ATLANTA, Georgia (June 4, 2014) – The National Volleyball League (NVL) will host its second pro beach volleyball tournament of the 2014 season from June 12 – 14 at LakePoint Sporting Community, a premier sports destination just north of metro Atlanta. The three-day event will include professional, amateur and junior competitions along with the NVL’s “Saturday Night Lights” format, which features Saturday night finals with a prize purse of $25,000, followed by a beach party with live music from recording artist Kelley James and activities for the entire family.
“The NVL is excited to be the first league to bring pro beach volleyball to LakePoint and this partnership furthers our mission of integrating top-tier competition with action-packed fan experiences,” commented NVL Founder and CEO, Albert Hannemann. “We received tremendous feedback on our Saturday Night Lights format at our season opener in Dallas, and look forward to continuing this in Atlanta to share the festive beach culture with the local community.”
In a joint venture announced earlier this year, LakePoint Sporting Community partnered with Olympian, World Champion and Hall of Famer, Sinjin Smith and his company Rally Volleyball, to form RallyVB at LakePoint. RallyVB is responsible for all aspects of volleyball at LakePoint and under the leadership of Smith and CEO & co-founder, Colleen Craig, will aim to grow participation, viewership and sponsorship in the sport. The NVL tournament is being held in conjunction with Atlanta-based Angry Dragon Volleyball, whose annual Dragon Slayer grass tournament will also be held at the same venue.
“With events on both sand and grass surfaces, RallyVB at LakePoint will provide an unusual and exciting opportunity for players and fans alike,” said Smith. “We’re anticipating a turnout of over 1,000 professional and amateur athletes from across the U.S. and believe this unique facility will provide a platform to increase awareness and popularity of volleyball in the Southeast.”
The NVL Atlanta tournament will feature top players including NVL 2014 Texas Pro champions, Pri Piantadosi-Lima and Karolina Sowala, as well as Olympian Mark Williams and Hawk Hatcher, and others.
Atlanta Event Highlights:
Thursday, June 12
1:30PM-6PM NVL Pro Qualifier
7PM-7:30PM Mandatory Player Meeting
7PM-9PM Junior NVL Atlanta PlayFIT Clinic and Open Play with the Pros
Friday, June 13
9AM-2PM 12U/14U NVL Beach Junior Series
Noon-10PM NVL Main Draw Matches
2PM-9PM 16U/18U NVL Beach Junior Series
6PM-10PM NVL Pro Featured Night Matches
Saturday, June 14
9AM-4PM 12U/14U/16U/18U NVL Beach Junior Series Playoffs
Noon-6PM NVL Main Draw Matches
4PM* 12U Junior Championship
4:30PM* Women’s Semi-finals
5:30PM* 14U Junior Championship
6PM* Men’s Semi-finals
7PM* 16U Junior Championship
7:30PM* Women’s Finals
8:30PM* 18U Junior Championship
9:PM* Men’s Finals
10PM* Beach Bash with Live Performance from Singer/Song Writer Kelley James
*Please note times are estimates and may be subject to change.
The tournament will also be live streamed for fans on the NVL Network. Full NVL Atlanta event details can be found here.
The Atlanta tournament is one of six professional events on the NVL calendar in 2014. The remaining events include:
July 10 – 12: Cincinnati, OH – The Beach Waterpark
August 16 – 17: Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Indyfest
September 19 – 21: Hermosa Beach, CA – Hermosa Beach Pier
October 3 – 4: Port St. Lucie, FL – Club Med Sandpiper Bay
For more information about the NVL, please visit: www.thenvl.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE
Established in 2010, the National Volleyball League is a professional beach volleyball league built by players for all players, united in one mission: to create a sustainable future for pro beach volleyball in the U.S. Home to six professional events in 2014, a nationwide grassroots beach series and the first-ever beach volleyball academy, the NVL is the only national platform for current professionals and players of all levels to showcase their talents and pursue their aspirations in the sport. Driven by a pure passion to grow the game and share the love of the sport and beach culture, the NVL is the Soul of Beach Volleyball.
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