US Olympic hopeful Ally Batenhorst has revealed that she has is now a Nike athlete after swapping professional volleyball for a shot at Olympic glory.
It emerged last month that Batenhorst, who has spent her career playing indoor volleyball, was teaming up with reigning beach volleyball world champion Sara Hughes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 23-year-old played college volleyball at both Nebraska and USC before joining the Omaha Supernovas of Major League Volleyball.
Now, though, she is swapping the arena for the beach in search of a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. And on Wednesday, Batenhorst revealed that she has signed a deal with Nike.
‘Incredibly honored to announce our long term partnership commitment with Nike,’ she wrote on social media. ‘Thank you for the amazing support…so pumped!!!’
The 6-foot, 5-inch player posed in her new gear and earlier this week she opened up on her dramatic career change.
Ally Batenhorst has been documenting her transition to a new sport on social media
‘Everything happened so fast but it’s honestly been so much fun,’ she said about her switch
‘I’ve been so busy with traveling and everything that I feel I haven’t really sat down and talked about the fact that I completely switched sports,’ she said on TikTok. ‘Everything happened so fast but it’s honestly been so much fun.
‘I still get people asking me all the time: am I playing indoor still? It’s official, I’m no longer playing indoor and I’m fully committed to beach (volleyball). The next couple of years I’m here and I absolutely love it.
She continued: ‘Sara is amazing and one of the best people I’ve ever met and it’s just been so fun starting this new journey and new chapter in my life.’
Hughes recently told NBC that she was struck the first time she saw Batenhorst on the court. ‘I was like, “Wow,”’ Hughes said. ‘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.’
They both attended USC, which sits less than 25 miles from where the Olympic beach volleyball will take place in 2028.
Batenhorst, who boasts nearly half a million followers across TikTok and Instagram, has described beach volleyball as a ‘completely different sport’ and one of the most visible changes is in the uniform.
Female beach volleyball players typically wear bikinis, whereas Batenhorst has spent recent years playing in shorts and a jersey. ‘You’re not forced (to), but it is cute, and we like it,’ she said of playing in a bathing suit.
