This post was updated Oct. 29 at 12:42 a.m.
“The Miracle on Ice” often symbolizes the pinnacle of American athletic achievement.
But Sally Perez may have one-upped the historic feat, snapping a 15-year drought and overcoming a low seed.
The UCLA beach volleyball sophomore teamed up with Stanford’s Avery Jackson to capture the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championship gold medal on Oct. 20 in Puebla, Mexico, defeating fellow United States duo Zoey Henson and Sarah Wood in straight sets.
Perez and Jackson’s triumph marked just the second time an American tandem has won the tournament, following Tara Roenicke and Summer Ross’ 2010 World Championship victory.
“Our team had a watch party and was cheering her on the whole time,” said Perez’s UCLA partner, senior Maggie Boyd. “We expected her to do super well, just knowing the player that Sally is, but to see her win was such an exciting moment.”
Perez and Jackson earned the bottom seed out of 13 duos in the qualification rounds and were subsequently assigned the No. 30 slot out of 32 in a blind selection before the start of the main draw.
Despite the low seed, the American pair dropped just three sets across nine matches in both stages, boasting a 9-0 record.
And they demonstrated resilience yet again in the gold-medal match.
The Westwood-and-Palo Alto duo fell behind 19-16 in the first set. Perez previously partnered with Wood during the U19 World Championship last year, where they earned bronze. But alongside Jackson, Perez helped spark a four-point run to spearhead a 25-23 first-frame victory. Perez put her stamp on the stanza with a point-clinching block to earn the first-set win.
“I was there getting to see her (Perez) live out her dream and her moment, match-for-match, and she got better as the tournament went on,” said UCLA assistant coach Kelly Reeves. “What more can you ask for of a player who’s just giving it her all and competing at the high level?”
The pair’s first-set comeback appeared to seal the contest’s outcome – the duo achieved a three-point lead midway through the second frame and never relinquished the advantage.
Perez – who achieved 2025 MPSF Freshman of the Year honors last season – lifted a ball into the uncovered right corner to secure the championship-match victory. The Apex, North Carolina, local collapsed to her knees, pumped her fists in celebration and embraced Jackson in a teary-eyed hug.
The chemistry that Perez and Jackson developed throughout their debut together may have been the deciding factor behind their championship feat.
“We never played together before, but we always had such strong friendship,” Perez said. “We always were just so tight off the court, and that really was helpful chemistry-wise, and we’re such similar people. We both know what it takes to win, so when we were on the court, we would do anything to figure it out and grind, and that, honestly, was what it took. We bonded through our grit and our determination on the court. We pretty quickly found out that we could trust each other, and we had each other’s back.”
Reeves added that Perez has rapidly improved with the experience gained from her freshman year campaign, alongside previous AVP and other FIVB tournament outings. The assistant coach and former UCLA athlete said Perez is a “mentally tough warrior.”
Perez will kickstart her sophomore collegiate campaign in February, when she will likely occupy the top-pair spot alongside Boyd.
UCLA’s fall season began Oct. 25 at the 2025 Surf City Collegiate Challenge.
“(We’re) trying to walk away with a humble new mindset,” Perez said. “This is a new team, a lot of new freshmen and transfers coming in, so it’s super exciting. It’s looking at it as an opportunity and a fresh start to accomplish what we didn’t fully get to last year.”
And the blocker proved that miracles can happen, even on the sand.
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