Week 2 takes the 2026 AVP League to Aspen, Colorado at the base of its slopes — the first AVP League event ever held in Aspen. Four teams. Eight duos. The first of two Crabb Brothers matchups of the regular season. A 2025 Women’s League Championship final rematch. And two city rivalries playing out across the weekend.
Palm Beach Passion, Miami Mayhem, Brooklyn Blaze, and New York Nitro make up the Aspen field. Palm Beach Passion and Miami Mayhem open their back-to-back City Rivalry weekend — they meet again the following weekend in Miami. New York Nitro and Brooklyn Blaze meet at Aspen for the second consecutive weekend after opening the rivalry at Belmar. Seven of the 16 athletes competing at Aspen are Olympians.
The matchups for Aspen:
- Palm Beach Passion vs Miami Mayhem
- Palm Beach Passion vs Brooklyn Blaze
- Brooklyn Blaze vs New York Nitro
- Miami Mayhem vs New York Nitro
How to watch: Live broadcasts on CW Saturday from 2:00-4:00 PM MT, CBS Sports Network Sunday from 2:00-4:00 PM MT, and additional matches streaming on the AVP YouTube Channel.
The Crabb Brothers Meet Again
Aspen delivers the first of two Crabb Brothers matchups of the 2026 regular season. Trevor Crabb on Palm Beach Passion. Taylor Crabb on Miami Mayhem. Two products of Outrigger Canoe Club and Punahou High School in Hawaii, now on opposing AVP League teams.
Taylor and Trevor have met 32 times in their professional careers. Trevor leads the head-to-head 19-13 — 15-10 on the AVP Tour, 2-1 in AVP League play, and tied 2-2 on the World Beach Volleyball Tour. Trevor took their 2025 AVP League meeting and won two of three meetings in 2024, including a third-set 29-27 thriller in the AVP League Championships and a Manhattan Beach Open semifinal.
Trevor is the reigning 2025 AVP MVP and 2025 AVP League Champion alongside Phil Dalhausser. Taylor is a six-time AVP Best Defensive Player — the most in tour history — entering his first AVP League event with new partner Andy Benesh, a 2024 Paris Olympian. The second Crabb Brothers matchup of the regular season comes the following weekend in Miami.
Palm Beach Passion vs Miami Mayhem: The Florida Rivalry Opens
The Florida City Rivalry starts at Aspen and continues the following weekend in Miami — two consecutive weeks of Palm Beach vs Miami.
Palm Beach Passion is the only team returning the same roster from last season. They enter 2026 as the 2025 AVP Cup Champions, the 2025 men’s AVP League Champions (Trevor Crabb and Dalhausser), and the 2025 women’s AVP League Championship runners-up (Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson). Phil Dalhausser is the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee, and most decorated player in AVP history, competing at age 46. Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson are 2024 Paris Olympic Silver Medalists. Wilkerson has led the women’s league in both hitting percentage and blocks per set in every AVP League season.
Miami Mayhem is a completely rebuilt roster — every athlete on a new partnership. Kelly Cheng is a two-time Olympian, 2023 World Champion, and 2022 AVP MVP making her AVP League debut alongside Megan Kraft, the 2025 AVP Best Server and 2025 AVP MVP runner-up. Cheng has reached the semifinals in 35 of her 44 career AVP tournaments. Kraft led all women in aces per set in the 2025 AVP League season. Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh round out the roster as a new partnership that won the AVP Huntington Beach Open in their first event together.
One added layer: former teammates face off this weekend. Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw were partners throughout the 2025 AVP League season and finished 4-4 in regular season play. Now on opposing teams, they meet at Aspen for the first time on opposite sides of the net.
2025 Women’s Finals Rematch: Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson vs Denaburg/Donlin
Aspen delivers a rematch of the 2025 AVP League Championship final between Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson and Lexy Denaburg and Julia Donlin. Brooklyn Blaze won that final in two straight sets, 15-10, 15-10, to claim the 2025 women’s AVP League Championship.
