AVP Tour Starts This Weekend With $75,000 Event in Honolulu

The world’s best professional beach volleyball players are gathering in Honolulu this weekend as the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals begins its 24-city tour.

A record $2.8 million in prize money will be awarded this season, including the $800,000 U.S. Championships in Hermosa Beach on Aug. 28-30.

According to AVP President Jon Stevenson, each tournament will be televised.

“As part of the three-year agreement reached last year with the NBC Television Network, NBC Sports will broadcast five 1992 tour events live, including the U.S. Championships,” he said. “Prime Ticket and ESPN will be our broadcast partners for tournaments not covered by NBC.”

The Honolulu tournament has a purse of $75,000. A milestone could be reached as Randy Stoklos attempts to become the first player to surpass $1 million in career earnings. Stoklos will team up with Sinjin Smith, the tour’s leading money-winner since 1986, who also is nearing $1 million in earnings.

Other top players expected to compete on the tour include Kent Steffes, Tim Hovland, Karch Kiraly, Brent Frohoff, Mike Dodd, Scott Ayakatubby, Pat Powers and the 1991 U.S. champions, Adam Johnson and Ricci Luyties.

The tour will stop in at least 14 states. First-time stops include Pensacola, Fla., Louisville, Ky. and Austin, Tex. One additional tour site has yet to be selected.

The AVP is the sanctioning and governing body for professional beach volleyball in the United States. It was founded in 1983.