COSTA MESA, Calif. (March 25, 2015) – The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), the premiere domestic professional beach volleyball tour in the U.S., today officially announced its 2015 schedule, adding tournaments in four new cities to its seven-event nationwide tour taking place from May through September.
In its fourth year under the guidance of AVP Managing Partner Donald Sun, the AVP has enhanced its seven-tournament schedule to bring the best of professional beach volleyball to fans across the country from coast to coast. The 2015 season will see tournaments return to Cincinnati; Manhattan Beach, Calif. and Huntington Beach, Calif., while the AVP will add tournaments in New Orleans, Seattle, Chicago and a new city in the Northeast U.S., which will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are pleased with the progress we have made since 2012, and feel that the strength of the 2015 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour schedule is a testament to our hard work and the proven appeal our sport has across the country,” Sun said. “As we enter a pre-Olympic year, this is undoubtedly a very important time for the AVP and beach volleyball; this is our year, and we will Own the Summer.”
Three tournaments return from 2014 – the AVP Cincinnati Open, AVP Championships at Huntington Beach and the legendary AVP Manhattan Beach Open, the longest running and most prestigious event in the sport. In addition, the AVP will return to New Orleans for the first time since 1999 and to Seattle for the first time since 1990. The AVP will also return to the shores of Lake Michigan for the Chicago Open, a tournament last held in 2009.
Each of the AVP’s seven tour stops will feature three or four days of world-class beach volleyball competition featuring Olympic champions and world-renowned athletes competing in a family friendly atmosphere filled with great music, food and interactive activities.
The AVP is the exclusive domestic beach volleyball home of the nation’s top athletes, including Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh-Jennings (2004, 2008, 2012), Todd Rogers (2008) and Phil Dalhausser (2008); Olympic silver medalists April Ross (2012) and Jen Kessy (2012); two-time Olympians Jake Gibb (2008, 2012) and Sean Rosenthal (2008, 2012); and Olympian Nicole Branagh (2008).
The tour also features many up-and-coming stars who are helping build the future of the sport, including Casey Patterson, Theo Brunner, Summer Ross, Emily Day, Tri Bourne, Lane Carico and 2014 AVP Newcomers of the Year Trevor Crabb and Amanda Dowdy. In addition to the rising stars already making waves on the AVP Tour, aspiring professionals will have the opportunity to earn their way into the company of the elite on the AVP through AVPNext – the AVP’s developmental tour – and open qualifying tournaments, increasing the intensity of competition.
Tickets for 2015 AVP tournaments will go on sale in the coming weeks, and information will be available atwww.AVP.com.
2015 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Schedule
Dates Event Location
May 21 – 24 New Orleans Open Laketown (Kenner, La.)
Aug. 6-9 Seattle Open TBA (Seattle, WA)
Aug. 13-16 Manhattan Beach Open South Side of Pier (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Aug. 27-30 Chicago Open Oak Street Beach (Chicago)
Sept. 3-6 Cincinnati Open Lindner Family Tennis Center (Mason, Ohio)
Sept. 10-13 AVP Championships at Huntington Beach South Side of Pier (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
*An additional tournament, in the Northeast U.S., will be announced in the coming weeks.
About the AVP
Established in 1983, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) produces, markets and distributes volleyball events worldwide, including the popular AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. While promoting family-oriented events and supporting a healthy lifestyle, the AVP is best known for its world-class athletes, who have won numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Olympic games. The AVP headquarters are in Costa Mesa, California, USA