 Hughes at the 2017 Beach Volleyball World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sara Elizabeth Hughes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | United States of America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 14, 1995 Long Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Southern California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2011–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Beach volleyball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | USC Trojans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Pac-12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partner(s) | Kelly Cheng (2022–present, 2013–18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former partners |
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| Coached by | José Loiola (2016–present)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | No. 2 (August 23, 2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Sara Elizabeth Hughes (born February 14, 1995)[4] is an American beach volleyball player. With teammate Kelly Cheng she achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 2 in August 2023. Hughes has won six tournaments on the AVP Pro Tour and seven gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals on the FIVB World Tour/Pro Beach Tour.
Hughes began her beach volleyball training in Huntington Beach, California, at the age of eight. As a junior, she partnered with Cheng to win bronze medals at the 2013 U19 and 2014 U21 World Championships. Her partnership with Cheng continued through college, where the pair won 103 consecutive collegiate matches and led the USC Trojans to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2016 and 2017. Soon after turning professional in mid-2017, Hughes and Cheng became the youngest team to win an AVP event when they won the season-ending Championship. Hughes split from Cheng in early 2018 and teamed up with Summer Ross. In their first year playing together, Hughes and Ross won their first World Tour title and entered the top ten of the world rankings. Hughes re-partnered with Cheng in late 2022, winning several Beach Pro Tour events including the Finals in Doha in January 2023.[5]
Hughes is a right-side defender and has been noted for her speed and willingness to chase down balls. She is the 2017 FIVB Top Rookie.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
majorteamwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "AVP Athletes: Sara Hughes". Association of Volleyball Professionals. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
loiolawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "2017 USC Beach Volleyball Roster: Sara Hughes". USC Trojans. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ^ "Wild cards Hughes & Cheng claim historic Beach Pro Tour title". Volleyball World. January 29, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.