Tag: Beach Volleyball

Why Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings will be at the Paris Olympics

The most iconic team in beach volleyball history will be in Paris — just not on the sand.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. This is FTW Explains: The Olympics.

It just doesn’t feel like the Summer Olympics without Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings around. For three straight Games, between 2004 and 2012, the American duo ruled the beach.

That iconic pair rose to stardom en route to three gold medal performances in women’s beach volleyball. But while Walsh Jennings stuck around for one more run — winning bronze with at the 2016 Games with April Ross, a 2021 Olympic gold medalist — the two haven’t been paired together at the Olympics since.

Until 2024.

May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings will return to the sand against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.

May-Treanor will be an analyst, calling games for NBC alongside Chris Marlowe. Walsh Jennings’ role is a little less certain. A comeback at age 45 alongside former Stanford teammate Logan Tom was derailed by an ankle injury. Regardless, she told NBC’s Bay Area affiliate she’ll make her way to France this summer.

“I will be part of Paris. I will go and participate in the Olympic movement,” said Jennings Walsh. “Right now, I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to show up.”

While we won’t see the most dominant beach volleyball pairing of all-time on the sand this summer, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings will still be a part of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Big 12 announces additions of Beach Volleyball and Women’s Lacrosse

Two new sports to come to the Big 12 starting in 2024.

On Thursday, the Big 12 and Commissioner Brett Yormark announced two more sports being added to the Big 12.

“Beach volleyball and women’s lacrosse are both experiencing growth and popularity on a national level,” said Commissioner Brett Yormark in a release from the conference. “The additions will allow incoming and current members to compete for national championships under the Big 12 umbrella while expanding the league’s footprint across new sports.”

The additions of the four new schools to the conference starting in 2024 give the Big 12 a chance to broaden its horizons in the realm of college athletics. Along with the TCU Horned Frogs, the beach volleyball teams will include the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, and Utah Utes.

Per the release, women’s lacrosse will feature Arizona State, Colorado, and Cincinnati.

More details are to come on the additions of beach volleyball and women’s lacrosse. The Big 12 increased their sponsored sports to 25, with women’s sports growing to 15.

it seems that the new commish continues to find new ways to increase the brand of Big 12 athletics for both men’s and women’s sports.

Watch pro beach volleyball players compete in the AVP Open tour

Bump, set, spike!

Year-round, Huntington Beach, California, is a popular place to play or watch beach volleyball. But this month, you can watch top-level players in action for free. The coastal SoCal city is expecting more than 15,000 spectators to roll through between May 19-21 for the three-day Pro Series Huntington Beach Open.

A beach volleyball stadium set up by the shore.
Photo courtesy of AVP

The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) is hosting an exciting 11-stop schedule. The series opened last month in New Orleans, and it closes in October in Laguna Beach, California. Huntington Beach is the second place the series touches down. This year, the schedule includes beach towns like Virginia Beach, Virginia, Hermosa Beach, California, and Manhattan Beach, California.

Competitions will also happen in non-beach cities, such as Denver, Atlanta, and Waupaca, Wisconsin. Professional players compete in three categories, the Pro Series, Gold Series, and the Open Series. Gold Series players are at the highest level and compete for the largest purse.

“We are looking forward to hosting the 2023 Huntington Beach Open,” Kelly Miller, president & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach, told Outdoors Wire. “Since 2000, Huntington Beach has been a staple on the AVP tour schedule, and with good reason. Our wide beaches, pristine volleyball courts, and extensive selection of hotels, shopping, and dining make us a favorite for athletes and spectators alike. We look forward to continuing the beach volleyball tradition, and wish all of the athletes the best of luck in the competition!”

Two teams playing beach volleyball.
Photo by Robert Beck, courtesy of AVP

All Huntington Beach AVP events are free to attend. Spectators should arrive early if they want a good spot. People interested in VIP packages can buy tickets here. The AVP Pro Huntington Beach Open stadium accommodates approximately 1,200 people. Officials expect about 5,000 spectators to come through the event each day.

Huntington Beach, aka Surf City, has many beaches along 10 miles of coastline. Throughout the year, organized tournaments and training camps for non-professional players pop up along Huntington Beach’s coastline. It’s a popular place for pro beach volleyball players to train. Huntington Beach will also host the NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball National Championships in 2025 and 2026.

Sydney McLaughlin breaks own world record; Thursday has beach volleyball semis and USWNT

U.S. 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin earned gold in world record time. Thursday may be the last time we see several USWNT players in the Olympics.

U.S. 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin earned gold in world record time. Thursday may be the last time we see several USWNT players in the Olympics.

Get to know Alix Klineman and April Ross: 5 facts about the United States’ new top beach volleyball pair

April Ross is an Olympic veteran. Alix Klineman has been waiting for this chance.

For the Tokyo Olympics this summer, For The Win is helping you get to know some of the star Olympians competing on the world’s biggest stage. Leading up to the Opening Ceremony, we’re highlighting 23 athletes in 23 days. Up next up is the duo of Alix Klineman and April Ross.

While much of the attention surrounding the U.S. Women’s Beach Volleyball team will focus on who isn’t there — Keri Walsh Jennings will miss her first summer Olympics of the century  — you should go ahead and get to know what would have been the country’s best medal hope, anyway.

Alix Klineman, 31, and April Ross, 39, finished tied for first in the FIVB provisional Olympic ranking. They’ve been so dominant since teaming up in 2018 that they were able to clinch a spot in the Games by winning a tournament in March to secure one of the United State’s two spots in Tokyo (other squads had to wait until June for their status to be figured out.)

Here are some facts you should know about Ross and Klineman.

READ MORE FROM OUR TOKYO OLYMPICS 23 in 23 SERIES HERE.