Santa Clara University beach volleyball graduate transfer Holland Jackson has endured a remarkable roller-coaster ride to reach the Mission Campus. When she takes to the sand this spring with the Broncos, she'll carry years of experience, determination, resilience, and lessons learned from a unique journey in the sport she loves.
 
A DRIVEN BEGINNING
Hailing from Lake Oswego, Ore., just south of Portland, Jackson's introduction to beach volleyball was far from typical. It came after she started as a talented indoor player. Jackson participated in numerous USA Volleyball Indoor High Performance Team programs from 2014 to 2016 and was already attracting attention from college recruiters as early as eighth grade.
 
Her focus shifted when she discovered her love for beach volleyball—a common summer activity for many of her friends—and quit the indoor game to dedicate all her energy to the sand.
 
Oregon's beaches aren't the hotbeds of beach volleyball like those in Florida, Texas, Southern California, or along the Atlantic Coast. Especially with Oregon's 3 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches of average rainfall for seven months of the year. Determined, she joined a Seattle-based beach club (in an area also notorious for year-round rain) during her sophomore year of high school. However, this required a grueling three-hour commute each way.
 
"That experience was not fun, to be honest," said Jackson. "I would go once a week, drive three hours, practice for six hours, and then drive three hours home. That was kind of my life from sophomore year to senior year."
 
A TURNING POINT
Jackson's three years of devotion to beach volleyball paid off. She earned a Division I full-ride scholarship offer and was set to elevate her game at the next level—a thrilling ascent on her roller coaster journey.
 
But a month before National Signing Day, the offer was rescinded, plunging her back down the roller coaster.
 
"I was kind of like, 'What do I do here?'" Jackson recalled. "I just lost my scholarship, I don't play indoor anymore … what do I do?"
 
Knowing college could offer her the structure she craved to advance her volleyball journey, she began attending tournaments, searching for a new opportunity.
 
"I felt like I put so much dedication into volleyball, and I wasn't happy with my situation in the Northwest. I knew going to college would be better because there would be more structure, and I think that's what I was craving with volleyball."
 
Jackson eventually received several offers from West Coast schools and chose Long Beach State, a program she knew would challenge her.
 
"I wanted to go to Long Beach. I wanted to be challenged," said Jackson. "I knew I wouldn't be the best there. I thought, 'I have more to give. I need to be around a really competitive group of people,' and that's exactly what I got."
 
At Long Beach State, Jackson thrived. She competed for the nationally ranked beach volleyball program for three years, helping the team reach the 2023 NCAA Championship Tournament. She posted a winning career record with double-digit wins and served as team captain in 2023.
 
But another challenge came her senior year at LBSU when she needed to quit the team in order to find a job and pay for school. Her three years of driving six hours every week, her three years of playing collegiate beach volleyball for a nationally ranked program… all had to be set aside.
 
"I made the tough decision, thinking, 'I'm not starting. I need a job. Maybe it's time to grow up,'" said Jackson.
 
A NEW CHAPTER AT SANTA CLARA
Despite stepping away, Jackson's competitive spirit and love for beach volleyball remained.
 
"As I got to the end of (the 2023-24 school year), I thought, 'I'm going to regret not playing. I know I have more in me.' And so, I knew I needed to find a way to get back out there somehow."
 
That's when Santa Clara University entered the picture.
 
Jackson had already considered entering the transfer portal in April when Santa Clara's Leavey School of Business began appearing in her marketing classes, presenting master's program opportunities.
 
"All the stars aligned to go to Santa Clara," said Jackson. "I was so down to keep doing school. I love learning, and I wanted to go to a grad program. So, I figured I could try to play volleyball again. I've been missing volleyball so much. I thought, 'Well, I'll give it a try and enter the portal.'"
 
The same weekend Jackson entered the portal, she ran into former Santa Clara beach volleyball graduate assistant Emily Mattoon, a three-year teammate at Long Beach State. Mattoon told Jackson all about the Broncos' program.
 
"Everyone around me was like, 'Santa Clara is the best place you could possibly go.'"
 
"I am really excited that Holland chose Bronco Beach over some other fine offers to play her final year of NCAA beach," said Santa Clara beach volleyball head coach Jeff Alzina. "We are fortunate to acquire a player of her experience on the court from a top-10 program. She will also bring us great poise, perspective and leadership in being a previous team captain and someone who has held part time jobs while excelling as a student-athlete. With 2/3 of our team being underclassmen, she will be a valuable and powerful voice for us on and off the court."
 
A DREAM REALIZED
Now at Santa Clara, Jackson is fulfilling all her goals—continuing her education, being challenged, staying on the West Coast, and playing competitive beach volleyball again.
 
Her connection to Santa Clara's program deepened during her summer job coaching at Spiker Beach Volleyball Club in Huntington Beach, Calif. The club, founded by four-time Olympian Jake Gibb, has ties to Alzina, who coached Gibb during his career.
 
From the Pacific Northwest to Southern California and now the South Bay, Jackson's roller-coaster ride has taken her through challenges and triumphs. Having endured the toughest climbs, she looks forward to the joyride ahead.
 
"I'm really excited to start a new journey," said Jackson. This entire year was preparing to step into the real world and find a job. It's a dream come true that I have the opportunity to focus on volleyball again for one last year before ending college. It's just something I felt like I had to pursue and because everything aligned so perfectly for me, it felt like this is meant for me, and it feels like it couldn't be more perfect."