Five Things to Watch This Weekend at the AVP Kingston Seattle Open

The AVP will be on the shores of Lake Sammamish this week with $150,000 worth of prize money on the line. With Olympic Qualifying getting serious on the FIVB Tour, a host of new teams will compete together for the first time in Seattle. Here are some things to keep an eye on this weekend. 

Misty May-Treanor

 1.  Misty May returns to the AVP Tour
It looked like the Seattle Open was going to be without a three time Olympic Gold Medalist due to Kerri Walsh's shoulder injury.  Then the news came that Misty May-Treanor is coming to Seattle to play with Nichole Branagh.  Now Seattle fans will get a chance to see half of the most prolific winners in AVP and FIVB history.

Nobody is quite sure what Misty's intentions are for the long term, or if she will even be competitive against AVP level competition after spending several years in retirement.  Seattle fans will get to see first hand one of the smartest players in the history of the game ply her trade.  Who knows?  This could be the begining of an Olympic comeback, or just a way for Misty to connect with her fans.  Either way, it will be a treat to see what happens this weekend.

Phil Dalhausser

2.  The Debut of Teams Dalhausser/Lucena and Rosenthal/Brunner

Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal were the best team in beach volleyball coming into this year.  They won six FIVB events in the past two seasons, but were slowed regularly by injuries.  Rosenthal indicated that injuries were a factor in their decision to part ways.  Now, Dalhausser will play with Nick Lucena and Rosenthal will play with Theo Brunner.

Lucena and Brunner had been showing great potential and were looking like they had a great shot at earning a trip to Rio for the 2016 Olympic games.  Now, each has a new partner that was part of the most dominant team in the World over the last two years.  It is very possible that the teams would be ranked 4th and 5th in the bracket, which would mean a second round showdown.  Quite a treat for a Friday afternoon.

Summer Ross

3.  Summer Ross Returns to Seattle
University of Washington Volleyball fans will remember number 99 from her freshman season in 2011.  Summer left UW for Pepperdine, where she won the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship.  She left Pepperdine to pursue her professional beach career.

Ross is now partnered with USC alum Lane Carico.  The team has only been together a short amount of time, but could be the team of the future.  Carico is 25 and Summer is just 22 years old.

UW fans will surely support he duo this weekend.  Summer will be looking for her second ever AVP title and Carico will be in the hunt for her first.  A win on the shores of Lake Sammamish could begin a run that would see the youngsters claim a spot in the 2016 Olympic games.

Jeremy Casebeer

4.  The Lorax is Bigger & Badder than Ever!

Northwest beach volleyball fans will likely remember Jeremy Casebeer for the dominant performance he threw down in the finals at Seaside in 2013.  The man with the memorable mustache is back in the Northwest with partner Derik Olson and they are once again looking to dominate.

After spending most of last season with veteran Casey Jennings, and much of the off-season touring the World on the FIVB tour with Will Montgomery, Casebeer/Olson will be looking to make their own mark this weekend.

DJ Rouche

5.  How Will DJ Rouche Blow Our Minds With the Seattle Sound?

The pulse of any AVP event starts and ends with DJ Rouche.  Known for his eclectic sets and for taking requests from the players, DJ Rouche keeps Casey Patterson dancing and everyone's feet tapping throughout the events.  

Will we get a heavy dose of Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Sound Garden this weekend?  Will the Blue Scholars, Sir Mix-a-lot and Common Market make an appearance in his playlists?  Only DJ Rouche knows, but the rest of us are lucky enough to get to find out.  

Get All of The Details About This Weekend's Event at http://avp.com/event/avp-seattle-open/

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AVP Northwest Pipeline to the Pros Series will Debut this Summer at Bottega Fitness Park!

Beach VBC is proud to be a promoting partner of the AVP Next Zone 3 Series and will host five events at Bottega Fitness Park this summer.  The top finishing team in the series standings will earn a main draw seed in the historic Manhattan Beach Open plus a travel allowance!  The events will also feature cash prizes with up to $1,000 per gender up for grabs at each event.

"A lot of hard work has gone into making this series a reality and we're really excited to have this element of making the Pacific Northwest a beach volleyball hotbed in place," said Beach VBC Executive Director Mati Bishop.

"We've seen huge growth in the interest in beach volleyball in our area and a huge jump in the level of play in our top junior athletes in the past four years.  This series provides the opportunity for these athletes to see and eventually take the next step in their goal to become professional beach volleyball players and Olympians," Bishop continued.

The series features Women's and Men's Open divisions and Bishop expects that top adult players from the Pacific Northwest will take an interest in the events.

"We will be actively promoting the series to the top adult and collegiate beach volleyball athletes in our Region," he says.  "That being said, some of the top junior teams in the Region are already competing in the Alki Volleyball Association Women's Open Division and we hope to see them taking advantage of these events to hone their skills in an intense and competitive environment."

With high level competition on display Bishop is confident that the surrounding communities will take interest in the events and is developing plans to make the series spectator friendly events that will be fun for the whole family.

"Volleyball and beach volleyball have been growing in popularity throughout Snohomish County and we're committed to making these events something that people of all ages can come out and enjoy," said Bishop.

Registration for the series opens on April 1 and registration for individual events will open May 1.  Space is limited to 20 teams per gender per event and players are encouraged to register early to ensure that they receive their spot.  Registration as well as series rules and regulations are available at AVPNW.com.