Hockaday alumna Avery Jackson ’24 recently won the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships with her partner Sally Perez, becoming the second American female pair to win the title. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the tournament took place in Puebla, Mexico, with the championship occurring on Oct. 20. Jackson was a main contributor during her time playing for Hockaday volleyball, and she continues to play for Stanford University after graduating.
Since her childhood, volleyball has been part of Jackson’s life.
“Volleyball means so much to me,” Jackson said. “It has given me not only great opportunities in the sport but has taught me so many life skills and things about myself.”
Playing in the final championship game, Jackson knew that she and her partner would soon be victorious.
“I knew as soon as I set up Sally on the last point that we were going to win,” Jackson said. “I was super proud of our fight and so blessed to be able to win with one of my best friends.”
Jackson doesn’t take the experience of representing her country on a global stage for granted.
“It’s very rare that someone gets to have the opportunity to represent the USA, so I wanted to come into the tournament taking in every experience,” Jackson said. “This had been something that I have been working towards for so long, so before the tournament, Sally and I set the intention of walking away from the week knowing we gave 100% in every single moment.”
Thinking back to her time playing high school volleyball, Jackson believes that playing at Hockaday is part of the reason she is where she is today.
“The connections from high school volleyball built such a strong foundation for me to continue growing in my sport,” Jackson said. “I had amazing coaches and teammates who did nothing but support me as I continued to grow my love for volleyball.”
Allison Curran, Associate Director of College Counseling and Head Varsity Volleyball Coach, coached Jackson all four of her years playing in high school.
“[Avery] is incredibly hard-working and determined,” Curran said. “There’s not enough time or words to describe who she is as a person and a player.”
Being such a hard-working individual is what led Jackson to become such a powerful player. In high school, Jackson broke multiple records for Hockaday, and club and high school volleyball led to her success playing collegiately.
“The way that she commits to things that she loves is something that’s really impressive for someone her age,” Curran said.
Curran has been supporting Jackson throughout the championships by watching every game in the tournament.
“I watched all of her games with college counseling,” Curran said. “I was a nervous wreck and wanted her to win the whole time and knew that it was possible. I’m proud of her but I’m not surprised [that she won].”
Curran believes that Jackson will continue to show off her skills and represent the US well playing beach volleyball.
“Everybody from here on out is going to know who she is,” Curran said. “That adds pressure but also adds a lot of positive eyes as she continues to move her career forward and playing professionally and representing the US.”
