Mike Placek & Austin Rester Upset Men’s One-Seed; Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima & Karolina Sowala Reclaim Women’s Title
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (August 18, 2014) – The National Volleyball League (NVL) partnered with Milwaukee IndyFest to host the 2014 Milwaukee Championships this weekend with Americans Mike Placek & Austin Rester claiming the men’s title and Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima (BRA) & Karolina Sowala (POL) taking home the women’s title.
Seven-seed Placek and Rester upset one-seed Drew Mallin and Dave Palm, 21-12, 21-14. One-seed Piantadosi-Lima and Sowala defeated three-seed Brooke Niles and Jessica Stubinski, 21-13, 21-11.
“Partnering with Milwaukee IndyFest presented an exciting opportunity to bring beach volleyball to motor sports fans who may not have been previously exposed to this exhilarating game,” said NVL Founder & CEO Albert Hannemann. “The weekend offered attendees a variety of fun activities, including high-level volleyball competition, a concert, sponsor giveaways and a juniors clinic taught by NVL pros which underscores our mission of growing the sport at the grassroots level.”
The Milwaukee Championships were held from August 15 – 17 with the league’s top qualifying players competing for a $25,000 prize purse. The tournament qualifiers kicked off on Friday at New Berlin Ale House which features eight sand courts, and then moved to the infield of the historic Milwaukee Mile located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park with matches played on Saturday and Sunday. Music artist Kelley James, the official voice of the NVL, took to the stage Saturday night performing his fun, freestyle melodies.
All of the Milwaukee Championship matches are available to view free on-demand on the NVL Network.
The tournament is one of six professional events on the NVL calendar in 2014. The remaining events include:
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, view the NVL 2014 sizzle reel 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.
###
