| |
| 1895 |
|
William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Mass., decides to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball to create a game for his classes of businessmen which would demand less physical contact than basketball. He creates the game of Volleyball (at that time called mintonette). Morgan borrows the net from tennis, and raises it 6 feet 6 inches above the floor, just above the average man's head. |
| 1920s |
|
There are unconfirmed whispers of men’s teams playing on the beach in Hawaii, but most accounts place the sport's origin in Santa Monica, California where the first Volleyball courts are put up on the beach at the Playground. Families play 6 vs. 6. |
| 1927 |
|
Beach Volleyball crosses the Atlantic Ocean. It becomes the principal sport in a French nudist camp founded in Franconville, a north-western suburb of Paris. |
| 1930s |
|
The first two-man beach volleyball game is played in Santa Monica, California. |
| 1930s |
|
Beach volleyball appears in Palavas, Lacanau and Royan (France), around Sofia (Bulgaria), Prague (Czechoslavakia), and Riga (Latvia). |
| 1930s |
|
In the US, people escape the depression by going to the beach; 4 vs 4 and 3 vs 3 games are played. |
| 1947 |
|
The first official two-man Beach Volleyball tournament is held at Will Rogers State Beach, California with no prize money. It is organized by Bernie Holtzman and won by Manny Saenz and Harris. |
| 1948 |
|
The first tournament to offer a prize is held in Los Angeles, California. It awards the best teams with a case of Pepsi. |
| 1950s |
Parks & Rec |
The first circuit is organized by the Parks & Recreation Departments on five beaches in California: Santa Barbara, Will Rogers State Beach, Sorrento Beach, Laguna Beach, and San Diego. In the database, this era is referred to as Parks & Recreation (P&R). |
| 1950s |
|
In Brazil, the first tournament sponsored by a newspaper publishing company takes place. |
| 1950s |
|
The beginning of "Beachmania": Beach Volleyball becomes an entertainment show with Beauty Contests included in the official program. |
| 1957 |
Parks & Rec |
Bernie Holtzman and Gene Selznick win an event that features Greta Tyson, star of "Pajama Tops", as Queen of the Beach. Beach volleyball becomes more than a sport; it turns into a real show. |
| 1960s |
|
In France, the winners of 3 vs. 3 games earn about 30,000 French Francs in tournaments in La Baule and les Sables d'Olonne. |
| 1960s |
Parks & Rec |
Open tournaments are held on thirteen beaches in California: Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Will Rogers State Beach, Manhattan Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, San Diego, Mission Beach, Newport Beach, Rosecrans, Sorrento Beach, Marine Street, and Laguna Niguel. The first Manhattan Beach Open takes place in 1960. |
| 1960s |
Parks & Rec |
President Kennedy attends the first official Beach Volleyball event in Sorrento Beach, Los Angeles. |
| 1965 |
Parks & Rec |
The California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) is founded. Tournament organizers meet to coordinate schedules and define the rules of the game. |
| 1970 |
Parks & Rec |
The first Hermosa Beach tournament is played with Ron Von Hagen and Henry Bergman capturing the title. |
| 1975 |
Parks & Rec |
Winston Cigarettes becomes the first commercial company to sponsor a tournament which takes place in San Diego, California with 250 spectators. A total of $1,500 in prize money is offered with Dennis Hare and Fred Zeulich winning the event. |
| 1976 |
Parks & Rec |
Olympia Beer presents the Inaugural Professional Championships of Beach Volleyball at Will Rogers State Beach with a $5,000 first prize. The event is won by Jim Menges and Greg Lee. It is estimated that close to 30,000 spectators enjoy the competition. |
| 1976 |
Parks & Rec |
Events Concepts is founded to promote and expand the beach tour. |
| 1976 |
Parks & Rec |
The first event played outside of California takes place on the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Fred Sturm and Gary Hooper take home 1st place. |
| 1976 |
Parks & Rec |
Ron Von Hagen retires with record 62 Open Wins. Von Hagen is now considered the Babe Ruth of Beach Volleyball. |
| 1978 |
Parks & Rec |
Jose Cuervo Tequila enters as the sport's first major sponsor. |
| 1979 |
Parks & Rec |
Prize money for the major US events doubles to $10,000. |
| 1979 |
Parks & Rec |
The King of the Beach tournament in Manhattan Beach offers $11,000 prize money. |
| 1979 |
Parks & Rec |
Tournaments are held in four states, California, Hawaii, Colorado, and Nevada. |
| 1980 |
Parks & Rec |
The first sponsored tour in the US begins with seven events on the calendar and $52,000 prize money. The tour includes stops in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Laguna Beach ($5,000), Manhattan Beach ($10,000), The King of the Beach ($12,000), and The World Championships ($15,000). |
| 1981 |
Parks & Rec |
Miller Brewing Company joins Beach Volleyball as a major sponsor. |
| 1982 |
Parks & Rec |
The tour becomes national with the first east coast tournament held in Clearwater, Florida. With Miller Brewing as a sponsor, $69,000 in total cash prizes are awarded for six tournaments. |
| 1982 |
|
Beach Volleyball becomes popular on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
| 1983 |
Parks & Rec |
$137,000 in total cash prizes are awarded for twelve tournaments. The tour expands with stops in New York, and Chicago. |
| 1983 |
AVP |
On July 21, the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) is formed to protect players' interests and to preserve the integrity of beach volleyball. |
