Jennifer Cross

Classroom

A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Cross is majoring in kinesiology and wants to either attend chiropractic school, medical school or play professional volleyball after she graduates in May of 2014. Cross carries a 3.18 grade-point-average into her senior season and earned the U-M Academic Athletic Achievement award in 2012.

Character

Cross was named a tri-captain by her teammates heading into her senior season. She also battled back from an injury during the summer of 2012 to help the Wolverines to a national semifinal run. Cross made the Canadian National Senior team for the Pan American Games and injured her ankle (3rd degree sprain) in the last practice before the team went to Mexico. Not knowing her status for the season, Cross worked extremely hard in her rehab and was available for the Wolverines by the second week of preseason, way ahead of her scheduled return. She went on to earn All-America honors that year. Jennifer also is volleyball’s representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Community

Cross is one of many student-athletes at Michigan who visit children at the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor every Thursday night. Jennifer and other members of the volleyball team visit patients in the hospital, whether it is watching TV, playing games, or making small talk about favorite movies and sports.

Competition

Cross earned All-America third team honors by the AVCA her junior season after averaging 2.60 kills and 1.24 blocks per set while leading the Wolverines with a .305 hitting percentage. Cross helped the Wolverines to their first-ever NCAA national semifinal berth and was named to the All-Tournament team at the Berkeley Regional. Cross set a school record with 181 total blocks in 2012 and led Michigan in blocks 28 times her junior season. She had a career-high 18 kills in the four-set match against Northwestern (Nov. 16, 2012) and had a career-high nine blocks against Western Kentucky (Sept. 14, 2012). In the regional final win over No. 2 Stanford (Dec. 8, 2012), Cross notched a career-high nine digs in the four-set win. She also was named to the All-Big Ten team as a junior and was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten Freshman team in 2010.