Beach announces 2024-25 signing class

SEATTLE — Washington Beach Volleyball Head Coach Derek Olson announced today the addition of the first two members of the Huskies’ 2024-25 signing class. The Huskies are excited to welcome Emma Hohenauer and Niki Egan as new members of the Beach Dawg family.

“Both athletes are intelligent, polite young women with real character,” Olson said.

The first signatory, Hohenauer, is the second international recruit in history and is subsequently the second player from Austria. Hohenauer was a member of the Austrian national team seven times in youth tournaments. Hohenauer competed at the U19 World Championships in Dikili, Turkey, where she finished ninth. Hohenauer finished fourth at the U18 European Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

“Emma is someone we saw at an U19 competition in Turkey a few summers ago and what I liked about Emma’s game was her physicality,” Olson said. She played against great players and showed that she was just as good as them. She plays aggressively and has good athletic range. Until now, she was balancing indoor and beach and so it would be great to work with her for a full season,” Olson said.

The second member of the class, Egan, is wrapping up her stellar high school career as she just guided Cathedral Catholic to their second straight beach volleyball championship, as they finished the season 11-1. Last fall, Egan was a member of the indoor volleyball team that won a third straight California Open Division volleyball title. This title marked the start of a perfect season as the team went 42-0 losing only one set all year. MaxPreps.com selected Cathedral Catholic as the No. 1 team in the nation.

“Niki comes to us from the WAVE volleyball club, which has a good reputation for producing college-ready athletes,” Olson said. She has also played a lot indoors so far, which I think has added a lot of tools to her game. She is very fluid on the sand, can hit good angles and has a level of concentration that I really appreciate in athletes,” Olson said.

For all the latest UW Beach Volleyball news, photos and videos, follow X (@UW_BeachVB) and Instagram (@UW_BeachVB)