The heat is on the nation's top beach volleyballers at Mount Maunganui's Main Beach this weekend, with more at stake than just national titles in the New Zealand Beach Volleyball Championships.

This Saturday and Sunday the top 16 teams in both the men's and women's divisions will spike and serve in an effort to not only clinch the national crown, but push their case for world championship and Olympic status in the process.

Mount Maunganui's Mike Watson (black shorts) looks to tip the ball past an opponent in the Mauao Beach Volleyball Series 2014 Grand Slam. Photo: Chris Callinan.

Only open to NZ domestic athletes, the two days of action will see the top teams based on the current best five results from the 2014/15 season.

And teams from as far afield as Tasman and Northland are making the trek to the Bay of Plenty for the annual decider.

Volleyball NZ beach volleyball tour director Tim Cleaver says once again the hotbeds of volleyballing strength will lie with the Bay, North Harbour and Waikato – all boasting a number of teams.

In the men's division, the Mount Maunganui pairing of Sam O'Dea and Mike Watson are the hot favourites once more, who spent a good chunk of 2014 playing abroad and took gold at the Oceania Beach Volleyball Championships.

But the duo will be pushed once again by Tom Hartles, with new partner Rene Kapa. Hartles and Ben O'Dea took Watson and O'Dea to three sets in the decider before losing 15-12.

The women's draw will see Waikato's Shaunna Polley and Julia Tilley look to go one better and take out the overall title having lost to world-ranked Vanuatu pairing Henriette Latika and Miller Elwin in 2014.

Tim says each side will play three pool matches, with the top two in each of the four draws going through to a quarterfinal showdown on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday will see the semifinals and finals in the main draw with the other teams battling it out for minor placings.

Along with the plethora of sporting action in this weekend's Mount Festival of Multisport, the beach volleyball will have plenty of action.

With the national tour involving Australian and Vanuatu teams starting next week, teams eager to impress and gain selection.

Tim says: 'This is also part of the selection process for our teams to try and qualify for the world champs and the Olympics. That all starts this year.

'While you're waiting for your friend to come past on the bike or whatever they are doing with the triathlon, pop on over to the volleyball.

The New Zealand Beach Volleyball Championships starts at 9am on both days on Mount Maunganui's Main Beach.