AVPNext, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Pro Beach Volleyball Tour’s official developmental program, concluded its 2015 regional competition series on Sunday with seven men’s and seven women’s teams emerging as regional winners earning automatic berths into the main draw of the prestigious AVP Manhattan Beach Open presented by Acer from August 14-16.
AVPNext regional competitions took place from March through August in eight designated zones across the country with a minimum of five certified AVPNext tournaments held in each zone.
“Our goal with AVPNext and AVPFirst is to establish and support a clear and attainable path for aspiring athletes to develop their game and reach the highest level of the sport – the AVP Tour,” said AVP Managing Partner Donald Sun. “We are pleased to be able to offer these talented teams an opportunity to continue to develop their game. Watching the teams play and progress through the series has reinforced the importance and necessity of AVPNext. We are encouraged by the engagement and increased participation in the series over the past two years and we are thrilled to welcome the AVPNext regional champions to the AVP Manhattan Beach Open presented by Acer.”
The 56th AVP Manhattan Beach Open presented by Acer is the longest-running continuous tournament in the history of beach volleyball and is regarded as the tour’s most prestigious and popular event. It will feature an expanded field of 32 men’s and 32 women’s main-draw teams and an open qualifier, continuing a tradition that has been a highlight of summer in the South Bay since 1960. AVPNext regional winners will receive automatic berths into the main draw and will be seeded based on final aggregate AVP point totals earned in 2015 AVP competitions to date.
The regional winners of the 2015 AVPNext series entered into the AVP Manhattan Beach Open presented by Acer are:
Pacific Zone
Men: Mark Tkaczuk (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) / Reuben Danley (Anaheim, Calif.)
As a team, Reuben and Mark competed in four AVPNext Pacific Zone events. They won in Santa Cruz, Calif. on June 20.
Women: Delaney Knudsen (Valencia, Calif.) / Katie Spieler (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Delaney and Katie participated in four AVPNext Pacific Zone events and won two of them, in Santa Cruz on June 20 and Huntington Beach, Calif. on July 23.
Southwest Zone
Men: Kyle Neely (Scottsdale, Ariz.) / Richie Thomas (Mesa, Calif.)
Kyle and Richie competed in all five AVPNext Southwest Zone events. They won events on April 25 and July 25.
Women: Crystal Meadows (Chandler, Ariz.) / Kelli Dallmann (Peoria, Ariz.)
Crystal and Kelli participated in four of the AVPNext Southwest Zone events. The duo finished second in events on April 25 and July 25.
Mountain Zone:
Men: David Smith (Lakewood, Colo.) / Tom Kohler (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Dave and Tom participated in four of the Mountain Zone events, winning June 27 in Albuquerque, NM.
Women: Tess Rogers (Engelwood, Colo.) / Allison Buck (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Tess and Allison competed in three Mountain Zone events together. They won two events – on July 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah and Aug. 1 in Park City, Utah.
Midwest Zone:
Men: David Ryan Vander Meer (Grand Rapids, Mich.) / Charles VanRees (Muskegon, Mich.)
Charles and David participated in seven Midwest Zone events. They won three – May 16 in Chicago, Ill., July 12 in Chicago and July 25 in Grand Haven, Mich.
Women: Lorelee Smith (Joliet, Ill.) / Lisa Howard (Joliet, Ill.)
Lisa and Lorelee competed in six Midwest Zone events and won in Chicago on June 13.
South Zone:
Men: Taylor Hughes (Austin, Tex.) / Oleksiy Gutor (Addison, Tex.)
Taylor and Oleksiy competed in seven South Zone events. They won on June 20 in Dallas, Texas.
Women: Jayna Duke (Austin, Tex.) /Lauren Dickson (Austin, Tex.)
Lauren and Jayna competed in four South Zone events together. The team finished second on May 9 in San Antonio, Tex. and never finished lower than third.
Southeast Zone:
Men: Jonathan Rogers (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) / Brian Tillman (Mount Pleasant, S.C.)
Jon and Brian won five of the seven Southeast Zone events they competed in – May 9 and June 6 in Emerson, Ga., June 20 in Wilmington, N.C., June 27 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and July 18 in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Women: Brandi Tenlen (Juno Beach, Fla.) / Diana Gordon (Boynton Beach, Fla.)
Brandi and Diana teamed up for seven Southeast Zone events and won May 9 and June 6 in Emerson, Ga.
Atlantic Zone:
Men: Matt Toner (Baldwin, N.Y.) / Patric Santiago (Baldwin, N.Y.)
Matt and Patric competed in four of the five Atlantic Zone events. They finished second twice – July 5 in Long Island, N.Y. and July 18 in Liverpool, N.Y.
Women: Theresa Cole (Marietta, N.Y.) / Daina Marsh (Fairport, N.Y.)
Theresa and Daina competed in four Atlantic Zone events and won all four events in Liverpool, N.Y. (June 13, June 20, July 18, Aug. 8).
For more information on AVPNext, visit www.avp.com/avpnext or search “AVPNext” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.