For Jaida Ward, some of her earliest memories of beach volleyball came on University of the Pacific’s Raney Sand Volleyball Courts—the same courts where she now hopes to lead the team to victory this spring.

“Being able to return to my hometown and lead a program for the school I’ve been connected to my whole life has been a dream come true,” said Ward, head coach of Pacific’s beach volleyball team. “It seemed like a ‘meant-to-be’ moment when I heard about the opening.”

As Ward’s 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.

“A 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,” Ward said. “They’ve gone from not having enough pairs to compete in a full duel to having a full roster. They’ve gone from not having a consistent coach to having a full-time beach-only coach with experience in the game.

“These experiences have given the returners a deeper gratitude for what they have and a deeper fire for what they are striving to accomplish,” Ward added. “The 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.”

Rising senior Ashley Davies ’25 is already seeing the short-term effects of Ward’s leadership.

“This is my second year at Pacific, and the culture has already changed so much since she took over the program,” Davies said. “I envision Pacific beach volleyball having a competitive team culture where players ‘buy in’ to a growth mindset and bring 100%  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.”

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

“We set standards for team culture last semester,” said Nadia Murray Ceriello ’28. “I 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.”

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

“Coach Ward offers incredible experience, talent and maturity as a player and person, which is what kept me at Pacific,” said Josephine Kinlan ’26. “Our returners have seen her talent with their own eyes: we versed San Jose State last year and competed against Jaida as an athlete.

“Her success in the sport of beach volleyball is undeniable. I knew once Jaida was hired that staying at Pacific would mean the opportunity to learn from someone successful in the sport,” she said.

The beach volleyball season begins Friday, Feb. 28 when the Tigers travel to face Cal. Pacific will be at home Thursday, April 17 to host Sacramento State. See the full beach volleyball schedule.