At that age, Sarah Sponcil is already headed to the Summer Games.
Sponcil and her 25-year-old partner, Kelly Claes, are the first generation to come up through an NCAA beach volleyball program that didnât exist until 2012 â long after Ross graduated from Southern California. They are the youngest U.S. beach team ever to qualify for the Olympics.
âThis kind of shows what having college beach volleyball can do,â Claes said in a recent interview as she prepared for the Tokyo Olympics. âThereâs just so many more opportunities for women to play. I think itâs incredible, and I think the sport is only going to get better and better in the States.â