STANFORD, Calif. – Summer Nash has been named an assistant coach for the Stanford beach volleyball program, as announced on Thursday by head coach Andrew Fuller.
Nash joins the Cardinal staff after serving as the assistant coach at Florida State for the 2022 season. In Tallahassee, Nash directed and facilitated the practices for the Seminoles team as well as creating scouting reports and seeding FSU's pairs for each match. She took the lead role through the season of implementing mindfulness practices and breathing exercises.
"We are thrilled to have Summer joining our staff," noted Fuller on Nash's hire. "She has an amazing eye for not only talent but developing that talent from the whole-person perspective. She brings an enormous amount of high-level experience with her to The Farm, as both a player collegiately and professionally and as a club and collegiate coach. We are ecstatic to have her on this journey with us as we continue to drive the program to new heights on both the courts and in the classroom."
"I am elated to rejoin the Stanford beach volleyball program," Nash stated. "I enjoyed my time with the team, albeit brief, during the 2021 season, and when the opportunity was presented to become part of the program full time there was no way I could pass it up. After seeing first-hand the compassionate and competitive nature of both the beach staff and the student-athletes and experiencing the inclusive and rewarding environment that is the Stanford campus, I knew I had to return. I can not wait to work with the athletes I helped coach two seasons ago, and I am really excited to meet the new talent that has joined the squad since I left. I can not wait to get started and continue the success Coach Fuller has achieved in his tenure."
The Seminoles had an incredibly successful 2022 season, finishing as the national runner-up after a 3-1 loss to No. 1 USC in the NCAA Championship finals. FSU finished their season ranked No. 2 in the nation with a record of 33-11, improving their 2021 finish by three spots.
Nash is no stranger to The Farm, spending the 2021 season as the Cardinal's volunteer assistant coach. Nash worked primarily with Emmy Sharp and Amelia Smith, who not only went on a 13-match win streak throughout the season but finished with a record of 19-3 and were named to the 2021 Pac-12 Championship All-Tournament Team.
Before her time at Stanford, Nash spent four years with Wave Beach Volleyball Club. She acted as the Head Coach of Wave Beach Volleyball Club's College Prep team and the Head Coach of the Sand Stars Program for 3rd-6th grade athletes. Nash also spent time as the club's tournament coach, leading the program at National Qualifiers, National Championships, and AVP Qualifiers.
Nash's coaching experience includes stops at North Pacific Juniors, Tamarack Beach Volleyball Club, Atlantic Coast Beach Volleyball Club, Tri-City Christain High School, Torrey Pines High School, Mira Costa College, and San Diego State University.
As a collegiate student-athlete, Nash spent time on SDSU's track and field team in 2014 as well as earned four letters as a part of the Aztecs' indoor Volleyball team from 2010 to 2013. Nash led SDSU in kills in her senior season (2013, 352) and was a part of the Aztecs' 2012 team that were Mountain West Co-Champions and earned the program's first NCAA regionals postseason appearance since 2001. Nash finished her career at Florida International University, playing on the Panther's 2015 team that ended the season as one of the top four programs in the country.
The Pacific Northwest native earned her bachelor's degree in recreation and tourism management from San Diego State University in 2014. She is currently working towards her master's degree in sports and recreation management which she began during her college years at FIU.