Tara Cross-Battle Long Beach State University Houston, Texas 6-0" - Outside Hitter/Assistant Coach Joined Team: January 1990

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2003 – Pan American Cup (Gold Medal)…World Grand Prix (third place)…World Cup (Bronze Medal). 2002 – Utah Tour vs. Italy…World Grand Prix (sixth place)… Italy Tour…World Championships (Silver Medal). 2001 – World Championships Qualifying (first place)…World Grand Prix (first place)…NORCECA (first place)…World Grand Champions Cup. 2000 – Germany Tour...Grand Prix...NIKE Americas’ Volleyball Challenge...Olympics. 1996 –Olympics…World Grand Prix. 1995 – Canada Cup… Pan American Games…World Cup...World Grand Prix. 1994 – World Championship...World Grand Prix. 1993 – FIVB Grand Champions Cup...NORCECA Championships World Grand Prix. 1992 – FIVB Super Four...Olympics Games (Bronze Medal). 1991 – NORCECA Championship…World Cup. 1990 – Goodwill Games…World Championship.

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 2003 – Tara suffered a injury to her right knee against Italy in the World Grand Prix in July but recovered to make the World Cup roster three months later…Helped the United States earn a bronze medal at the 2003 World Cup and a berth in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. 2002: – Won a silver medal at the 2002 Women’s Volleyball World Championships…Served as team captain…Played professionally for Radio 105 Foppapedretti Bergamo in Italy’s Serie A1…Helped lead the team to the Italian Domestic League championship in May. 2001 – Named Most Valuable Player of the NORCECA Zone Championships…Served as a player/assistant coach for first-year head coach Toshi Yoshida. 2000 – Was the team’s emotional leader at the Sydney Olympics...Started six of the eight matches, posting Helped Team USA qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a solid performance at the NIKE Americas’ Volleyball Challenge…Posted 48 kills, 30 digs and four blocks in 11 sets played…Returned to the team in July 2000 after playing professionally in Brazil...Posted 19 kills on the Germany Tour...Third on the team with 92 kills and 66 digs at the Grand Prix...Named Team USA’s MVP and FIVB Player of the Year in 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...Posted 18 kills and two service aces in World Championship match against 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 1992 Olympics...Granted an automatic spot on the USA national team roster.

OTHER VOLLEYBALL ACHIEVEMENTS: Accumulated international experience in the summer of 1988 as member of the USA “B” team against West Germany and in the summer of 1989 as member of the “B” team against Canada and mixed “A/B” team that traveled to Japan.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS: Two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division I Player of the Year at Long Beach State (1988-89)...Four-time AVCA All-American and member of the 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 former USA teammate Teee Williams of Hawaii...Winner of 1989 Honda Award (outstanding collegiate woman athlete) for volleyball...Established NCAA career kill record (2,767), which currently ranks third...Her 779 kills (.353) in ‘89 set LBSU and Big West Conference record and is 10th-highest number of kills ever recorded by an NCAA player in a single season.

PERSONAL: Born Sept. 16, 1968 in Houston...Tara will attempt to become the first athlete in USA Volleyball history to make four Olympic teams later this year when the USA Women play in Athens, Greece…Majored in speech communication at LBSU...Married to Spencer Battle. [first name pronounced TAR-ah, not TEAR-ah].