Sara Hughes, a junior setter at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), has decided to follow her heart and play sand volleyball at USC.

The decision wasn’t easy.

Hughes is a star both indoors and outdoors, and had offers from multiple schools. Hughes sets and hits for Mater Dei, and she does it all on the beach, winning tournaments since she was 12. She also won an indoor gold medal at the Junior Olympics with her club team, Long Beach Mizuno Rockstar.

We caught up with Hughes about her recent decision and future in volleyball.

ESPNHS: What made you choose sand at USC?

Sara Hughes: The opportunity to compete in collegiate sand volleyball has always been a dream of mine. During the recruiting process I always told the coaches that I wanted to play sand, or indoor and sand. I chose USC because ever since I went on my unofficial, everything flowed perfectly and I knew it was the place for me. Both the school and Anna (Collier), the sand coach, matched up to my goals entirely.

ESPNHS: Was it hard to choose between sand and indoor?

Hughes: Choosing between sand and indoor was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I would think about it consistently, but at the end of the each day I knew sand was my real passion. I still have the option of playing indoors after two years.

ESPNHS: What advice did your parents and coaches give you?

Hughes: My parents knew it was going to be a very tough decision for me, so we talked about it every day and they helped me come to my decision. Ultimately they told me it was my decision to make, but they helped me through it. My coaches always gave me positive feedback about playing sand in college, but they also wanted to see me play indoor. In the end, when I chose sand, they were all very happy for me.

Kat Monk StudioSara Hughes, a junior at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), has decided to play sand volleyball at USC. Women’s sand volleyball is set to debut as an emerging Division I sport this spring.

ESPNHS: Are you going to continue to play indoor?

Hughes: Yes, for both my club and high school team. I love playing indoor and I will miss it, but for now I am going to enjoy playing it will my teammates at Long Beach Mizuno Rockstar 17.

ESPNHS: How was the recruiting process for you?

Hughes: The recruiting process was both exciting and stressful. It started in eighth grade with my first unofficial visit. Many colleges from around the country were recruiting me for indoor. I was humbled by the amount of interest from top programs. Ultimately I talked with both my parents and coaches to see which school was both academically and athletically suited for my goals. Staying on the West Coast was also a priority.

ESPNHS: What other schools were you considering?

Hughes: Some other schools that were considering me were Stanford, Pepperdine, UCLA, Hawaii, Arizona, Long Beach State, Cal, Texas, Florida, UNC, Washington, San Diego, LMU and UCI, among others. I would like to thank everyone for their interest in me.

ESPNHS: What was the big deciding factor?

Hughes: The big deciding factor for every school was they had to have sand volleyball.

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