91成人导航

For Jaida Ward, some of her earliest memories of beach volleyball came on 91成人导航鈥檚 Raney Sand Volleyball Courts鈥攖he same courts where she now hopes to lead the team to victory this spring.

鈥淏eing able to return to my hometown and lead a program for the school I鈥檝e been connected to my whole life has been a dream come true,鈥� said Ward, head coach of 91成人导航鈥檚 beach volleyball team. 鈥淚t seemed like a聽鈥榤eant-to-be鈥櫬爉oment when I heard about the opening.鈥�

As Ward鈥檚 love for the sport grew, so did her prowess. She graduated from San Jose State as both the single season and career wins leader for the Spartans, playing the majority of her career on court one.

Now in a coaching role, she hopes to impart her passion and knack for success on the next class of players, which includes six returnees and six newcomers this season.

鈥淎 unique advantage to having so many newcomers has been the fact that the returners have been exposed to both sides of extremism in this program,鈥� Ward said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e gone from not having enough pairs to compete in a full duel to having a full roster. They鈥檝e gone from not having a consistent coach to having a full-time beach-only coach with experience in the game.

鈥淭hese experiences have given the returners a deeper gratitude for what they have and a deeper fire for what they are striving to accomplish,鈥� Ward added. 鈥淭he team culture that the girls have built here is special. Everyone, from our oldest to our youngest has bought in to our team values and our team systems.鈥�

Rising senior Ashley Davies 鈥�25 is already seeing the short-term effects of Ward鈥檚 leadership.

鈥淭his is my second year at 91成人导航, and the culture has already changed so much since she took over the program,鈥� Davies said. 鈥淚 envision 91成人导航 beach volleyball having a competitive team culture where players 鈥榖uy in鈥� to a growth mindset and bring 100%聽 every single day. This allows the team to grow into a positive yet competitive place, where we celebrate the wins but learn from our losses and mistakes.鈥�

Ward has also fostered an environment where newcomers are encouraged to take an active role in shaping team standards.

鈥淲e set standards for team culture last semester,鈥� said Nadia Murray Ceriello 鈥�28. 鈥淚 believe we have taken them seriously and held each other accountable in accordance with those standards. The most important values of our team culture to me are grit, hard work, family, competition, energy and perseverance.鈥�

Ward鈥檚 experiences as a competitor also resonates with many of the returning players.

鈥淐oach Ward offers incredible experience, talent and maturity as a player and person, which is what kept me at 91成人导航,鈥� said Josephine Kinlan 鈥�26. 鈥淥ur returners have seen her talent with their own eyes: we versed San Jose State last year and competed against Jaida as an athlete.

鈥淗er success in the sport of beach volleyball is undeniable. I knew once Jaida was hired that staying at 91成人导航 would mean the opportunity to learn from someone successful in the sport,鈥� she said.

The beach volleyball season begins Friday, Feb. 28 when the Tigers travel to face Cal. 91成人导航 will be at home Thursday, April 17 to host Sacramento State.聽.