Harper Murray Reveals Her Volleyball Future as Ally Batenhorst Opens Up on Career Shift

“I feel like I’m literally back in college right now. Getting ready for a game day in Devaney. I never thought I would play in Devaney again,” Ally Bathenhorst said in her GRWM video with former teammate Harper Murray. After graduating from college and going pro, Batenhorst believed her days of playing in the Devaney Sports Center were truly behind her until the Alumni Scrimmage.

And it’s not difficult to see why she would think that, as UNL has tried organizing an alumni scrimmage for a while. “I just didn’t think it was actually going to become a thing,” Murray said during the pre-game conference. Thankfully, the Alumni Scrimmage became a reality and gave fans a reunion they never hoped for. What’s more? This Murray-Batenhorst reunion revealed the duo’s unspoken plan.

“So now I’m on the beach officially for good,” Ally Batenhorst said about her career shift. “Ally’s been wanting to play beach since we did it at Nebraska,” added Harper Murray, hinting that her beach volleyball move didn’t come out of nowhere. However, what the 20-year-old said next was something no one knew. “I always told Ally that we would be beach partners in the future,” said Murray.

“So one day, maybe when Ally needs a partner, I’ll be ready,” the Nebraska Huskers junior added. That would be quite something, considering both Murray and Batenhorst have impressive records to their name as UNL beach volleyball players. In 2023, Batenhorst went 15-5 with partner Bergen Reilly, the most wins by a Husker in a single season. Murray, on the other hand, posted an 18-9 last year, which is tied for highest individual single-season win total in UNL history.

And who knows? Maybe just like Olympian and beach volleyball world champion Sara Hughes recruited Ally Batenhorst as her partner, a veteran Batenhorst will one day recruit Harper Murray as her partner down the line. With that out of the way, the Huskers’ real focus is the upcoming season kickoff, and this scrimmage was a huge boost.

Harper Murray and team excelled against the alumni

“I know there are some that are hoping it stays at three (sets), but I’m secretly hoping for a four-setter,” head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said ahead of the alumni scrimmage. Well, she got her wish as the former Huskers took the third set just when it looked like Murray and Co. would sweep them. Yet, this four-set game was a thriller rather than a washout.

The alumni squad took the lead in the first, third, and fourth sets, forcing the current roster to battle its way back in three out of the four sets. It’s no wonder Coach Kelly was cautious heading into the game, “I’m expecting them to be pretty good on the other side.”

The offense was strong on both teams, with Ally Batenhorst leading the game with 13 kills, while Harper Murray ended the night as a close second with 12. However, the 20-year-old was far more efficient in her offense, notching 12 out of 21 attempts and putting up a massive .476. Batenhorst, in contrast, scored 13 out of 33 attempts. Then again, the alumni basically came off the bench and decided to play.

Nebraska’s assistant coach Kelly (Hunter) Natter revealed the reality of the alumni squad ahead of the match. “We are going to do a 30-minute practice right before and see how that goes,” the assistant coach who played for the alumni explained. So a roster that’s never played together makes the Huskers earn their win; say all you need to know about their skill level. And the final takeaway from this match was that offense will be the least of their worries if Harper Murray and Ally Batenhorst become beach volleyball partners.