This post was updated July 16 at 6:18 p.m.

After NCAA All-Tournament team honors, Jaden Whitmarsh is taking her talents to the professional stage.

“Beach volleyball has always been a part of my life,” the graduate student said. “I’ve played since I was very young, and it has been in my family forever.”

After a Pac-12 title and an NCAA finals appearance, Whitmarsh rejected the idea of taking a break. Instead, she just wrapped up competing in the AVP Hermosa Beach Open from July 7 to July 9.

“I kind of got inspired and got a new wave or new feeling for the game,” Whitmarsh said.

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour is part of the premier United States professional beach volleyball league, featuring elite athletes showcasing the pinnacle of skill and competition.

“It’s a big step up to play at the AVPs,” Whitmarsh said. “Playing collegiate volleyball is great, but the biggest difference is the kind of teams we play against in the AVP season.”

Whitmarsh’s regular-season partner, rising graduate student Devon Newberry, accompanied her in three California Beach Volleyball Association tournaments that allowed them to advance to Hermosa Beach.

Whitmarsh recalls how Newberry took the initiative to form this pair for the AVPs, extending their partnership beyond college.

“After the season, she texted me to say that, ‘Just so you would know, I’d love to play summer volleyball with you,'” Whitmarsh said. “And I was like, ‘Let’s do it and see how it goes.'”

The pair of Whitmarsh and Newberry ended up placing seventh after losing to Madelyne May Anderson and Molly Turner with a final score of 2-0.

Joining Newberry and Whitmarsh, rising graduate student Lexy Denaburg paired with Carly Kan to secure a third-place finish in the tournament.

The team’s culture of sisterhood extends beyond the regular season – fellow Bruins were in attendance showing support to the three athletes as they competed in the AVPs.

Denaburg and her partner, who were only playing as a team for the second time, took third place in the competition after making it to the semifinals and defeating the No. 1, No. 2, No. 10 and No. 11 seeds.

“Our UCLA team is so close, and it stemmed from our culture,” Whitmarsh said. “That showed when the team came to cheer on Devon, me and Lexy as well. I think that only helped us and both of our results.”

Coach Jenny Johnson Jordan also commended the team’s spirit by highlighting the band of sisters the team is.

“That has been showing through this summer off-season when people are playing and the others support them, and I think Hermosa is an excellent example of that,” Johnson Jordan said.

Whitmarsh not only complimented the team but also the lessons she learned along the way.

“I think the biggest thing is that I surprised myself,” Whitmarsh said. “I’ve never thought I’d do this, and I just think there could be more, but you don’t know unless you try.”