Beach Volleyball’s Corinne Quiggle and Sarah Schermerhorn Murphy On Their Journey To Become Partners

For Team USA’s dynamic duo Sarah Schermerhorn Murphy and Corinne Quiggle, beach volleyball is a sport that represents not only a lifelong passion but also a dream that they’ve been chasing for years.

While their aspirations are the same — to make it to an Olympic Games — their journeys started out very different.

Quiggle’s road to beach volleyball started with a profound moment of inspiration while watching the 2012 Olympics London. She recalled the impact of watching the games, particularly the gold medal match featuring two USA teams. The legendary pairing of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings clinched the gold medal, marking their third Olympic victory out of the six Games they participated in as a team.

At the time, Quiggle was playing indoor volleyball. However, the fierce competition and the role models she witnessed on her TV ignited her desire to switch from indoor to beach volleyball.

Watching that, she told herself, “I want to be there. I want to go to the Olympics. I want to be competing at that level.” From that moment on, whenever she was practicing at home, she pretended to be her on-court heroes.

Murphy’s path to beach volleyball started later in life despite growing up in an athletic family.  

While her family was involved in tennis from the time she was young, she didn’t try out for the volleyball team until middle school where she fell in love with the sport’s unique mix of team dynamics and individual skills. Her journey into beach volleyball came even later, during her late twenties, as she discovered this distinctive discipline.

“Beach volleyball is not a team sport where you can sub somebody out,” she explained, but it’s also not an individual sport. “You have a partner, so you have that responsibility on your shoulders where you can’t self-destruct.” 

For Quiggle, 26, and Murphy, 34, their two-year partnership on the sand is more than just a professional collaboration — it’s a true friendship. They emphasize the importance of trust and mutual respect, which were established even before they became beach volleyball partners. Murphy described their relationship as similar to the bond she shares with her sister, emphasizing the importance of understanding, supporting and pushing each other to excel on and off the court.

“We were friends outside of the partnership first,” Murphy said. “I think that’s huge to have. At times when things get a little shaky, we fall back on knowing that you really enjoy this person, you’re invested in the relationship and want what’s best for each other.”

In June, Quiggle and Murphy earned their qualification to compete at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023. This achievement was followed by their first AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) title in July, signifying a significant milestone in their careers. However, their eyes are firmly set on the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Both players acknowledge the importance of the Pan American Games as a stepping stone towards their ultimate goal — the Olympics. The Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, offers a unique opportunity for them to represent the United States in a multi-sport competition, akin to the Olympic experience. But unlike a lot of other sports, this international event doesn’t serve as an Olympic qualifier but rather a platform to gather momentum and accumulate points towards Olympic qualification. Additionally, it provides them with the chance to refine their skills.   

Having gotten knocked out of qualifiers in their first three tournaments, Murphy said that points-wise “it has been tough to recover from. It’s a catch-up game now for sure.”  So, their objective for Pan Ams “is to take any opportunity we get and try to make the most of it. Take it one step at a time and see where it takes us.”

If everything works according to plan, the final step will be Paris. 

“Just making it into the Olympics and becoming an Olympian would probably be my biggest accomplishment in my life. I don’t know if you can say that because you’re married,” Quiggle joked to her playing partner. 

“I think the real guts and glory and the success there is the journey,” Murphy replied. “And I think the journey that we’re on has already been incredible and I’ve learned so much from it. Obviously, the Olympics is the end all, be all, but I’m still really proud of all the work we’re putting in.” 

But don’t think that their work is all fun in the sun. In addition to two hours of training on the sand, the duo heads to the gym after lunch for another couple of hours. Throw in physical therapy, recovery, sports psychology, team meetings, time spent rehashing film and sponsor obligations and you wonder where they find time to sleep. 

With their Pan American Games journey about to begin, you can follow Team USA and their beach volleyball semifinals action starting on Oct. 26.

Lisa Costantini has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than a decade, including for the International Olympic Committee. She is a freelance writer who has contributed to TeamUSA.com since 2011.