WAYNE, Neb.-- “To compete against Nebraska in anything is always a great opportunity,” said Scott Kneifl, who is the head beach volleyball coach at Wayne State College.

The Wayne State beach volleyball team has started their season 0-2, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when you’ve played Nebraska, which is one of the premier volleyball programs in the country.

“It’s great to play the Huskers, obviously.  A lot of these girls on our team are from Nebraska or the Midwest, and they dream of growing up and being a Husker,” Kneifl added.

Even with a loss to the Huskers, the Wildcats know the competition of that magnitude can be huge for the future and growing as a team.

“It was awesome to get to play them because we obviously know they have the talent. They’re also an indoor team like us who play sand in the spring, and it’s good to get to compete against somebody like that,” said Ally Beresford, who is a sophomore on the team.

The Wildcats will be in Arizona on March 7th to play matches against teams that train and play year-round in the sand.

So, the Wildcats know they have to come ready to compete.

“The teams that we play are beach-only teams. They train in the sand year-round. They train outside year-round," said Kneifl. "So, just compete hard, and obviously, we’re going to try to win. Every time we step on the sand, we’re going to try to win, “ Kneifl said.

Kneifl mentioned some advantages of going to the West Coast and competing.

“I just think simply because we get to play a ton. The more you play, the better you’re going to be obviously,” said Kneifl.

The Wildcat's first game in Arizona will be against South Mountain Community College in Phoenix.