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Beach Volleyball Returns with AVP Manhattan Beach Open

Aug 20, 2021 08:46AM ● By Mb News Staff

Photo via city of Manhattan Beach/AVP

After a year on hiatus, the "granddaddy" of all beach volleyball tournaments is making a triumphant return to Manhattan Beach this weekend.

Known as the Wimbledon of beach volleyball, the AVP Gold Series/Manhattan Beach Open will dominate the Manhattan Beach Pier and downtown area from Friday through Sunday. It will culminate with the naming of four athletes - two men and two women - into the beach volleyball "Walk of Fame" on the Manhattan Beach Pier.

Qualification tournaments (see brackets here) took place on Wednesday and Thursday. The Main Draw Tournament will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (The Main Draw is 24 teams: ten receiving automatic bids based on AVP ranking, two Wild Card bids from the AVP, eight receiving Wild Card bids from the AVPNext circuit, and four bids from the Qualifier.)

The Olympic gold medal duo of Alix Klineman and April Ross, who have made appearances in Manhattan Beach over the past week, will be among the featured players in the womens' Main Draw tournament.

The total prize purse is $250,000.

This weekend's schedule is as follows:

Friday, August 20: Main Draw Tournament Opening Rounds, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 21: Main Draw Tournament Elimination Rounds, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 22: Final Rounds (5th place matches, semi-finals, finals), 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

General admission tickets are free to the public. Premium seating and access to the VIP skybox is also available for a fee.

Face coverings will be required at all times (unless actively eating or drinking) regardless of vaccination status while attending the event, per the County of Los Angeles Public Health Order issued on Monday, August 16, 2021.

Parking/Traffic Notes


Those who are headed downtown this weekend should take note of several significant road closures.

Those closures include:

Lower Pier parking lots: Closed through 8/25
Manhattan Beach Blvd. West of Ocean Drive:  Closed through 8/25
Ocean Drive between 11th & 12th Sts.: Closed through 8/22
Manhattan Beach Blvd. West of Manhattan Ave: Closed through 8/22
Upper Pier parking lots: Closed through 8/22

Carpooling, ridesharing, and biking are encouraged.

2019 Winners Honored on Walk of Fame


The 2019 Manhattan Beach Open winners were the mens' team of Reid Priddy and Trevor Crabb and the womens' team of Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes.


The pairs celebrated their victories on Thursday with a special ceremony and the unveiling of plaques on the Manhattan Beach Pier's Volleyball Walk of Fame.





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