PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The National Volleyball League (NVL) wrapped its 2015 season at the Club Med NVL Volleyball Academies at Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with second seeds Skylar del Sol and Piotr Marciniak defeating back-to-back tournament winners and top seeds Dave Palm and Eric Zaun 21-19, 21-15. The victory marks Marciniak’s second title of the season after a win at the NVL’ s Madeira Beach Championships in April with partner Matt Henderson.
In women’s action, it was number two seed Vivian Cunha and Raquel Ferreira overpowering number five seed Chara Harris and Brittany Tiegs in straight sets, 21-15 and 21-18, earning the pair’s fourth NVL title in 2015.
“It was an incredible finale to an exciting season and we continue the tradition of ending the year at our home here at the Club Med NVL Volleyball Academies, where we’re growing the next generation of pro beach athletes,” said NVL Founder and CEO Albert Hannemann. “The players on this tour have given fans eight tournaments of world class beach volleyball and have been tremendous ambassadors for the sport. We can’t wait to see what they bring in 2016.”
The tournament was held from September 25th – 27th and featured top beach volleyball pros from around the world, competing for a $100,000 prize purse. Port St. Lucie city officials Jeff Bremer, City Manager; Linda Barton, Vice Mayor and Shannon Martin, Councilwoman were honorary guests for the opening of the tournament, with Jeff Bremer tossing up the first serve. In conjunction with the pro tournament, the league hosted a Volleyball Vacation experience for fans with a weekend full of volleyball festivities, free clinics for all ages and open play with NVL pros.
The Players Championships center court matches will be available to view free on-demand at the NVL Network.
The tournament was the eighth and final stop of the 2015 NVL tour.
2015 NVL Tournament Summary and Winners:
MARCH 18-20: PANAMA CITY BEACH CHAMPIONSHIPS, Panama City Beach, FL
Dave Palm & Mike Placek
Brooke Niles & Karolina Sowala
APRIL 24-26: MADEIRA BEACH CHAMPIONSHIPS, Madeira Beach, FL
Matt Henderson & Piotr Marciniak
Kristen Batt-Rohr & Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima
MAY 29-31: OCEAN CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Ocean City, MD
Erik Haddock & Roberto Rodriguez-Bertran
Kristen Batt-Rohr & Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima
JULY 10-12: MILWAUKEE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Milwaukee, WI
Skyler McCoy & Mark Williams
Vivian Cunha & Raquel Ferreira
JULY 16-18: MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS, Cincinnati, OH
Andrew Russell & Travis Schoonover
Vivian Cunha & Raquel Ferreira
AUGUST 6-8: WEST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS, Hermosa Beach, CA
Dave Palm & Eric Zaun
Vivian Cunha & Raquel Ferreira
AUGUST 28-30: SEATTLE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Seattle, WA
Dave Palm & Eric Zaun
Brooke Niles & Karolina Sowala
SEPTEMBER 25-27: PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Port St. Lucie, FL
Piotr Marciniak & Skylar del Sol
Vivian Cunha & Raquel Ferreira
About National Volleyball League
Established in 2010, the NVL 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 eight professional events in 2015, a grassroots series, and the Club Med NVL Beach Volleyball Academies, 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. With sand volleyball now a sanctioned high school sport, the NCAA’s fastest-growing emerging sport in history with over 200 schools offering scholarships in 2016, the NVL is building the infrastructure for young players to achieve their dreams.
For more information about the NVL, please visit: www.thenvl.com, view the 2015 sizzle reel or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. NVL’s VB Soul magazine may be viewed here.
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