From April 14th-17th Olympic hopefuls and AVP Stars took to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain to compete in the 2016 AVP New Orleans Open at Laketown, Kenner.
The first stop of the 2016 tour, the AVP New Orleans Open attracted thousands of fans to the Greater New Orleans area and showcased the region on a live NBC. Along with thousands of fans, the one day qualifier and three day tournament brought hundreds of tournament hopefuls, including decorated 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist Misty-May Treanor.
Kendra Van Zwieten and partner Kim DiCello outlasted LSU’s former all-SEC standout Angela Bensend and teammate Geena Urango to win the women’s title. In the men’s division, Ryan Doherty and John Mayer defeated 2015 New Orleans Open Champions Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb.
“Beach volleyball is the most popular Summer Olympic sport and to see these Olympic hopefuls in our backyard before they head to Rio is exciting,” said Sports Foundation President/CEO Jay Cicero. “Not only does the event provide an economic impact to the area, but the live NBC broadcast will promote our region to millions of viewers across the country.”
Working alongside the City of Kenner and Jefferson Parish, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation served as the Local Organizing Committee to bring the AVP back to Kenner for the second time in two years and hope to continue the relationship for years to come.
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