When the National Volleyball League holds its West Coast Championships in Hermosa Beach this week, many fond memories will be recollected for NVL founder and CEO Albert “Al-B” Hannemann who now resides in Florida.
“I am thrilled to be back home in Hermosa Beach where I learned to play beach volleyball,” said Hannemann, a standout indoor player for North Torrance High School who enjoyed a successful 18-year pro career in beach volleyball. “When I won the Hermosa Open [in 2002] it was the highlight of my pro career and I love giving our NVL players the opportunity of competing on one of the most famous beach volleyball beaches in the world. Fans really enjoy watching these pro athletes compete and the family atmosphere that the NVL represents. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the volleyball fans in the South Bay.”
The fourth of six NVL tour stops, the West Coast Championships will be held Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 11-13 and feature many local athletes.
On the men’s side, Hermosa Beach will be represented by Steve Keffer, Kevin Lynch and Jon Mesko. Teammate Brad Torsone resides in Redondo Beach.
Women playing in the NVL include Hermosa Beach residents Chelsea Hayes, Molly Menard, Deviny Mo and Jennifer Snyder along with Redondo Beach’s Alicia Zamparelli-Flavia and Josie Schatz.
Dave Palm (Florida) and Eric Zaun (New Jersey) is the top-ranked men’s team and will be challenged by Jon Mesko (Hermosa Beach)/Travis Schoonover (Santa Monica) and Piotr Marciniak (Florida)/ Skylar DelSol (Colorado).
The Florida team of Karolina Marciniak and Raquel Ferreira have earned the most points on the women’s side. Other top teams include Molly Menard (Hermosa Beach)/Michelle Williams (San Diego) and Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima (Florida)/Kristen Batt-Rohr (Florida).
Hannemann founded the NVL in 2010 at a time when the U.S. was without a cohesive domestic tour. His goal was to unite the volleyball community and ensure its long-term success with grassroots programs.
“We just finished our Junior Championships a few days ago,” Hannemann said. “We had 200 of the world’s top junior athletes come for this third annual event at our Academy, which is the only beach volleyball academy in the world.”
Hannemann has clearly passed his athletic genes on to his daughter Maia. The 15-year-old won the 16U at the Junior Championships and was voted tournament MVP by her peers.
