Click the image above to view slideshow

Beach volleyball's rising stars are busy honing their skills with an array of spikes, sets and slams at this year's Volleyball NZ National Age Group Beach Championships.

Mount Maunganui's main beach plays host to the two-day event, showcasing 95 of the country's best teams, with teams converging from as far away as Southland and Northland to compete for National Titles in the Under 15, 17, 19 and 23 age groups.

Mount Maunganui's Perry Preston slams the ball against Taranaki's Robert Fox at the Volleyball NZ National Age Group Beach Champs. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

In 2014, the younger age groups were dominated by Taranaki, while Canterbury, North Harbour and the Bay of Plenty took titles in the older age groups.

Volleyball NZ beach volleyball tour director Tim Cleaver says with 95 teams on show, plenty of top-class action is expected with pool play and the start of quarterfinals getting underway today.

'It's going great,” says Tim. 'We have perfect conditions with a bit of cloud cover and light wings, so it's been really nice.”

Local teams to watch out for include the Under-19 pairings of Emma Flynn and Kiana Tawa – who have already recorded top eight finishes on the National Tour this year – and the boys pairing of Kahurangi Robinson and Perry Preston.

In the Under-17 Girls, Paris Patete and Emma Mabbott were both part of the TGC indoor volleyball team that reached the finals of the North Island Champs in December, while male counterparts Ryan Forlong and Tyran Gillespie recently competed together at the Queensland Beach Volleyball Open.

And Tim remains optimistic the event will act as an entrée to the feast of beach volleyball action at this weekend's Mount Maunganui Open.

'We are hoping that the top 10 teams from the Under-19 grade will carry on and play in the Mount Maunganui Open,” he adds.

'They are getting plenty of experience and hopefully some decide to take on the older players this weekend.”

The semi-finals and finals of the Volleyball NZ National Age Group Beach Championships take place on Mount Maunganui's main beach today from 8.30am-5pm.