Pro Beach Tour Stop Relocation poses 0 problems – crowns new champs for Penticton Pro.
The weather was HOT, with VBC staff hauling watering cans non-stop from the lake just to cool off the sand courts at Skaha Beach. Volleyball BC adult pro athletes adjusted just fine over the Canada Day weekend playing in the 4th stop of the 2017 VBC Pro Beach Tour, the event which was moved from Kelowna to Penticton because of flooding issues.
2016 VBC Tour Champion Dave Beleznay and partner Ryan Gandy came out of the Penticton with the #1 prize money after finishing tied for 5th at the Parksville Pro. Tournament #1 ranked Beleznay/Gandy won in 3 sets over tournament #11 Little/Rieck (18-21, 21-14, 15-10).
Over on the Women’s side, both tournament #1 and #2 teams met in the finals on Sunday– and what a match it was! Kumiko Chow & Jayme Lepp won against the Thomas’ Rachelle and Tammy (not related) with both sets going the distance 27-25, 22-20! Penticton Pro results here.
All teams are now looking to this weekend to conclude the 2017 VBC Pro Beach Tour. With only one event left, Dave Beleznay and Pablo Vidal are both tied at 719 points each! #3 Krystian Weulani is not far behind with 713 points. Jayme Lepp, who has posted top 10 finishes all summer, currently holds a 4-point lead over 2016’s Women’s Tour Champion Rachelle Thomas. We’ll be sure to follow all these pros’ results all weekend! Pros who have participated in all 5 tour events are eligible to win the 2017 VBC Pro Tour Champion title along with $1000 cash!
View the VBC Pro Tour Leaderboards
Final Stop Attracting Canadian Olympians & Former Open Champs – Vancouver Pro Beach Open – July 14-16, Kitsilano Beach
The Vancouver Pro Beach Volleyball Open, the city’s most well-known beach volleyball event of the summer, is an exclusive pro beach tournament that runs 32 teams both on the men’s and women’s draw. Entry into the tournament is based on multiple competition results including FIVB, National, VBC Pro Tour, and VBC Provincials. There are 8 available spots for teams to enter the main 32-team tournament (July 15th – 16th) – teams who don’t have enough qualifying points to enter the main draw are required to play in the Vancouver Open Qualifying Tournament (Friday July 14th).
For the first time ever in Volleyball BC history, VBC will host a record 34 teams in the Men’s, and 23 teams in the Women’s Qualifier – again with only 8 teams being able to make it forward, this will be one of the toughest qualifiers for pros fighting to get in the main open!
The main draw features it’s fair share of Canadian volleyball ‘celebrities’ ranging from 2012 and 2016 Olympians, to former Van Open champions. Liz Cordonier, arguably one of BC most decorated athletes will be pairing with new teammate and fellow UBC Alum Juliana Kaufmanis at the Open. The latest Men’s duo to make the main draw are liberos Blair Bann & Steven Marshall, 2016 Rio Indoor Volleyball Olympians who have also recently helped the #MapleVolleys earn bronze in the 2017 FIVB World League Championships.
This year’s Vancouver Open Sponsors are: Vancouver Island Brewing Canuck Volleyball JOLYN My Matcha Life MVMTLAB Subway Canada Modu-Loc Fence Rentals 6 Pack Beach Vancouver – Indoor Beach Center.
To see results on how two Olympian liberos do on the beach, as well as the results of all the other pros in the tournament, keep updated on the Vancouver Pro Beach Volleyball Open Website.
Why are there no current Indoor Women’s National Team athletes competing at the Open?
- For the first time ever, the FIVB World Grand Prix will take place at the Richmond Oval, in Richmond, BC from July 21 to July 23. During this weekend, the city will host six matches among four teams – Canada, Germany, Peru and Czech Republic. More details can be found on their event page.
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Did we miss anything? Let us know at communications[at]volleyballbc.org!