For many young girls, the dream of becoming a professional athlete is slightly different from the boys’ experience. While boys dream of going pro and winning the Super Bowl or hitting that bottom-of-the-ninth Grand Slam, many girls of past generations set their sights on Division I athletics. While professional leagues for women's sports are growing, Division I is often regarded as the pinnacle.
For this group of Sun Devil Beach Volleyball players, affectionately known as the Sand Devils, the dream of playing DI and making NCAA Tournament appearances is alive and well - and they couldn’t have done it without the love and support of their parents.
“Seeing my daughter’s desire to play DI Volleyball from a young age, then watch everything she put into it and her growth to reach the level she’s at right now … it’s just incredible,” said Cindy Whitmarsh, mother of Kendall Whitmarsh, a junior who helped lead the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in the 2024 season.
“In the end, she is the one who has to succeed, but as a parent, I’ve provided her with the tools she needs to get there.”
Sand Devil moms Abby Haughy and Cindy Whitmarsh put Forks Up for their daughters Ava and Kendall on Saturday, March 29, for the ASU/GCU Invitational. The Sand Devils earned two wins on the day, defeating UTEP 5-0 and South Carolina 4-1.
Abby Haughy, Ava Haughy’s mom, is in the same boat.
“I look back at Ava as a little girl and her dreams of playing DI, and I always said keep your foot on the gas. Anything is possible and achievable if you put in the work and have a good attitude.”
The support, tools and advice are working. The Sand Devils are having an incredible season. In their first year of Big 12 play, they are ranked No. 12 as of April 11 and set a new record for the program’s longest winning streak.
This eyes-on-the-prize attitude brought sophomore Olivia McElroy to Tempe as a transfer from the University of Arizona in Tucson.
“There’s an urge to be excellent here at ASU, and that means a lot to Olivia,” says Jeff McElroy, her father. “She wanted to be part of a competitive team and a coaching staff that would push her towards that excellence. She also wants a chance to play in the big dance one day, and this team has a good shot at that.”
As far as the coaching staff is concerned, they lead the team by example. Head coach Kristen Glattfelder was not only named 2024’s Pac-12 Coach of the Year, but in 2025, she’s already won ASU’s prestigious Wings of Gold: Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year award, which celebrates the University’s rich tradition of women's collegiate athletics.
Sun Devil student-athlete parents Terri and Jeff McElroy traveled from North Carolina to support their daughter, Olivia and the Sand Devils at the ASU/GCU Invitational on Saturday, March 29.
Hardware and accolades aside, Glattfelder definitely gets the parents’ seal of approval.
“The most challenging part of beach volleyball is the mental part. It doesn't matter how talented you are, if you're not mentally able to get to the next level, you won't be successful,” said Whitmarsh. “Here, the coaches are very intuitive and support our daughters throughout all the cognitive challenges. ASU, from top to bottom, is hands down the best place to be.”
“They definitely take care of our girls,” Abby Haughy, who lives in California, agreed. “Ava came back from a road game sick as a dog with strep throat, and the trainer took her to the doctor in the morning when I couldn’t. So yes, ASU takes great care of its student-athletes, and this support system helps them thrive.”
“When our girls see that leadership, it’s a trickle-down effect,” noted Whitmarsh. “It’s a legacy; the older girls take the younger girls under their wings, which sets them up for great things in the future.”
The girls are also thriving in the classroom and are ready to do great things in the future. Yes, there is a professional beach volleyball league, the AVP, so that these girls could go pro, but they have other plans in their back pocket.
“One of the great things about ASU is that if they don’t go into the professional volleyball world, we know they will do something else incredible. They will be great employees and then great leaders because they know how to put in the work and lead by example,” said Haughy.
The Sand Devil family
When all is said and done, it’s a special time and place for the Sand Devils and their parents as they build a community from coast to coast. After all, the McElroys are from North Carolina, and Whitmarsh and Haughy are from California.
“Driven kids tend to have driven parents, so it’s always a lot of fun to come to campus,” said Jeff McElroy. “The best part is being around good people, good individuals and good humans, and we’re hanging out with some incredible people.”
“Making friends with the parents of this team has been very easy,” added Terri McElroy. “They welcomed us with open arms, and it's been wonderful to be accepted, pulled in, and treated like family because we are now.”
Whitmarsh agreed. “ASU is a family. It’s not just a team for the girls; it’s a sisterhood.”
“Because the girls are so close and such great friends, it brings us all together as a unit,” adds Haughy. “We have a shared experience with a vast support system and a connection just because our daughters work at such a high level and spend so much time together.”
“Plus, this is the most welcoming and inviting place. What’s not to love?”