Sara Hughes made a surprising decision to pick Ally Batenhorst as her new beach volleyball partner. The soon-to-be 23-year-old is bailing on a promising indoor career in an attempt to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Although this kind of switch is not uncommon, it is still an earth-shattering move in the world of volleyball.
One of the best indoor players in the world will kick off her shoes to join the former world champion on the sand. Nobody saw it coming!
Sara Hughes is already established as one of the top players in beach volleyball.
Sara Hughes is no stranger to the beach. The former top-ranked recruit in both disciplines of the sport chose to play beach volleyball for USC in college and at one point won 103 matches in a row. The Trojans won multiple national titles while she was on the team.
At 5-foot-10, Hughes is considered one of the best defenders in the world. The 30-year-old seems to get a touch on every single ball. It’s insane!
Hughes played with multiple different partners as a professional over the last eight years. She and Kelly Cheng ultimately chose to go their separate ways after a shocking upset loss to Switzerland at the Olympics last summer and an injury.
With the sour taste of Paris now in her rearview mirror, these next four years will focus on Los Angeles.
Enter Ally Batenhorst.
Batenhorst began her college volleyball career at Nebraska and later transferred to USC. She only played indoor for the Trojans but she played both indoor and outdoor for the Huskers, with a 39-28 career record on the sand.
However, Ally Batenhorst has not played on the beach since early 2024. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter signed a professional contract with the Omaha Supernovas of the Pro Volleyball Federation after college.
She recorded 128 kills on 348 swings (36.8%) as a rookie.
Batenhorst’s first year with Omaha was also her last.
She is making the move from indoor to outdoor.
Although Ally Batenhorst loved her time with the Supernovas, she moved back to California during the offseason and fell back in love with the beach. Hughes eventually asked her to be her partner for at least the next three years, which was an easy yes.
They officially announced their partnership earlier this week. It is very big news!
This is a little bit of a risk for Hughes. Batenhorst is not new to the sand but she is still learning the game on a professional level after a 18-month(ish) focus on indoor volleyball.
By partnering now, Hughes and Batenhorst will have enough time to get acclimated before the Los Angeles Olympics cycle gets going. Their partnership, while surprising, could be a really dominant force on the international level if everything comes together as smoothly as they hope!