Monday, July 28, 2014

Brazilian Coaches Taking Over U.S. Beach Volleyball

Published February 19, 2013

“You must go faster,” echoes across the gym and the 15-year-old players stop in their tracks. “Let’s do it again,” coach Marcio Sicoli commands with intensity.

Even though his roots are Brazilian, Sicoli trained and coached U.S. sand volleyball champions Kerry Walsh-Jennings and Misty May-Treanor, who went on to get the gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

"When you’re participating in the Olympics, it's truly a world-class level of athletes and the international aspect is one of common respect of being amongst those of the highest level in your sport,” Sicoli said, speaking of the fact that he is Brazilian. “It's the level of accomplishment and not what jersey you’re wearing that matters."

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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Canada and Poland claim the gold medals at the U21 World Championships USA Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes take the bronze!!

The 2014 U21 World Championships medal winners

Larnaka, Cyprus, July 27, 2014 - Canada’s Sophie Bukovec and Tia Miric and Poland’s Michal Bryl and Kacper Kujawiak were crowned FIVB U21 world champions on Sunday evening in Larnaka.

Bukovec and Miric defeated Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Monika Povilaityte 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-10) in the final, while Bryl and Kujawiak beat Russian qualifiers Ilya Leshukov and Aleksandr Margiev 2-0 (21-16, 21-15).

The bronze medals at the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships went to USA’s Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes and France’s Maxime Thierry and Romain Di Giantommaso.

Key points

· Bryl and Kujawiak won back-tot-back gold in Larnaka. They also took first place at the U19 World Championships in 2012 in Cyprus.

· Italy’s Francesco Giontella and Paolo Nicolai have been the only other team to win back-to-back gold at the U21 (2007, 2008).

· Bukovec and Miric won their first career medal and also Canada’s first gold in a FIVB age group event.

· Thiercy and Di Giantommaso claimed the first medal for France in the 13-year history of the U21 World Championships.

· Claes and Hughes followed up U19 bronze last year with U21 bronze.

· Dumbauskaite and Povilaityte have won both silver (U21) and gold (U19) in Larnaka.

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WSOBV USA’s Ross/Walsh Jennings capture women’s gold medal on home sand

USA's Kerri Walsh Jennings, left, passes the Mikasa to April Ross as the Americans bring the crowd to their feet Sunday during their gold medal match victory over Brazil at the ASICS FIVB World Series of Beach Volleyball, a $1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam.

Long Beach, USA, July 27, 2014 - Rarely able to enjoy the benefits of playing an international event on their home sand, USA’s top-seeded Olympians April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings made the most of it Sunday to defeat Brazil’s rapidly-improving fifth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas 2-0 (21-17 and 21-17) to win the women’s gold medal match at the double-gender ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a US$1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam.

After an absence of 10 years, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event was held for the second straight year in sunny Southern California in Long Beach, Calif. in the purpose-built site located on the sands of the Alamitos Beach adjacent to Marina Green Park.

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Brazil to battle USA Sunday for Long Beach women’s gold

Brazil's Agatha Bednarczuk, left and Barbara Seixas celebrate their semifinal victory over Spain Saturday to advance to Sunday's gold medal match at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a $1m FIVB Grand Slam in Long Beach, Calif. USA.

Long Beach, Calif., July 26, 2014 — After nearly a week of spectacular international beach volleyball, the spotlight now focuses on team’s from Brazil and the United States who will meet Sunday in the women’s gold medal match at the double-gender ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a US$1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam.

Sunday’s action on the final day at the stadium center court will start at 10 a.m. PT with the bronze medal matches followed by the gold medal matches for both genders. The event is being held for the second straight year in Long Beach, Calif. in the purpose-built site located on the sands of the Alamitos Beach adjacent to Marina Green Park on East Shoreline Drive. General admission is free to the event and VIP tickets are on sale through the event website at www.wsobv.com.

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Home crowd boosts Americans into World Series of Beach Volleyball finals

USA's Kerri Walsh Jennings digs the ball as they win their round to advance to the gold round at the World Series of Beach Volleyball Semifinals in Long Beach CA. Saturday July 26, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)

By Phil Collin, phil.collin@langnews.com, @philcollin1 on Twitter

POSTED: 07/26/14, 10:06 PM PDT | UPDATED: 13 SECS AGO

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USA's Kerri Walsh Jennings, right and April Ross celebrate their win in the semifinals as they advance to the gold round at the World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach CA. Saturday July 26, 2014. (Thomas R. Cordova-Daily Breeze/Press-Telegram)

Maybe the top teams in the United States are enjoying a huge home-court advantage at the Asics World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach.

But they showed Saturday that they’re pretty good at beach volleyball.

Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal brought their game to its highest level this week to reach the men’s final for the fourth consecutive week on the tour, and Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross won twice to reach the women’s final at the FIVB Grand Slam event.

Both teams were buoyed by a raucous partisan crowd, not the type of polite crowds they generally encounter in Europe, where the bulk of the tour is played.

