For Sydney Anderson and Tara Mueller, sand volleyball is just a walk on the beach.

"That's all I want to do is play beach volleyball," Mueller said.

Playing on sand is widely considered the future of volleyball, and for these huskers the future is now.

"Every time I'm on a beach, my love and passion comes out even more," Anderson said. "It improves a lot of the all-around game in volleyball for each athlete."

"You have to be able to pass, you have to be able to set, you have to be able to hit, you have to do everything," Mueller said, "and that's why you play volleyball."

Earlier this spring, Mueller and Anderson took second place at the Collegiate Beach Championships in California, and say what they learned on the sand will translate to the gym.

"When you play beach volleyball," Mueller said, "it's a game of seeing the game, and being smart, and I think that's a great aspect to bring inside."

"Being out in California for this past month," Anderson said, "I just learned patience and just different little things you have to be good at."

Sand volleyball will become an official collegiate sport in 2010, giving these Huskers a taste of their future.

"Beach volleyball is for sure what I see myself doing in the future," Mueller said.

"This is my dream," Anderson said. "I want to play in the Olympics, either on sand or on the court."