs (1,578)

ranks second in service aces (144) and third in block assists (220)

coached at LBSU by Brian Gimmillaro

member of 1989 U.S. Open Volleyball Champion Plymouth Californians, and second-team USVBA All-America pick

a 1986 graduate of Southern California Christian High School in Anaheim, Calif.

also attended Gahr High School her junior year

led Gahr to CIF 5-A championship, while garnering all-league, league MVP and all-CIF honors

as a senior, powered SC Christian to CIF 1-A title and was again named all-league, CIF MVP and MVP of state tournament

listed on 1986 Volleyball Monthly Fab 50 roster, and further honored as member of 1990 All-Time Fab 50 elite

received 1989 Athlete of the Year Award from Long Beach Century Club, an honor won the previous year by USA men's team member Bob Ctvrtlik

coached at SCCHS by Ed Gover

Personal:
Born in Houston, Texas

majored in speech communication at LBSU

married to Spencer Battle