BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Budding beach volleyball talent Taliqua Clancy's childhood was like so many others - clad in Olympic dreams.

The 20-year-old from Kingaroy just never thought it would have anything to do with sand.

"I didn't even know what volleyball was when I was growing up," Clancy says.

"I did a bit of everything when I was growing up - swimming, netball, athletics.

"Then I started indoor (volleyball) in high school."

Her potential was noticed soon after, but it was only three years ago that Clancy first tried her hand at beach volleyball while at the Queensland Academy of Sport.

Her development since is best reflected in the fact she and fellow young gun Maria Fe Artacho Del Solar were a part of Australia's team at this year's Continental Cup, in which they helped seal Natalie Cook's fifth Olympics berth.

"That was pretty awesome, just to be a part of that and help your country get a spot at an Olympic Games," Clancy said.

Cook in particular has left an indomitable mark on Clancy.

"Nat helped me a lot actually. She got me an apprenticeship when I was living in Brisbane," she recalls.

"She was always there for me to talk to, and almost being a mum. She's played a massive role in keeping me in the sport."

It's a good thing too.

With London being Cook's swansong, questions about the future of the sport will be asked over the next four years until Copacabana Beach hosts the next Olympic tournament.

The early indicators suggest it's the odd-couple partnership of Sydney-based Artacho Del Solar, who emigrated from Peru as a child, and Adelaide-based Clancy, a proud Aboriginal person who grew up living with her single mum and grandparents in a town made famous by its peanuts.

The duo joined forces at the start of the year, having previously trained together.

Results were positive, but it wasn't until the recent junior world championships in Canada they were tested by the best under-21 talent.

The result was a bronze medal, captured with a thrilling win over the United States.

Its significance is perhaps best described by Volleyball Australia's high performance manager Matt Sebbens.

"It's a great boost for our Rio hopes," Sebbens said.

"The girls represent the future of the sport in Australia and victory over the US pair is a major step forward for us.

"They actually played a key role in assisting Nat Cook and Tamsin Hinchley reach the London Olympics and could well signal a changing of the guard."

Great expectations accompany most athletic upstarts, and the nature of the Olympic beast means planning four years into the future.

It's something Clancy and Artacho Del Solar are embracing, as they look to make an impact in the world tour's final event for the year on October 23-28.

"We knew coming out of London and the new Olympic cycle, that we really wanted to do well ahead of Rio 2016," Clancy said.

"We both have the dream of Rio ... and know that if we train really hard and compete well that we're setting ourselves up for Rio.

"We're going to Thailand for the last world tour event, so it's a good opportunity to get world tour points.

"We've got to start making the draw (at world tour events), so we get our points up and can hopefully qualify for the Olympics through being in the top 16."

The Olympics remain very much a dream for Clancy, but one that's suddenly a lot more achievable than it was 12 years ago when Cook's gold medal effort at Bondi was the furthest thing on her mind.

AAP