Ask most women on the Association of Volleyball Professionals Tour how they arrived at playing beach volleyball and the answer is probably the same for all of them.

Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, Elaine Youngs, Nicole Branagh, Jenny Johnson Jordan and Vista High graduate Lisa Rutledge all played indoor volleyball in college before heading out to the beach.

Until recently, that was practically the only route available to high school players eying a pro career. But earlier this year, the NCAA tentatively approved a plan to make "sand volleyball" a sanctioned sport beginning in the 2010-11 school year.

That's good news for local high school stars Natalie Hagglund and Summer Ross, two of the best youth beach volleyball players in the country. The two qualified to play in the AVP's Manhattan Beach Open in July and traveled to Turkey to play the sport as part of the FIVB Youth World Championships last month.

"Having beach as a possibility in college is a dream come true,'' said Hagglund, a senior outside hitter at La Costa Canyon High.

"If I have my choice, I'll play both in college," added Ross, a junior at Carlsbad.

The NCAA is still examining the specifics of adding sand volleyball ---- its term for beach volleyball ---- so aspects like scholarship allotment, how to structure play and when to play the season have yet to be determined. Another vote is scheduled for the NCAA convention in January.

Hagglund and Ross aren't the only ones who love playing at the beach. According to a report by the Sporting Good Manufacturing Association (SGMA), 589,000 people were frequent beach volleyball participants in 2006. More than 55 percent were females under the age of 24.

Until now, playing beach volleyball has been strictly a summertime adventure, a way to stay in shape for the upcoming season in the fall.

Lauren Plum, a first-team All-CIF San Diego Section setter from Poway who has orally committed to play at Oregon, was all set to head to the beach prior to her senior season. But she broke her ankle late in the club season, curtailing her plans.

"Being a setter, I thought playing at the beach would really help my game a ton,'' Plum said. "I would love to play beach next year before I go to Oregon and even once I'm there.

"I think playing beach would be more relaxing mentally, but exhausting physically, especially at the start.

"I'm an indoor person, and I think I always will be."

Like Plum, Torrey Pines setter Jenny Woolway is a relative newcomer to playing in the sand. She took it up this summer to get ready for her senior season before she heads off to UC Davis.

"I've played indoor for seven years, and I'm still not very good at the beach," Woolway said. "I think having it as an option in the next year or two is going to make all of us better players.

"And the ones who simply want to play beach can do that without having to play indoor and limit their beach playing to summer only. We've never had that choice before.''

Kelly Reeves, a 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter at Cathedral Catholic, has committed to play indoors at UCLA. But she hasn't ruled out playing beach volleyball, too.

"At least I'd have that option,'' said Reeves, who partners with Hagglund on the beach. "For me, beach is just a hobby.

"I have to admit my legs are so much stronger after a summer playing at Moonlight Beach.

"The deep sand is tough to play in. It makes my vertical (jump) seem like about 2 inches."

Contact staff writer Terry Monahan at 760-739-6648.