Tara Cross-Battle (born September 16, 1968)[1] is a retired volleyball player from the United States who competed in four Summer Olympics overall, starting in 1992.[2] Cross-Battle won the bronze medal with the United States women's national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[3] Her last Olympic appearance was at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[2]

Tara Cross-Battle
Personal information
Full nameTara Lavell Cross-Battle
BornSeptember 16, 1968 (1968-09-16) (age 56)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
College / UniversityCalifornia State University, Long Beach
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Number13
National team
1989–2004 United States
Medal record
Women's volleyball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Team
FIVB World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2002 Germany Team
Bronze medal – third place 1990 China Team
FIVB World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Japan
FIVB World Grand Prix
Gold medal – first place 1995 Shanghai
Gold medal – first place 2001 Macau
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Andria
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Reggio Calabria
NORCECA Championship
Gold medal – first place 2001 Santo Domingo
Silver medal – second place 1991 Regina
Silver medal – second place 1993 New Orleans
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1995 Mar del Plata Team

While representing the United States, Cross-Battle won a bronze medal at the 1990 FIVB World Championship in China and a silver medal at the 2002 FIVB World Championship in Germany.[2] She also won a bronze medal at the 2003 FIVB World Cup in Japan.[4]

For her career achievements in volleyball, Cross-Battle was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2014.[4]

College

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Cross-Battle played NCAA women's volleyball for Long Beach State University, where she led her team to the 1989 NCAA Championship title.[3] She was selected as the AVCA Player of the Year in 1988 and 1989.[5] In 1990, she won the Honda-Broderick Award (now the Honda Sports Award) as the nation's best female collegiate volleyball player.[4][3] She set the NCAA record for career kills with 2,767, and was a four-time All-American.[4][5]

In 1995, Cross-Battle was inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame.[6]

Coaching

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Cross-Battle is currently coaching at the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club.[4] She has also worked with the Texas Tornados Volleyball Club and the Texas Pride Volleyball Club.[2][7]

Clubs

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International competitions

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  • 1990 – Goodwill Games (5th place)
  • 1990 – World Championship (bronze)
  • 1991 – NORCECA Championships (silver)
  • 1991 – World Cup (4th place)
  • 1992 – Summer Olympics (bronze)
  • 1992 – FIVB Super Four (bronze)
  • 1993 – NORCECA Championships (silver)
  • 1993 – World Grand Prix (7th place)
  • 1993 – FIVB Grand Champions Cup (4th place)
  • 1994 – World Grand Prix (6th place)
  • 1994 – World Championship (6th place)
  • 1995 – Pan American Games (silver)
  • 1995 – Canada Cup (gold)
  • 1995 – World Grand Prix (gold)
  • 1995 – World Cup (7th place)
  • 1996 – Summer Olympics (7th place)
  • 2000 – Summer Olympics (4th place)
  • 2001 – NORCECA Championships (gold)
  • 2001 – World Grand Prix (gold)
  • 2002 – World Championship (silver)
  • 2002 – World Grand Prix (6th place)
  • 2003 – World Grand Prix (bronze)
  • 2003 – World Cup (bronze)
  • 2004 – World Grand Prix (bronze)
  • 2004 – Summer Olympics (5th place)

Individual awards

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tara Cross-Battle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Tara Cross-Battle". Olympedia. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Tara Cross-Battle, 2017". Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Tara Cross-Battle". International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Women's Volleyball All-America Teams and Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "Tara Cross-Battle". Long Beach State University Athletics. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Tara Cross-Battle". Texaspridesc.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010.
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Awards
Preceded by Most Valuable Player of
FIVB World Grand Prix

1995
Succeeded by