Budding beach volleyball stars will soon be able to play the sport in college.

The NCAA approved "sand" volleyball as an emerging sport for women on Monday and cleared the way for varsity competition in the 2010-11 academic year. The organization will spend the next year developing rules that will govern intercollegiate play, including regulations on financial aid, playing dates and recruiting.

"The opportunity to play sand volleyball in the spring will spur growth in the sport. I wish I had that opportunity when I was at Stanford," said two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh, who like most beach players competed indoors in college. "This development will give more women an opportunity for a professional volleyball career in the United States."

The sport, known on the professional and Olympic levels as beach volleyball, will be called sand volleyball to make it more attractive to landlocked schools. Many colleges — including Texas, Nebraska and Utah — already participate in informal tournaments with club teams.

Indoor volleyball is the No. 2 women's sport in the NCAA, second only to basketball, with 992 of the 1,064 member schools fielding teams.

NFL

'FRIDGE' IN HOSPITAL

Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman William "The Refrigerator" Perry is in serious condition at a South Carolina hospital, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

Perry, 46, was hospitalized to deal with complications from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a chronic inflammation disorder of the peripheral nerves, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune reported.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a rare condition that occurs when immune system cells mistakenly attack nerve cells that support the muscles.