This season, the AVP will be making its way to 7 different cities across the United States. The tour includes stops in St. Petersburg, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Manhattan Beach, Cincinnati, Atlantic City, and Huntington Beach. Each one of these cities has its own unique connection with the AVP, in the past and for years to come.
The first stop of the year is in St. Petersburg, Fl. St Pete is located on the western coast of Florida, close to Tampa Bay. 2013 marked the first season that the AVP made a stop in St. Pete, with the tour looking to finish what they started last year. On the men’s side, Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson took the men’s title, while the women’s side saw their final cancelled due to a storm that halted play. This year St. Petersburg will be opening the tour season May 30 – June 1.
The next stop will be a 4th of July weekend in Milwaukee, WI. Beginning on the 4th and ending on the 6th, the AVP makes its return to Milwaukee for their first tournament since 1998. The AVP first came to Milwaukee in 1987, where Mike Dodd and Tim Hovland defeated Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos to claim the title. The last title was won by Adam Johnson and Karch Kiraly in 1998. This year marks only the 3rd time that a women’s champion will be crowned in Milwaukee.
The third stop is Salt Lake City, UT, a city that held its first AVP tournament last year. Two great finals capped off a great weekend. Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal defeated Ryan Doherty and Todd Rogers in three sets, while Jennifer Kessy and April Ross came back to defeat Lauren Fendrick and Brittany Hochevar after dropping the first set. This year, the AVP will be in Salt Lake City from August 8-10.
After travelling to Utah, the AVP returns to one of its most familiar locations at Manhattan Beach, CA. The AVP held its first tournament in Manhattan Beach in 1984 and has been a mainstay of the tour ever since. The women first competed in 1993 and 1994, before gaining a permanent spot at the event in 2001. Kerri Walsh Jennings has made this tournament her own, winning at Manhattan five times, including last year with Whitney Pavlik. The AVP returns to one of its favorite locations on August 15-17.
From August 28-31, the AVP will be heading to Cincinnati, OH. Cincinnati had hosted AVP tournaments in 1993, 1994, and 1998 before returning in 2012. This will be the 3rd year that women will be competing for a title in Cincinnati. Last season, Cincinnati was host to one of the biggest surprises of the season, when 14th seeded Emily Day and Summer Ross took down Whitney Pavlik and Kerri Walsh Jennings for the title.
The penultimate stop of this year’s tour will take place in Atlantic City, NJ, from September 5-7. 2014 marks the second year the AVP has stopped by the Jersey shore. Last year, Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb, and April Ross and Jennifer Kessy took home the inaugural Atlantic City title. Who will be up to the challenge this year?
The finale of this year’s tour will return to California at Huntington Beach. The AVP first stopped in Huntington Beach in 2000 and it has been a staple ever since. For the second consecutive year, the AVP has decided to go out with a bang in Huntington Beach from September 25-28. Last year, Nick Lucena, Theodore Brunner, Jennifer Fopma and Brooke Sweat all walked away with an AVP tour victory. For Brunner, Fopma, and Sweat it was their first career AVP victory.
Each stop comes with its own history and its own personality. With these seven locations, the AVP is able to put on the same competitive, electrifying tournaments beach volleyball fans have come to expect while each stop offers a unique backdrop to the action.