“Thank you, Ally. Wishing you the best on the sand!” the Omaha Supernovas captioned their farewell post for Ally Batenhorst on social media. It was a surprising turn of events for the promising pro who just finished her rookie PFV season. Drafted No. 15 overall in the second round of the 2024 PVF Draft, Batenhorst put on a standout performance, playing 44 sets with a 2.91 kill/set average. So what changed?

Well, world champion and Olympian Sara Hughes came knocking with an offer she couldn’t refuse. Hughes, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics with beach volleyball partner Kelly Cheng, had been on the hunt for a new partner. And who better than the former USC volleyball star-turned-Olympian and a fellow Trojan and a fresh talent? Although this is a huge career change for the indoor volleyball star, she has the support of her former teammate and bestie, Lexi Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was super excited to hear her former Nebraska Huskers teammate embarking on the path to Olympic glory. So, the 22-year-old took to social media to share that excitement with the world. “My beach queen! Can’t wait to cheer you on,” the LOVB Omaha pro wrote while sharing Supernovas’ post on her Instagram story.

Now you may be wondering, why call Batenhorst “beach queen” when she’s primarily played indoors? Well, that’s because the U18 NORCECA champion has some experience playing on sand. Nebraska is one of the NCAA colleges that also runs a beach volleyball program. However, that’s not the reason why Sara Hughes chose Lexi Rodriguez’s friend as her teammate.

“When I first saw her, I was like, ‘wow’… She has such athleticism. She looks like a true leader on the court. She’s very passionate, and I thought all those would translate to the beach,” the world champion exclusively told NBC LA. The 22-year-old outside hitter also explained how she’ll need to train on the sand to get a hang of things.

“I would say it’s like a completely different sport,” she told NBC LA. While Lexi Rodriguez’s bestie believes she’ll transition to a different element of the same sport, there are things like wind, playing on sand, and a bunch of other variables she needs to familiarize herself with.

Lexi Rodriguez is carving her own Olympic path

While Ally Batenhorst prepares to embark on the long road to her Olympic dreams, her journey won’t truly begin until she starts training with Hughes. Unfortunately, the former Trojan is currently recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. Thankfully, Hughes told NBC that “things are moving quickly… So just staying patient with the process.”

However, things will still take time to get off the ground for the new USA beach volleyball duo. Meanwhile, Lexi Rodriguez is already making her mark in her first-ever VNL with Team USA. Coach Sullivan selected the 22-year-old as part of his effort to give the younger talent a platform to shine. The VNL acted as the perfect platform for Rodriguez to shine.

The Nebraska Huskers’ digs record holder made a triumphant VNL debut in Team USA’s epic comeback win against Serbia. To no one’s surprise, the talented LOVB rookie emerged as the digs leader for the night with 17. Those stats only proved how effective she was in holding up the defense in the USA’s comeback win. Since then, the former Husker had been a regular.

In fact, Lexi Rodríguez has also made it to the quarterfinals of the VNL and the wider roster for the upcoming World Championships. While that’s a huge accomplishment in itself, what made it even more significant is that Sullivan & Co. chose her over multiple Olympians. Who knows? Maybe the besties will reunite as Olympians in 2028.