Manhattan, PV players among top finishers in Jr AVP Nationals
by Wrigley Zbyszewski
Nearly 800 beach volleyball players, 18 and under, competed in the Junior AVP Nationals and US Beach Club tournaments last week. The competition coincided with the AVP Hermosa Beach Open, and reflected beach volleyball’s growing popularity, said Jeff Conover, AVP’s Senior Director of Sport and Competition.
“We had 378 teams this year,” Conover said. “We maxed out every division, except a couple of the boys’ divisions. But still, our boys’ numbers were up. Juniors tournaments were held in all 50 states, starting in November, through our 200 affiliate promoters throughout the country.”
“We come out here every year when all of the beach teams come together,” the mother of a player from Austin Texas said. “My daughter just loves it. It’s also important for college commitments.” Her daughter competed in the 18U division, and recently committed to Florida International University (FIU).

A boys’ 18U player crushes the ball during last week’s AVP Junior Nationals.
Part of the attraction for young volleyball players is being with the pros.
“We just want to continue on our legacy and show AVP is the brand when it comes to beach volleyball in this country,” Conover said. “We aim to continue that legacy for generations to come. That’s why we want to give these kids a cool experience, where they can be close to the pros, and they can be recruited. They’ll get the chance to play in college and move onto the pros if that’s what they want to pursue.”
Among the top local finishers in the Junior AVP Nationals tournament were brothers Bennett and Dane Schaefer, of Manhattan Beach, who won the 12U division. Sisters Mallory and Molly LaBreche, who play for MB Sand and live in Palos Verdes, took gold in the 16U division. Mallory is committed to UCLA, and Molly is committed to LSU.
“It was a super fun tournament, with great competition from around the country,” Mallory said. “It’s great seeing the sport grow every summer.”
“I had such an amazing time playing against great competition and lots of new commits,” Molly said. “It was fun getting to play near the pros as well as watch them in between our matches.”
“The people in Hermosa this week are our future friends, future fans, future players,” Conover said. “We’re developing programs pretty much every year. From the Juniors all the way to adults in the Masters’ divisions. We want people to see AVP as a touch point throughout their whole life – potentially moving into officiating and coaching. We want to be the mechanism that keeps them involved in the sport throughout their entire life.” ER