USAV Collegiate Beach Challenge Leads Weekend Events

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org   

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 16, 2010) – Whether you call it sand or beach volleyball, it is a great weekend for playing and/or watching the sport under (we hope) sunny skies around the country.

USA Volleyball is hosting the Second Annual USAV Beach Collegiate Challenge at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 on the north side of Will Rogers State Beach in Santa Monica, Calif. The event is free and open to the public.

The Collegiate Challenge, run in cooperation with the AVP, will have three separate divisions: The Collegiate Division, the AVP Seniors Division and the Fours Exhibition.

Teams from USC, Pepperdine University, University of the Pacific, and Fresno State University have entered the Collegiate Division while teams from Florida Gulf Coast, Concordia-Irvine, and Cal Lutheran are signed up for the AVP Seniors Division.

The new AVP Seniors Division is open to female athletes who have exhausted their NCAA or NAIA eligibility with their final playing season being between Fall 2007 and Fall 2009. Teams must be comprised of athletes who played at the same college or university. This will be a separate competition from the Collegiate Division, and teams can enter regardless of their institution’s participation in the Collegiate Division. Entry is $25 per doubles team.

The USAV Beach Collegiate Challenge AVP Seniors Division champion will earn a spot in CBS College Sports Network’s 2010 Alt Games Collegiate Beach Championships on May 1-2 in Santa Barbara, competing for $5,000 in prize money, an automatic bid into the AVP Huntington Beach Open (June 4-6). Athletes will receive a free day of coaching/training from AVP professionals on April 30. Players must pay their own transportation costs, but the AVP will provide one free hotel room for two nights at the AVP hotel. Both players must be from the same school and will represent their school in the draw.

Click here for a list of teams and a competition schedule.

Fiesta on Siesta Key

In Florida, the second annual Fiesta on Siesta Key, returns this Saturday, April 17, 2010 in Siesta Key.

“Preparations for the event have gone well, now we’re just waiting the teams to arrive,” Fiesta Co-Director David Carstenson said. “Beginning at 10 on Saturday morning we’ll have 20 courts full of action… with the some of the best collegiate indoor volleyball student-athletes on the beach.”

The Fiesta on Siesta Key is once again a number of beach/sand volleyball tournaments in one. The Fiesta will be comprised of the Third Annual SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships and the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge.

Student-Athletes from schools in NCAA Division I, NAIA and even Junior/Community Colleges will compete in the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge at the Fiesta. “This year there will also be a special “Seniors-Only” event for athletes that have exhausted their college eligibility” said Fiesta Co-Director David Carstenson. Carstenson added: “Working in cooperation with CBS College Sports, athletes in this division will be highlighted in a national television broadcast, and the tandem that wins will have the opportunity to potentially play in an Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) event.”

The event web site is www.fiestaonsiestakey.com.

Sun Devil Sand Volleyball Tournament

Arizona is hosting the 2010 Sun Devil Sand Volleyball Tournament at Victory Lane Sports Park in Phoenix.

Teams from Arizona State University, Arizona Western, UTEP, Phoenix College, Scottsdale Community College and Glendale (Ariz.) Community College are scheduled to compete.

The event web site is www.sundevilvolleyball.com/sand-tournament.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, Collegiate Beach Challenge, sand volleyball