AVP Junior National Championships to take place at Hermosa Beach

Hundreds of the best youth beach volleyball players from around the country will flock to Hermosa Beach to compete in the 2024 AVP Junior National Championships Monday through Friday.

There are three age groups on the boys’ side: 18 and under, 16 and under, and 14 and under. For the girls side, there are four divisions: 18 and under, 16 and under, 14 and under, and 12 and under.

After two days of pool play, the bracket play will commence on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Girls 18U, 16U and 14U starts Wednesday and the 12U begins on Thursday.

The boys age groups will play in their brackets on Thursday and Friday.

Depending on teams’ performance in pool play, they will be put into a Gold or Silver bracket. Coming into the championships, all the pairings are seeded based on their AVP points from other events.

According to AVP Director of Player Development Kim Schuermann, players earn bids to get into the Hermosa Beach Open at local junior tournaments across the country, which means the best competition from around the country will be at Hermosa Beach.

“It’s probably the best kids in the country coming to this event,” Schuermann said. “There are so many college coaches out there too. It’s a really good time of year for kids to be able to carve out the time and play.”

According to the events website, 382 teams have signed up, which brings close to 800 players.

Schuermann added this is the third youth beach volleyball competition taking place at Hermosa Beach in July.

Last year, the Hermosa Beach Open ran simultaneously with the AVP professional event, but this year, only the youth side is participating. However, the timing allowed one pairing, Sarah Woods and Ashley Pater, to play in both the youth and professional events. Woods and Pater now compete on the pro circuit and just won the AVP Denver Open in early July.

The two will be playing in the Virginia Beach Open instead this week.

“The biggest thing is that our tournament feeds into the pros,” Schuermann said. “The AVP League is coming up this fall. This event earns the athletes points that get them into the events and then earn them a spot in the league.”

Schuermann’s role allows her to focus on creating a “pipeline for kids to learn about beach volleyball and play beach volleyball.”

“Not everybody’s going to play pro, but its about giving them high level competition as kids, so they can learn all the incredible benefits of sports,” Schuermann said.

AVP Junior National Championships

What: The best youth beach volleyball players from across the country will compete for a championship.When: July 22-26Where: Hermosa BeachMore information: Volleyball Life website