Every so often an athlete comes along who blends into a team with such ease as to inspire its players and renew their yearn to win. The time: now. The player: Summer Ross. Since her addition to the beach volleyball roster last fall, an atmosphere of tenacity and unstoppable determination has identified the team. With their early practices and intense workout sessions, it’s easy to see why there is such hype surrounding this newly instated NCAA sport on campus. Their preparation has given us confidence and a feeling that something big is about to happen.
Ross transferred last semester from the University of Washington where she had been playing as an outside hitter for the Huskie’s indoor volleyball team. It was a long move for the San Diego native, but she was motivated by their volleyball program. “They have a great coach and team. I thought they could teach me a lot, which they did” she said. “But I am happy I can bring some of what I learned there to Pepperdine.”
Her passion for this sport came from an early age. “My parents have always played. They got me and my brother into volleyball when we were little. We would practice in the backyard or at the beach. My mom played a few tournaments in her day. My dad is pretty athletic too, so he picked up volleyball from her.” Summer’s brother, Chase Ross, is a senior and an outside hitter for the men’s volleyball team here at Pepperdine. This was a factor influencing her decision to join the waves, but she mainly credits Head Coach Nina Matthies “and her high level program which I wanted to partake in.”
Despite her training with indoor volleyball, Ross explains how the transition to sand has been relatively smooth, in large part thanks to her coaches. “You have to get your ‘sand legs’ back for sure,” she said referring to exercises to strengthen leg muscle because sand slows you down. “But the first week, Nina got our legs working to the point that we didn’t get tired as often.” On other differences between indoor and sand volleyball, she added “You touch the ball every time because there’s only two people in the court. It is so much more fun that way. You feel like you are more active and driving the outcome of the game.”
Precisely, the structure of beach volleyball matches is a bit different from indoor volleyball. The team is split up in pairs, so they have five teams of two people. In a tournament, our No.1 pair plays the rivals respective No.1 pair, and so on. It is three out of five, so the first three teams to win for their school, win the match. Ross is paired up with junior Caitlin Racich. It was the coach’s decision, but Ross is quick to point out what a perfect pairing this is. “Our relationship off the court is so good, it basically makes playing on the court extremely easy. We almost can read each other’s minds. That’s how great we communicate. She is such a talented player. I’m just thankful to play alongside with her.”
As it turns out, she has played several of her teammates in club volleyball tournaments. “I have played against Caitlin before” she reminisced. “I even remember playing Kellie Woolever when we were 16 for indoor”.
Yet she was impressed at how nice and welcoming her teammates were. “They just opened their arms to me. They are really great girls.”
When discussing her titles and accomplishments, Ross seems always grateful, nodding along with a refreshing humble nature. She became the first athlete, male or female, to win both the FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) Youth World Championships and the FIVB Junior World Championships in the same year. She also won 2010 USA Volleyball Female Beach player of the year, to which she commented “There were a whole other athletes that deserved it just as much if not more than me, but I am very thankful for the title.”
Despite the conversation having taken a turn to her personal record, she was keen to shift the focus back to her role as a part of the team: “Most importantly, I just want to set goals for myself and the team this year; to win the first National championship.”
And the team couldn’t be off to a better start. Pepperdine’s debut was at the Annenberg Community Beach House, where they played against USC, Florida State and Long Beach State, and won the team title despite the rain. “It was miserable, but fun at the same time, if that makes sense” Ross laughs about playing under those circumstances. About their rivals, she added “all the teams you can tell have been coached pretty well. They bring different styles of play, and each one is a particular challenge.”
At Charleston this past weekend, the Waves swept the competition, winning 5-0 to all four teams competing. “It was a great learning experience” Ross said. “I feel like competing at Charleston helped us improve”. Expectations are high as Waves host their first match next week against Long Beach State. On that final note, Ross only had one thing left to add: “I expect us to win for sure. We must bring home that national championship.”
