With the dissolution of the AVP last year, beach volleyball players have been required to seek new tournaments and arena of competition. Hermosa Beach resident and professional player Albert Hannemann’s formation of the National Volleyball League has drawn many of the most talented players in the sport.
In a qualifier before the league’s first of six tour stops, sixteen athletes from the South Bay earned entries into the main draw for the Baltimore Preakness tournament to be held May 20-21. The quarter finals and finals will be played on the actual field at Preakness with a purse of $75,000.
Women’s Teams qualifying for the main draw for the Baltimore event include: Abra Amwake/Heather Evans, Meri-de Boyer (Redondo Beach)/Juliana Evens, Emily Day (Torrance)/Heather Hughes, Christal Engle/Jess Gysin, Tealle Hunkus (El Segundo)/Heather Lowe (Redondo Beach), Tarin Keith/Kathrin Winkler, Laryssa Mereszczak (El Segundo)/Tanya White (Redondo Beach) and Aurora Skarra-Gallagher/Alicia Zamparelli (Redondo Beach).
Men’s Teams into the main draw include: Pedro Brazao/Andrew Fuller (Hermosa Beach), Dana Camacho (El Segundo)/Tim Church (Redondo Beach), Joey Dykstra (Hermosa Beach)/Evan Engle, Scott Hill/Dane Jensen (Hermosa Beach), Marcin Jagoda/Stafford Slick (Hermosa Beach), Ty Loomis/Austin Rester (Manhattan Beach), Everett Matthews/Jon Mesko (Manhattan Beach) and Jesse Rambis (Playa Vista)/Curt Toppel.
The NVL tour continues July 22-24 at the Malibu Surf and Sports Festival; Aug. 26-28 at the East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach, CA; Aug. 30-Sept. 5 at the MotherLode Classic and Volleyball Vacation in Aspen, CO; Sept. 9-11 at the Models, Music and Fashion Festival in Miami Beach, FL; and Sept. 23-25 at the Sports Championship and Collegiate Festival in Long Beach.
For more information on the new league, visit www.nationalvolleyballleague.com. ER
