Ally Batenhorst made the switch from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball approximately one year ago. She is still subject to criticism for wearing a bikini during competition.
Although it took some getting used to at first, the 23-year-old has grown to love the on-court clothing (or lack thereof) and learned to ignore the haters.
There is a very big difference between indoor and outdoor volleyball. The uniform is part of it!
Who is Ally Batenhorst?
As one of the top recruits in the country, Batenhorst began her college volleyball career at Nebraska in 2021. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter actually played both indoor and outdoor for the Huskers. She recorded an all-time record of 39-28 on the sand.
Batenhorst was far more impressive in the gym. Nebraska relied on on her strong right arm for more than two kills per set over the course of her three seasons in Lincoln. She also finished with 54 digs and 52 blocks as a junior. The Cornhuskers made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament in all three years.
And then it was off to Los Angeles. Ally Batenhorst transferred to USC for her final year of eligibility, totaled 1,319 kills (3.94 kills per set) to rank fourth in the Big Ten and was named to the All-Conference First Team. Her impressive graduate season led her to be picked No. 15 overall in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft. She joined the Omaha Supernovas.
Batenhorst played only one season with the PVF before Sara Hughes called her up around this time last year with an interesting proposition. The Paris Olympian wanted to know if the professional indoor star would want to make the switch back to the sand.
The answer was a resounding yes! Batenhorst decided to chase the 2028 Olympics on the beach alongside a world champion.
Beach volleyball players wear a bikini as their uniform.
The transition from the gym to the beach has been a unique challenge for Ally Batenhorst. For example, she had to learn how and when to pull off of the block.
While it might seem like volleyball is volleyball is volleyball, it’s not. There are a lot of nuances between the indoor and outdoor games. It is two different sports. There is going to be a learning curve.
However, the Hughes-Batenhorst duo is starting to find a groove. And you can’t coach raw talent (or height)!
The sand’s newest pair won the bronze medal at the Challenge Tlaxcala in Mexico and the Challenge Bhubaneswar in India. They also finished fifth at the Huntington Beach Open on the AVP Tour.
In addition to the stylistic differences between indoor volleyball and beach volleyball, the uniform is also completely different. Batenhorst admitted that she was still getting used to the bikini during her first few months back on the sand.
Now she loves it. And she doesn’t care what other people think.
In fact, Ally Batenhorst and Sarah Hughes worked with Nike to design their own suits.
The Barbie bikinis made their on-court debut back in May.
Every country can send a maximum of two sand volleyball teams per gender to the Olympics. Batenhorst and Hughes have approximately 12 months to improve their FIVB rankings to the point where they are in the mix for selection. It is very possible. One of the youngest duos in the sport is very quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with!