New details have surfaced in the unexplained death of Summer Nash, a standout San Diego volleyball player whose body was found in the ocean near one of the city’s most visited beaches.
Nash, 34, was discovered floating in the water near Ocean Beach Pier on June 18, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office. Lifeguards recovered her body, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials have not yet determined what caused the athlete’s death, and the case remains under investigation.
A spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday that Nash was wearing a bikini and a long-sleeve shirt when she was found near the shoreline on the south side of Ocean Beach Pier.
The spokesperson said it could take months before investigators determine how Nash died. Friends described her as a strong swimmer who had recently been learning to surf.
It remains unclear whether a surfboard was found near Nash or whether she had been surfing at the time of her death.
On the day Nash died, powerful Pacific swells were still hitting California’s coastline, conditions that had also been linked to the deaths of beachgoers in Laguna and Santa Cruz.
Nash was found near the seawall south of Ocean Beach Pier, an area known for strong currents from a nearby surf break that often push seashells onto the shore.
Nash was an accomplished volleyball player who played for San Diego State and Florida International universities before transitioning into coaching roles for lauded volleyball programs at Florida State and Stanford universities.
Nash appeared to have last coached at Stanford during the 2022-23 season.
Now, as friends and loved ones grapple with her sudden death, questions are swirling about what happened.
Deitre Collins, Nash’s longtime friend and head coach at SDSU, told The California Post that loved ones are buzzing with speculation over how she may have died.
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“I just hope foul play wasn’t involved,” said Collins.
Collins said Nash was an integral member of SDSU’s championship volleyball team and was beloved by every player she shared the court with.
“It’s been amazing in terms of the number of people who have come out to just talk about what a special human being she was,” said Collins of Nash. “She deserves all of that.”
Matt Olson, executive director of San Diego’s WAVE Beach Volleyball club, told The Post he worked with Nash for years.
He called her a “wonderful coach” for the club volleyball organization and “one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life.”
Olson described Nash as a very physical player who could “hit the snot out of the ball.”
“People didn’t serve her because they were scared of her physicality and her ability to crush the ball,” he said.
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After her college sports career Nash transitioned to coaching beach volleyball and in recent years began to practice surfing at the SoCal beaches she considered home.
Olson said he took her surfing several years ago, but she had a “rough outing.” Still, he wasn’t surprised that she threw herself into the sport.
San Diego volleyball coach Nicholas Mercer said some of Nash’s friends have speculated that she died in a surfing accident.
“The last time I talked to Summer, a few months ago, she said she was learning surfing,” said Mercer, who coached Nash on the pro volleyball circuit and said she was his best friend.
Mercer said members of Nash’s family are planning a private ceremony to celebrate her life, while her friends from the beach are working on a public tribute.
“We’re trying to get a celebration going for her friends,” said Mercer.
