For new generation of Olympians, path was through NCAA beach

This 2020, photo provided by the Association of Volleyball Professionals shows Sarah Sponcil, left, and Kelly Claes during an interview at the AVP Champions Cup in Long Beach, Calif. The Americans are part of the first generation of college beach volleyball players to reach the Olympics. At 24 and 25, they are the youngest U.S. beach team ever to qualify for the Summer Games. (Mpu Dinani/AVP via AP)

This Aug. 2, 2020, photo provided by the Association of Volleyball Professionals shows Alix Klineman, left, and April Ross, far right, during a match against Kelly Claes, foreground, and Sarah Sponcil, not shown, at the AVP Champions Cup in Long Beach, Calif. Ross was 24 years old when she first started playing beach volleyball, the sport that would eventually send her to four Olympics. At that age, Sponcil is already headed to the Summer Games. Sponcil and her 25-year-old partner, Claes, are the first generation to come up through an NCAA beach volleyball program that didn’t exist until 2012 — long after Ross graduated from Southern California. They are the youngest U.S. beach team ever to qualify for the Olympics. (Robert Beck/AVP via AP)

This Aug. 2, 2020, photo provided by the Association of Volleyball Professionals shows Kelly Claes, left, and Sarah Sponcil during a match at the AVP Champions Cup in Long Beach, Calif. The Americans are part of the first generation of college beach volleyball players to reach the Olympics. At 24 and 25, they are the youngest U.S. beach team ever to qualify for the Summer Games. (Mpu Dinani/AVP via AP)