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Saturday, July 26, 2014

World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach is critical to the sport’s future in America

Former LBSU 49er Brittany Hochevar dives for the ball against Mexico's Martha Revuelta and Bibiana Candelas, during the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach Calif., Thursday July 24, 2014. Hochevar and her partner Lane Carico lost in the third set. (Stephen Carr / Staff Photographer)

By JJ Fiddler, Press-Telegram

POSTED: 07/25/14, 7:14 PM PDT |

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Men's and Women's Sunday competition of the 2013 AVP Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament. Kerri Walsh Jennings shares her joy with husband Casey Jennings after winning finals. (Staff file photo)

Golf fans have Augusta, race fans have Daytona and Indianapolis and beach volleyball fans can have Long Beach.

The popularity curve of beach volleyball in the United States never has been a straight line, and right now the sport is at a tipping point. If the scales are going to be tilted to the positive side, Long Beach and the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball may be that weight.

“(Outside the Olympics) this is the biggest event in the world,” three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings said of the series. She made her international return to the sand in Long Beach last year.

After a 10-year hiatus, Leonard Armato brought professional beach volleyball back to Long Beach in 2013 for a “festival” celebrating the sport’s culture with open tournaments, music and more. Only in its second year, the tournament purse is a record $1 million.

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WSOBV Angie Akers update

Akers applies authentic accentuate

Angie Akers (right), the top first-year player on the 2009 FIVB World Tour for the United States, is busy this week at the $1m ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach where she chats with event promoter Dave Klewan Friday.

Long Beach, USA, July 25, 2014 - Life was moving slowly last December for American beach volleyball standout Angie Akers when she was on crutches and was looking for something to do.

The top first-year player on the 2009 FIVB World Tour and a winner of four medals in her four-season international career, Akers received a tip from three-time Olympian and Athens 2004 bronze medalist Holly McPeak that there might be a position with the organization promoting this week’s US$1-million ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball event.

“I had surgery last December and was non-weight bearing and on crutches for three months,” said the 38-year old Akers, who started playing regularly on the American domestic tour in 2002. “During that time, I got really tired of being stuck on the couch. Holly McPeak is a good friend and I talked to her about wanting to do something since I wouldn't be able to play for a long time.”

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From WSOBV Two USA duos along with Germany, Poland win quarterfinals Friday in Long Beach

PRESS RELEASE

USA's Theodore Brunner, right, passes the Mikasa to Todd Rogers as the American duo won their quarterfinal match Friday over Latvia's Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins to advance to the final four at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball.

Long Beach, Calif., July 25, 2014 — Relishing the encouragement of their home-country fans, two teams from the United States are joined by duos from Germany and Poland who also earned final four spots Friday to advance to Saturday’s men’s semifinals at the double-gender ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a US$1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam.

With the event being held for the second straight year in Long Beach, Calif., the purpose-built event site is located on the sands of the Alamitos Beach adjacent to Marina Green Park on East Shoreline Drive. General admission is free to the event and VIP tickets are on sale through the event website at www.wsobv.com. Saturday’s schedule will also include the women’s quarterfinals and semifinals as the field has been reduced from 32-main draw teams for both genders. The bronze medal and gold medal matches will be held on Sunday.

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PHOTOS: World Series of Beach Volleyball, Pool Play

Posted: Friday, July 25, 2014 9:30 am | Updated: 9:38 am, Fri Jul 25, 2014.

Stephen Dachman

Long Beach State All-American Brittany Hochevar and South Bay native Lane Carico were eliminated after pool play on Thursday when the Mexican qualifiers Bibiana Candelas and Martha Revuelta beat them, 21-14, 17-21, 15-10.

The Americans took a 5-2 lead in the first set but Revuelta led the comeback and her back-to-back kills retook the lead for good as she and Candelas ended the set on a 13-6 run. Again Hochevar and Carico jumped out to a lead, 8-3, and this time they were able to keep it with strong swings through the big block of Candelas.

The third set was defined by one point after a Carico kill made it 3-4 Mexico. The rally was by far the longest of the match and maybe the longest of the day. The Americans continued to pepper their opponents with big swings but Revuelta came up with a handful of incredible digs and Candelas, a USC grad, put it away for the two point as they won going away.

"We've still got a long way to go," said Hochevar of making an Olympic run in 2015.

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Friday update from WSOBV

July 25, 2014

CUT SHOTS: GOOD VIBRATIONS

By Tom Feuer

Defining nirvana: ten hours of single elimination beach volleyball which was what we had in Long Beach Friday…

Biggest takeaways from the beachhead:

It has been a struggle for Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal. The number one seeds have played five matches thus far, and only one of their wins was in straight sets…”Survive and advance” may end up being their motto this weekend.
Kerri Walsh and April Ross won the definition of a “nail biter” 21-18, 18-21, 17-15 against Germany’s Laura Ludwig and new partner Julia Sude in the round of 16, their only match of the day. Julia’s dad Burkhard, was one of the greats from yesteryear (known as Mr. Volleyball in Germany) when the World Tour was in its infancy. However, Julia served into the net at a critical juncture in game three when Walsh-Ross were on the ropes and experience won out…barely.Click here for full article

