Culver City Observer -

The world's top pro beach volleyball players return to the South Bay as the AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open kicks off Friday, July 7 through Sunday, July 9

• The AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open is the AVP's second 2023 event in California, as 16

women's teams and 16 men's teams are set to compete for the titles

• Tournament to run concurrently with the AVP Junior National Championship, with the U.S. Beach Club Championship to follow the Pro event, will bring hundreds of the country's top male and female players to the South Bay

• General admission is FREE, and premium seating options are available now at http://www.AVP.com

HERMOSA BEACH, CALIFORNIA (June 28, 2023) -- The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour is set to make its second appearance in California, bringing some of the world's best beach volleyball players back to the South Bay hot spot.

The AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open will be held Friday, July 7 through Sunday, July 9 at the Hermosa Beach Pier (1 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254), featuring many of the game's top players and emerging stars competing over three days for a $125,000 purse.

General admission for the AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open is FREE every day, with the option to purchase premium seating tickets for Club AVP and courtside boxes. Tickets are available at http://www.avp.com/tickets/.

While the pros compete for the honor of becoming the next champions of the Hermosa Beach Open, youth volleyball athletes from across the country will be playing on the same sand in hopes of someday emulating the stars that they look up to as role models. The AVP Junior Nationals will be held July 5-9, bringing hundreds of girls and boys ages 12-18 to Hermosa Beach.

The US Beach Club Championship, a tandem between USA Volleyball and the AVP, returns to the South Bay for the second time and will take place following the Hermosa Beach Open, July 9-11. Youth athletes from the top beach volleyball clubs in the country will compete in a traditional college format style tournament. The 16- and 18-age groups will compete on Sunday and Monday and the 14-age group compete on Monday and Tuesday.

"Beach volleyball is such an integral part of Hermosa Beach, and we feel honored to be back competing in the heart of such a vibrant area that deeply values the sport of beach volleyball," said Al Lau, CEO of the AVP. "To be able to have the AVP Juniors Nationals running concurrently with the Hermosa Beach Open, and have the US Beach Club Championship to follow, will provide an amazing opportunity for young players who aspire to reach the top level of the sport watch and learn from the best of the best. We're looking forward to an exciting week in the South Bay."

Competition will run from approximately 9 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. All main draw matches on Stadium Court will stream live on ESPN+ and all matches played on Courts 1 and 2 will be available live on the Bally Live app. Canadian fans can also stream Stadium Court on TSN+. Live coverage of the women's and men's finals of the AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open is scheduled for Sunday, July 9 starting at 1 p.m. PT on ESPNU.

In the AVP Tour's last visit to Hermosa Beach, a three-time AVP winner and Canadian Olympian, Chaim Schalk and former partner, Theo Brunner, won the men's bracket. Sarah Sponcil and Terese Cannon won the women's title and were crowned the queens of the South Bay. While Sponcil and Cannon don't plan on playing in Hermosa Beach this year, Schalk looks to repeat his success, but with his new partner, Tri Bourne, a nine-time AVP Champion and Olympian.

The AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open will feature 16-team women's and men's fields competing in a double-elimination bracket across three courts from Friday through Sunday. Each gender's bracket consists of 10 teams automatically entered based on the AVP ranking points, two wild cards and four teams who have earned entry through the AVP Tour Series Virginia Beach Open.

The 2023 AVP Tour schedule includes 12 tournaments across the country, offering more than

$1.6 million in prize money. Four Tour Series events feature 16 or 24-team brackets competing over three days for a $20,000 purse, along with four Pro Series events offering a 16-team draw playing for $125,000 over three days of play. The three AVP Gold Series tournaments are three- day events with 16- or 32-team brackets, and the highest purses of the season at $300,000, along with a two-day Championship event that invites the top six teams per gender to compete exclusively at the end of the season.