Biography
As a Senior (2019): An All-Pac-12 honoree, becoming Arizona’s first middle blocker since Cursty Jackson in 2011 to be named all-conference … Finished second in the Pac-12 and 34th in the country with a .381 hitting percentage, tied for sixth best in Arizona history … Cross posted one of the best offensive seasons in school history by a middle blocker; her 2.18 kills/set were the most by a Wildcat middle blocker since 2012 (Halli Amaro – 2.25) while her .381 hitting percentage was the best by a Wildcat since 2004 (Jolene Killough - .388) … Her .381 hitting percentage gave her two of Arizona’s top-10 single-season hitting percentages in school history, joining her 2018 hitting percentage (.361 – 9th) and brought her career hitting percentage to .334, fourth best in Arizona history … Posted exactly 100 blocks on the season, giving her 403 blocks in her Arizona career, eighth most in Arizona history … On Sept. 21 vs. Sacramento State, Cross hit .909 (10 kills, 0 errors, 11 attempts), one of just 10 players in the NCAA to hit above .900 this year and the first Wildcat to do so in at least a decade … On Nov. 1 vs. Colorado, Cross had 13 kills and a career-most 10 blocks, good for her first career double-double, becoming the first Wildcat to post double-digit blocks Nov. 1, 2015 (McKenzie Jacobson – 11) and the first Wildcat to post a kill/block double-double since Sept. 13, 2013 (Olivia Magill) … Led the team with nine matches with 5-plus blocks, giving her 35 for her career … Finished third on the team with 11 double-digit-kill matches after entering the season with seven previous in her career … Led the team in blocks in 17 of UA’s 32 matches … Named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team after posting 18 kills on 27 swings with just two errors in the event.
As a Junior (2018): Named AVCA All-America honorable mention … An all-Pac-12 and AVCA all-Pacific South Region honorable mention … Became the first middle blocker to receive All-America honors since 1985 (Melissa McLinden) … Became the fifth Wildcat in school history to post a season with 2.00 kills/set (2.06) and 1.00 block/set (1.03) while hitting better than .350 (.361) and first since 2004 (Jolene Killough); Cross was one of two players in the conference to post a 2 K/1 B/.350 hit% season … Hit .361 for the season, fourth highest in the Pac-12 and eighth highest individual season in Arizona history … Hit .389 in Pac-12 play, second best in the conference … Led the team with 1.03 blocks/set, 17th in the Pac-12 and 178th in the NCAA … Had five matches with double-figure kills, including a career-most 14 vs. Washington State, when she hit a career-best .545 (10/7) … Led the team with nine matches with five-or-more blocks, including a career-high-tying nine vs. Utah (10/21) … Named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week in week 9 after she averaged 1.86 blocks/set in Arizona’s sweep of Colorado and Utah … Named Wildcat Classic Most Valuable Player and was placed on the Hornet Invitational and Cactus Classic All-Tournament Teams … Led the team in blocks a team-most 17 matches … Set career highs in both total kills (222) and kills/set (2.06), total assists (12) and assists/set (0.11), digs (58) and digs/set (0.54), blocks/set (1.03) and total points (286.5) and points/set (2.65) ... Led the team in total blocks (111), solo blocks (16), block assists (95) and blocks/set (1.03) … Finished third on the team in total kills (222) and fifth on the team in kills/set (2.06) … Enters her senior season just 41 blocks shy of cracking the UA career top 10.
As a Sophomore (2017): Led Arizona in blocks for the second consecutive season (0.99/set) … Led the Wildcats in solo blocks (14), block assists (64) and total blocks (78) … Added 97 kills (1.23/set) on a career-best .286 hitting … Set a career-high with nine blocks at Utah, tied for 10th most by a Pac-12 player in a league match … Had five matches with at least five blocks, most on the team … Named to the Cactus Classic All-Tournament Team when she led the team in hitting percentage (.419) and blocks (1.27) while providing 1.64 kills/set over the three matches (9/1-2) … Led UA in blocks in nine matches (most on the team) and in kills and points once each.
As a Freshman (2016): Had a breakout year as one of Arizona’s starting middle blockers … Led Arizona in blocks (0.88/set) … Led UA in block solos (18), block assists (86) and total blocks (114) … Added 1.28 kills/set on a very efficient .275 hitting percentage … Had two matches with double figure kills, both coming in the final three weeks of the season (11/23 vs. Utah, 12/2 vs. Cleveland State) … Also surged defensively in the final three weeks of the year, posting 1.25 blocks/set after averaging 0.59 blocks/set previously … Had five or more blocks 10 times, tied for the team lead … Had five block solos vs. Arizona State (11/26), tied for sixth most in a single match in Arizona history … Led the team in blocks in 16 matches, including 11 of the final 13 matches of the season … Had a career-high five digs vs. UCLA (11/4) … Set a career high with seven blocks on three occasions (8/27 vs. Wisconsin, 11/18 vs. California, 11/26 at Arizona State).
Prep: A three-sport athlete at Desert High School in Edwards Air Force Base, California (volleyball – 3 letters, track – 3 letters, basketball – 2 letters) … A first-team all-state and all-conference performer … Team captain and MVP as a senior … Led team to a CIF Division 4 Championship and a semi-final appearance in the state tournament as a senior … Three-time Athlete of the Year … Played for Legacy club team in Valencia, California for John Price – won the Sapphire Division Championship … Also received Division I offers in track and field … A member of the honor roll and Future Leaders of America.
Personal: Daughter of Ronald Cross and Lisa Cross-Culver … Born October 1, 1998 in Okinawa, Japan … Has two brothers (Brandon and Ahmad) and one sister (Sabria) … Aunt Karen Weatherington played volleyball at New Mexico State … Enjoys sleeping in her free time … Plans to major in child development because she loves working with children … Chose Arizona over Sothern Oregon and UCLA because “I felt like I was part of a family.”
Career Awards
2019
All-Pac-12
Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team
2018
AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
AVCA All-Pacific South Honorable Mention
All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Week 9)
Wildcat Classic Most Valuable Player
Hornet Invitational All-Tournament Team
Cactus Classic All-Tournament Team
2017
Cactus Classic All-Tournament Team
Arizona Record Book
Career
Hitting Percentage: 4th (.334)
Total Blocks: 8th (403)
Block Assists: 8th (324)
Blocks Per Game: t9th (0.95)
Block Solos: 9th (79)
Sets Played: t10th (422)
Season
Matches Played: t1st (35 – 2016)
Sets Played: t3rd (129 – 2016)
Hitting Percentage: 6th (.381 – 2019)
Hitting Percentage: 8th (.361 – 2018)
Match
Block Solos: t6th (5 – ASU, 11/26/16)
Freshman
Total Blocks: 4th (114)
