Regarded as one of the top high school recruits for both beach and indoor, Hughes committed to playing beach volleyball for the USC Trojans in her junior year of high school.
Beach volleyball had just become an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women at the time and Hughes decided to forgo collegiate indoor volleyball as "sand was [her] real passion."

Hughes joined the Trojans in the 2013–14 season, partnering with Kirby Burnham as the top-flight pair throughout her freshman year.
The duo won the AVCA Pairs Championship and recorded 42 wins and 4 losses by the end the season.
She was teamed with Claes as the Trojan's top-flight pair for the next three seasons.
As sophomores, Hughes and Claes won the AVCA Pairs title and led the Trojans to their first AVCA National Championship, completing the season with a 44–3 win–loss record.
In their junior year, they won the inaugural Pac-12 Pairs Championship and were named the Pac-12 Pair of the Year.
Women's beach volleyball was also promoted to an NCAA Championship sport that year, and Hughes and Claes helped the Trojans win the first-ever NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, defeating the Florida State Seminoles' top pair in straight sets in the finals.
They ended the season with an undefeated 48–0 record and were selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Hughes and Claes capped off a dominant year by winning the 2016 World University Championships without dropping a set the entire tournament.
As seniors, the duo repeated as Pac-12 Pairs Champions and were once again named Pair of Year.
They led the Trojans to their second consecutive NCAA title, coming back from a first set loss in the finals to beat the top-flight duo from Pepperdine.
Hughes and Claes completed their senior year with a 55–1 win–loss record, amassing an overall record of 147 wins and 4 losses in their three seasons together.

Between their sophomore and senior years, Hughes and Claes had a win streak of 103 collegiate matches, losing just seven sets during this run.
Their streak began in April 2015 and was broken two years later in a three-set loss to a team from the Saint Mary's Gaels.
Hughes was named an AVCA Division I Collegiate Beach All-American in all her four years of college.
She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in business administration in 2017, and earned a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation the following year.
Regarded as one of the top high school recruits for both beach and indoor, Hughes committed to playing beach volleyball for the USC Trojans in her junior year of high school. Beach volleyball had just become an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women at the time and Hughes decided to forgo collegiate indoor volleyball as "sand was [her] real passion."
Hughes joined the Trojans in the 2013–14 season, partnering with Kirby Burnham as the top-flight pair throughout her freshman year. The duo won the AVCA Pairs Championship and recorded 42 wins and 4 losses by the end the season. She was teamed with Claes as the Trojan's top-flight pair for the next three seasons. As sophomores, Hughes and Claes won the AVCA Pairs title and led the Trojans to their first AVCA National Championship, completing the season with a 44–3 win–loss record. In their junior year, they won the inaugural Pac-12 Pairs Championship and were named the Pac-12 Pair of the Year. Women's beach volleyball was also promoted to an NCAA Championship sport that year, and Hughes and Claes helped the Trojans win the first-ever NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, defeating the Florida State Seminoles' top pair in straight sets in the finals. They ended the season with an undefeated 48–0 record and were selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Hughes and Claes capped off a dominant year by winning the 2016 World University Championships without dropping a set the entire tournament. As seniors, the duo repeated as Pac-12 Pairs Champions and were once again named Pair of Year. They led the Trojans to their second consecutive NCAA title, coming back from a first set loss in the finals to beat the top-flight duo from Pepperdine. Hughes and Claes completed their senior year with a 55–1 win–loss record, amassing an overall record of 147 wins and 4 losses in their three seasons together.
Between their sophomore and senior years, Hughes and Claes had a win streak of 103 collegiate matches, losing just seven sets during this run. Their streak began in April 2015 and was broken two years later in a three-set loss to a team from the Saint Mary's Gaels. Hughes was named an AVCA Division I Collegiate Beach All-American in all her four years of college. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in business administration in 2017, and earned a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation the following year.
Sara Hughes