Denaburg and Donlin enter Aspen 1-1 from Belmar after defeating Toni Rodriguez and Molly Shaw 2-1 in three sets, then losing 0-2 to Megan Rice and Geena Urango. Donlin made her 2026 debut at Belmar after returning from partial patellar tendon tears.
Humana-Paredes is a two-time Olympian who has played in the finals of 12 of her 19 career AVP events. Wilkerson is the four-time consecutive AVP Best Blocker (2022-2025). The Canadian duo are currently tied for sixth in the world.
New York Nitro vs Brooklyn Blaze: The Rematch
The second weekend of the back-to-back City Rivalry between New York Nitro and Brooklyn Blaze brings two direct rematches from Belmar.
On the women’s side, it’s a total rematch. Toni Rodriguez and Molly Shaw face Denaburg and Donlin one week after their three-set Belmar opener, which Brooklyn won 2-1 (15-12, 12-15, 13-15). Rodriguez and Shaw enter Aspen 0-2 from Belmar looking for their first win of the season as a partnership. Rodriguez is the 2024 AVP Best Server and 2024 AVP League Champion returning from a dislocated shoulder. Shaw is a two-time AVCA All-American at Grand Canyon University.
On the men’s side, James Shaw is back in the lineup for the New York Nitro after missing Belmar due to a scheduling conflict (Theo Brunner subbed in his place). Schalk and James Shaw enter Aspen 1-1 — Schalk’s Belmar record with Brunner reflects a win over Bradford and Cory and a loss to Hagen Smith and Logan Webber. Schalk is a 2016 Rio Olympian and two-time AVP Champion. James Shaw is 6-foot-8 and ranked second among men in aces per set in 2025.
Bradford and Cory enter Aspen 0-2 from Belmar after dropping both matches in three sets — first to Brunner and Schalk 15-12, 14-16, 13-15, then to Chase Budinger and Miles Evans 21-19, 12-15, 7-15. The rookie partnership finished tied for third at Huntington Beach two weekends ago and is looking for their first AVP League win of the season.
New League Debuts and Notable Names
Aspen marks the AVP League debut for two of the most anticipated new partnerships of 2026. Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft team up for the first time at a League event. So do Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh, who already have one Heritage title to their name from Huntington Beach.
Seven of the 16 athletes at Aspen are Olympians: Phil Dalhausser (2008 Olympic Gold Medalist), Melissa Humana-Paredes (Paris 2024 Silver, two-time Olympian), Brandie Wilkerson (Paris 2024 Silver), Kelly Cheng (two-time Olympian, Tokyo and Paris), Andy Benesh (Paris 2024), Chaim Schalk (Rio 2016), and Taylor Crabb (Tokyo 2021).
How to Watch
Saturday, June 6 (Mountain Time)
- 2:00 PM — Women: Palm Beach Passion vs Miami Mayhem (CW)
- 3:00 PM — Men: Palm Beach Passion vs Miami Mayhem (CW)
- 4:00 PM — Women: Brooklyn Blaze vs New York Nitro (YouTube)
- 5:00 PM — Men: Brooklyn Blaze vs New York Nitro (YouTube)
Sunday, June 7 (Mountain Time)
- 2:00 PM — Women: Palm Beach Passion vs Brooklyn Blaze (CBS Sports Network)
- 3:00 PM — Women: Miami Mayhem vs New York Nitro (CBS Sports Network)
- 4:00 PM — Men: Palm Beach Passion vs Brooklyn Blaze (YouTube)
- 5:00 PM — Men: Miami Mayhem vs New York Nitro (YouTube)
All YouTube matches stream on the AVP YouTube Channel.
Event Details
The 2026 AVP Aspen event runs June 6-7 at Koch Park, 120 W Cooper Ave, Aspen, CO 81611 — the first AVP League event ever held in Aspen. For full event details, visit the event page. Get your tickets here.
AVP members get 10% off all event tickets, 25% off AVP merch, and 30% off Wilson volleyballs. Join at members.avp.com.
Week 2 is at altitude. The League continues in Aspen.