The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) beach volleyball tour season kicks off its longest schedule in over a decade this weekend in Austin, Texas, with 16 tournaments across the country—along with its largest purse since 2009 of $2 million.
The AVP was bought by Bally Sports last year, which brought much-needed support to the league that has struggled through two bankruptcies.
It previously held seven or eight tournaments a year under owner Donald Sun before the pandemic, and has held only three tournaments in each of the last two years during the lockdown period.
In this handout image provided by AVP, Sara Hughes competes against Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes in the semifinals during the Monster Hydro Cup, in Long Beach, Calif., on July 19, 2020 (Mpu Dinani/Getty Images)
A new American team, Sara Hughes and Kelley Kolinske, last month won the Itapema Challenge in Brazil—only their third tournament together.
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