MIAMI (April 9, 2020) - First up in our Q&A series is setter, Abbie Hughes. Hughes is a dual-sport athlete, competing for both the FIU indoor and beach volleyball teams.

A force on the court, Hughes has posted over 2,000 assists in her career as a Panther. During the 2019 season, Hughes logged a triple-double, posting 45 assists, 12 kills and 11 digs. In the sand, Hughes 6-3 during the abbreviated 2020 season, playing primarily on courts four and five.

Q: What made you want to play volleyball?
A: My parents both played volleyball, so I have been around volleyball my whole life.

Q: When did you start playing?
A:  I have been competitively playing since I was in 5th grade.  

Q: What do you like about playing volleyball at FIU?
A: I love playing at FIU because volleyball is played differently everywhere in the world and because we are such a diverse group, I get to see a lot of new things with volleyball from my teammates. 



Q: How is it playing both beach and indoor volleyball? What are some challenges and what makes it fun to do both?
A: It's is very stressful to play both beach and indoor because I do not have an offseason. However, I wouldn't change it for the world. Time management can be difficult sometimes, but the resources we have in the SAAC make everything so much easier. It is also so fun that I practically get two teams and I am able to have such a huge family. 

Q: What are your favorite memories with your teammates on the court and off the court?
A: There are so many memories I have made with both teams, it is so hard to choose a favorite. This year I was actually able to make a memory with the indoor and beach team at the same time. We had conditioning with both teams out on the sand courts and even though it was conditioning it was really fun to have the teams doing something together. Everyone was making jokes all morning and it made conditioning so fun. 



Q: Do you have any pregame rituals?
A: My pregame ritual would be to listen to country music because it gets me calm but still excited. I am the type that has to stay calm, cool and collected before a game 

Q: What's your favorite thing to do when you're not playing volleyball?
A: My favorite thing to do off the court is organizing and cleaning surprisingly.

Q: What are your post-graduation plans?
A: My post-graduation plans would be to pursue a professional volleyball career and starting my journey to become a teacher.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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