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Long Beach goes big in beach volleyball

In an all American 2013 semifinal of the inaugural ASICS World Series Cup, April Ross and Jennifer Kessy defeated Kerri Walsh-Jennings and Whitney Pavlik to advance to the final in Long Beach. Here, Walsh-Jennings spikes the ball in game 2. (Scott Varley, Los Angeles News Group file)

By Phil Collin, phil.collin@langnews.com, @philcollin1 on Twitter

POSTED: 07/20/14, 6:17 PM PDT |

When: Tuesday, July 22-Sunday, July 27

Where: Long Beach/Alamitos Beach, Shoreline Drive

Volleyball: FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam featuring top players from about 30 countries; USA Volleyball West Coast Classic juniors, NCSVA Collegiate Sand Championships, USAVB High Performance tournament, 6-man youth, Coed 4’s, 6-man, 6-man coed

Other events: Live music daily including MAGIC!, Ryan Cabrera, Katy Tiz, Eric Hutchinson, DJ Irie

Admission: General admission free. VIP tickets:www.ticketfly.com/org/2713. Parking:www.wsobv.com/getting-there

TV: NBC all week:www.wsobv.com/getting-there(click broadcast schedule)

More information:www.wsobv.comIt was the end of a long, hot week on the sands of Alamitos Beach and Long Beach had seen an estimated 40,000 fans attend the World Series of Beach Volleyball.

The best players in the world had shown up on the heels of the 2012 Olympics, and in the first international beach volleyball event on American sand in 10 years all involved were pleasantly surprised by the event’s success.

A deep breath from event organizer Leonard Armato? Fat chance.

He looked at 2014 and saw more, bigger and better.

“It’s my feeling you have to go big or go home,” Armato said on the eve of the 2014 event, which showcases this week’s FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam. “And you’ve got to do something that cuts through the clutter and makes people take notice.”

Few can stare at the clutter and cut through like Armato, the former commissioner of the Association of Beach Professionals. He once was Shaquille O’Neal’s agent, for crying out loud.

What he envisions for the upcoming week is nothing short of an extravaganza. Well, maybe not envisions but demands.

The centerpiece of the event is having the world beach tour, the one that produces the Olympians, compete for $1 million in prize money. That in itself is a magnetic draw to Southern California volleyball fanatics. But Armato, one of those fanatics growing up in Manhattan Beach, knows his business.

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Monday, July 21, 2014

Misty May-Treanor | Believe In Yourself Podcast

Misty May-Treanor | Believe In Yourself

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2/21/2014
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In this episode, Tina Syer, Chief Impact Officer of Positive Coaching Alliance steps in for Jim and talks with Misty May-Treanor, three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist. Misty discuss her path to beach volleyball and the role her parents played. She shares how she played multiple sports growing up and the importance of letting the athlete make the final decision on what sports they want to play. She also reflects on her Olympic experience, playing with Kerry Walsh-Jennings, and her future plans.

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Saturday, July 19, 2014

From Volleyball Magazine: Rotational Exercises for In-Season Performance

Fitness • Ryan Berning • 07/16/14

Rotational Exercises for In-Season Performance

In SIDE TABLE, focus on pulling abdominals in and press your glutes and hamstrings to the sky.

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John Hancock

In SIDE TABLE, focus on pulling abdominals in and press your glutes and hamstrings to the sky.

When planning in-season workouts, the key is to maintain the strength and conditioning you cultivated in the off-season without fatiguing your body too much and sacrificing your performance in competition. Even if you only play on the weekends, you shouldn’t be trying to make physical gains during your season. Instead, focus on maintaining speed, range of motion, and your explosive ability in workouts throughout the week. As the weekend approaches, incorporate lots of dynamic stretching, and after you play, make sure to do plenty of static stretching.

Add the following exercises to your in-season workout plan to develop rotational stability and strength and improve your range of motion throughout your body.

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Thursday, July 17, 2014

The World Series of Beach Volleyball

In Year 2, bigger beach volleyball fest, and Rude

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer

Updated 4:59 pm, Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2012, file photo, Misty May Treanor, right, dives near her USA teammate Kerri Walsh Jennings during a women's semi-final beach volleyball match against China at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The World Series of Beach Volleyball, featuring athletes including Walsh Jennings, will run from July 22-27 in Long Beach, Calif. Photo: Dave Martin, AP

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Former beach volleyball commissioner Leonard Armato interrupted a telephone interview to play a song from his computer, explaining: "I thought that would be better than me singing it myself."

The song, "Rude," had recently climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart, and Armato was so excited about bringing the reggae group Magic! to this summer's World Series of Beach Volleyball that he couldn't resist. In its second year, the event is planning an expanded music festival mixed with the sandiest, sexiest sport in the Olympics.

"We're trying to appeal to pop culture in a way that hasn't been done before," said Armato, who along with running the AVP domestic tour has also been an agent with clients including Shaquille O'Neal and Oscar De La Hoya. "It's just a matter of how much we're going to push the envelope beyond last year."

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