"As a little girl I would see the banners of the athletes and would always dream to be on one of those one day and I got to experience that sophomore year where my banner was hanging right in front of our courts." -Alex Parkhurst
Alex Parkhurst
Sport: Arizona Beach Volleyball
Major: Nutritional Sciences
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.
In just under seven short years junior Arizona Beach Volleyball player Alex Parkhurst has risen to the top of her craft and become a crucial part of Arizona's Sand Cats. She has gone through her share of complexities including her first ever sport injury just two seasons into her beach career and a global pandemic. Both of which have shaped and pushed her to become a better person on and off the beach.
Unlike most collegiate athletes, Parkhurst did not begin playing beach volleyball as a child, instead picking up the sport at the end of her freshman year of high school.
"Most girls that play beach have played since they were little," Parkhurst said. "Considering I started playing beach volleyball at the end of my freshman year of high school, and verbally committed my sophomore year, I had to speed up the process of learning the sport."
Instead of spending time with friends or going to the movies, Parkhurst spent her high school weekends competing in California where tournaments were in high abundance. She dedicated the next three years to learning as much about the sport as she could.
"I had to dedicate all my time outside of school to practice," Parkhurst remembered. "Most of my high school weekends were spent traveling to California because there weren't many tournaments in Arizona compared to California. Fortunately, my family would take me to California every weekend - to get exposure to some high-level competition."
Things were looking bright for Parkhurst heading into her junior year of high school, when she was suddenly hit with her first injury in the middle of her indoor season.
"I had torn my ACL playing in a game," Parkhurst said. "I went from being completely healthy to basically learning how to walk again. The leg I tore my ACL on was half the size of my other leg because of the muscle atrophy."
Parkhurst didn't let it get the best of her, working hard to get back to peak health, spending two-and-a-half hours in physical therapy every day for eight months. After those eight long months, she came back strong, placing in the top 10 of all six national tournaments and becoming a high school All-American.
Parkhurst's next goal was to attend the University of Arizona in order to fulfill her dream of continuing her beach career in her hometown.
"I was very happy to know that there was an opportunity to play beach volleyball in my hometown -- once I had taken on beach volleyball," Parkhurst said. "I feel very lucky to be able to represent my hometown and have the opportunity to play where my family is able to come and support me."
In her first season on the beach, Parkhurst was a consistent player in the Sand Cat lineup and recorded an individual record of 11-1 (.917). This landed her in first in UA history for individual win percentage (min. 10 matches). Unfortunately, the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
"Freshman year, fall of 2019 through spring of 2020, was a grind. Everything was going well -- we had reached our game against UC Davis but we were called to go straight home after -- due to Covid," Parkhurst said. "The team we had in spring of 2020 had so much potential and it was all stopped because of the pandemic."
Parkhurst went on to record an individual record of 15-13 on court one during the 2021 season, earning herself an All-Pac-12 Second Team Honor. The 2022 season, beginning in late February, will be her newest challenge, though she looks forward to it.
"Coming into this season, my junior season, it will be my first year of a regular season," Parkhurst said. "The team is really excited to see what will play out and we are very fortunate to be healthy with the opportunity to start our season!"
