MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Proving it was anyone’s tournament to win, men’s 12 seed Skyler McCoy (USA) & two-time Olympian Mark Williams (AUS), and women’s 15 seed Vivian Cunha & Raquel Goncalves Ferreira, were the victors at the National Volleyball League (NVL) Milwaukee Championships.
During the Milwaukee National Volleyball League Championships July 12, 2015 at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Jeff Haynes)
McCoy/Williams won a hard-fought two game match going 22-20, 26-24 against the seven seed American team of Mike DiPierro and Jon Mesko. This was the first professional tournament McCoy and Williams have played together. McCoy, the youngest player on tour at 22 years of age, won the crowd’s heart and played like a seasoned veteran. He recently appeared in the NVL Ocean City Championships finals in May with then partner, Eric Zaun, but ultimately lost.
Cunha/Goncalves Ferreira faced the reigning women’s champs Kristen Batt-Rohr & Piantadosi-Lima in the finals and took it in two games, 21-19, 21-16. Cunha/Goncalves Ferreira have quickly become a team to watch this season, almost upsetting one seed Brooke Niles & Karolina Sowala at the 2015 Panama City Beach Championships.
The tournament was hosted at Bradford Beach from July 10-12 and featured top pro beach volleyball players from around the world, competing for a $50,000 prize purse. Fans were treated to a variety of contests and giveaways, including a La Croix stacking competition, Mikasa “Defining Moments” trivia, King & Queen of the Beach round robin, and Australian Gold swag.
During the Milwaukee National Volleyball League Championships July 12, 2015 at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Jeff Haynes)
NVL RIZE, the NVL’s official amateur series, also hosted a tournament and clinic for juniors throughout the weekend. Finals were played on the NVL center court and live streamed to thousands of fans. The next RIZE tournament will be held July 16-18 in Grand Sands, Ohio.
The Milwaukee Championships center court matches will be available to view free on-demand at the NVL Network.
The tournament is one of eight professional events on the NVL calendar in 2015. The remaining events include:
July 16 – 18: Cincinnati, OH
August 6 – 8: Hermosa Beach, CA
August 28 – 30: Seattle, WA
September 25 – 27: Port St. Lucie, FL
For more information about the NVL, please visit: www.thenvl.com, view the 2015 sizzle reel or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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 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 50 schools sponsoring it as of January 2015 and a Division 1 approved championship, the NVL is building the infrastructure for young players to achieve their dreams.
###