| 1984 |
AVP |
Players strike at the World Championships in Redondo Beach. The AVP begins running its own tour. |
| 1985 |
AVP |
Bolle Sunglasses joins the AVP as a major sponsor. The total tour prize money reaches $275,000. |
| 1985 |
AVP |
The AVP Tour includes stops in eight states ( California, Florida, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Hawaii). |
| 1986 |
FIVB |
The first international Beach Volleyball exhibition in Rio de Janeiro is held with 5,000 spectators. |
| 1986 |
FIVB |
Brazilian Volleyball Champions, like Renan, Badá, Montanaro, William, Jackie Silva, Isabel Salgado, Vera Mossa, Regina Uchoa, along with the 1984 Olympic Volleyball Champion, Pat Powers and the King of the Beach, Sinjin Smith become leading figures in the world-wide growth of Beach Volleyball. |
| 1986 |
FIVB |
The Australian Pro Beach Circuit is born. |
| 1986 |
AVP |
AVP Pro Beach Volleyball receives cable television coverage via "Prime Ticket", and Pro Beach Volleyball makes its network debut on ABC's Wide World of Sports. |
| 1986 |
WPVA |
The Women's Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) is created when a group of professional women that include former Olympic and collegiate All-American volleyball players join together. Led by Pepperdine volleyball coach Nina Matthies, the formation of the WPVA is the first step to organizing the women's pro beach volleyball events which had previously been played as amateur games or as the accompaniment to the men's professional game. |
| 1987 |
FIVB |
The first international FIVB sanctioned Beach Volleyball tournament is held at Ipanema Beach ( Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) with $22,000 in prize money. Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos win the tournament. |
| 1987 |
WPVA |
The WPVA holds its first Women's Professional event in Newport Beach, California on May 16-17. Linda Chisholm and Jackie Silva win the event and split $300 in prize money. Chisholm dominates the inaugural season winning eight out of nine tournaments with two different partners, Jackie Silva (seven) and Nina Matthies (one). |
| 1988 |
AVP |
The AVP awards cash prizes for twenty-seven tournaments. The AVP signs a three-year contract with Miller that results in a total of $4.5 million in prize money. Miller hires the AVP to produce twenty-three Lite Beer events. |
| 1989 |
AVP |
After winning two indoor Olympic gold medals with USA volleyball and playing indoors professionally in Italy, Karch Kiraly turns to the beach full time and wins four events with Brent Frohoff. |
| 1990 |
FIVB |
The first FIVB Beach Volleyball International Circuit offering $140,000 in total prize money, named the World Series, is created with men’s tournaments in Brazil, Italy, and Japan. The Brazillian event sells out with thousands of people outside the stadium wanting to get in. Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos are the Men's World Champions. |
| 1990 |
AVP |
NBC Sports makes its debut on the beach volleyball scene, broadcasting the Hermosa Beach event. |
| 1990 |
AVP |
In the AVP, Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos top the $200,000 mark in a single season, each winning $221,438. Karch Kiraly teams up with a young Kent Steffes to win two events out of ten before returning to win five of thirteen with Brent Frohoff. |
| 1991 |
AVP |
The AVP adds the King of the Beach Event to their schedule. This event features a unique format where players play round-robin with different partners to determine the "King of the Beach." One of the event's creators, Karch Kiraly, wins the inaugural title. |
| 1991 |
AVP |
NBC Sports provides the first live coverage of an AVP tournament in Milwaukee. |
| 1991 |
FIVB |
The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Series stops in four countries (France, Italy, Japan and Brazil) and offers $200,000 in total prize money. The 1990/91 Men World Champions are once again Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos. |
| 1991 |
FIVB |
In September the first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Council gathers in Lausanne to determine the program for Beach Volleyball. |
| 1992 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes dominate the AVP winning sixteen of nineteen events together including thirteen in a row to tie the all-time record for consecutive wins. Karch and Kent also become the first players to top $300,000 in a season with Kent winning $332,740, and Karch, who missed the first six events, winning $327,100. |
| 1992 |
WPVA |
Gail Castro and Lori Forsythe end the longest women's partnership at Atlantic City, July 4th-5th. Castro and Forsythe played 70 tournaments together dating back to 1988. The partnership produced just three victories, all coming during the 1991 season. Forsythe will go on to play with Barbra Fontana beginning in 1993 to put together a tie for second longest partnership at 51. Before retiring in 1995, Forsythe will reunite with Castro for four more events bringing their record setting total to 74. |
| 1992 |
FIVB |
The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Series offers $950,000 in total prize money for six events. |
| 1992 |
FIVB |
Beach Volleyball is played as a demonstration sport in Almeria, Spain with over 100 players representing the five continents while the Olympic Games are being held in Barcelona. The first women's FIVB Beach Volleyball competition also takes place in Almeria, Spain from August 5th-12th. The first Women World Champions are Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno. |
| 1992 |
FIVB |
Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos, enter into legendary status by becoming World Champions for the 5th time. |
| 1992 |
FIVB |
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) sets up a Beach Volleyball Department. |
| 1992 |
FIVB |
The Confederação Brasileira de Volley-Ball (CBV), the Brazilian National Federation creates a 24-leg National Championship. |
| 1993 |
AVP |
NBC Sports broadcasts a record ten AVP Tour events in a year in which prize money totals $3.7 million and more than 600,000 people attend AVP tournaments. |
| 1993 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly wins his third straight AVP Championship and his third straight King of the Beach crown. Karch and Kent Steffes once again dominate the AVP tour winning eighteen of twenty-four events together en route to becoming the first players to top $400,000 in a season. Karch wins $467,877 and Kent nets $409,877. |
| 1993 |
AVP |
Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos play their last tournament together in San Antonio, May 8th-9th. Smith and Stoklos hold the records for most tournaments played together at 235 and the most victories as a partnership at 114. Smith and Stoklos first played together in 1982. |
| 1993 |
AVP |
The AVP holds women's events at sixteen of the men's tour stops. In a unique format, eight players comprising four teams, exchanging partners weekly, battle all season with prize money paid at the end of the year. Holly McPeak wins the tour championship with eleven victories to claim the $65,000 first prize. |
| 1993 |
WPVA |
With eight of the top players moving to the AVP tour, Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan begin the most dominant era in the WPVA winning eleven of twelve tournaments and splitting $74,550. Masakayan and Kirby begin a partnership that will eventually tie for the second longest among the women at 51 tournaments. |
| 1993 |
FIVB |
S.E. Sr. Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC President, Billy Payne, ACOG President and IOC members attend the February FIVB Beach Volleyball Finals held in Rio de Janeiro along with 140,000 spectators (in one week). |
| 1993 |
FIVB |
On September 24, beach volleyball becomes an Olympic sport when the International Olympic Committee grants the sport medal status at Monte Carlo’s IOC meeting. Twenty-four men's teams and eighteen women's teams will compete for the first Beach Volleyball Olympic Gold Medal in the upcoming 1996 Atlanta Olympics. |
| 1993 |
FIVB |
The first non-Americans Franco Neto and Roberto Lopes of Brazil are the Men's World Champions. Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan of the United States are the Women's World Champions. |
| 1994 |
AVP |
The Miller Lite/AVP Tour and its twenty-seven events approach the $4 million mark in total prize money. Evian and Nestea join the growing list of AVP sponsors with Evian opting for an indoor event in Madison Square Garden. |
| 1994 |
AVP |
NBC's total broadcast time climbs to twenty-one hours for ten events. |
| 1994 |
AVP |
Adam Johnson breaks Karch Kiraly's three-year reign as King of the Beach, but Kiraly and Kent Steffes continue to dominate the AVP circuit winning seventeen out of twenty-two tournaments together. |
| 1994 |
AVP |
The AVP lures four more women's teams to play at fourteen men's events. The format no longer consists of exchanging partners and prize money is paid out at each tournament. |
| 1994 |
FIVB |
The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Series tops the $1 million mark in total prize money with twelve tournaments. |
| 1994 |
FIVB |
Beach Volleyball is included in the Goodwill Games held in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Goodwill Games men's medallists are: - Gold: Jan Kvalheim and Bjorn Maaseide (Norway)
- Silver: Carlos Briceno and Jeff Williams (United States)
- Bronze: Sinjin Smith and Bruk Vandeweghe (United States)
The women's medallists are : - Gold: Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan (United States)
- Silver: Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel (Brazil)
- Bronze: Barbra Fontana and Lori Forsythe (United States)
|
| 1994 |
FIVB |
Brazil, United States, and Chile host Women's FIVB Beach Volleyball events. |
| 1994 |
FIVB |
The Men's World Champions are Jan Kvalheim and Bjorn Maaseide (Norway) and the Women's World Champions are Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel (Brazil). |
| 1995 |
AVP |
The season's biggest news is the injury to Kent Steffes that forces Karch Kiraly to find another partner. Karch chooses Scott Ayakatubby until Steffes' return. After reuninting with Kent, the two only manage one win in four events, and Karch again turns to Ayakatubby. The season proves to be a gold mine for Scott who wins eight times with Karch in just thirteen events compared to seven prior victories in thirteen seasons. |
| 1995 |
AVP |
The Miller Lite/AVP Tour grows to a record twenty-nine tournaments. The Evian Indoor Series becomes a full pre-season circuit, with events in Washington, DC, Boston, Minneapolis and New York. |
| 1995 |
WPVA |
In the WPVA, Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno return from the AVP, who's women's tour folds, to end Karolyn Kirby's and Liz Masakayan's dominance. McPeak and Reno win eight of fourteen tournaments together when Liz Masakayan is sidelined with an injury that shortens her season. Liz and Karolyn play just seven events together, winning three. |
| 1995 |
FIVB |
The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship Series includes twenty-seven tournaments for both men and women and offers $3.5 million in total prize money. |
| 1995 |
FIVB |
Host Broadcasters present 100 hours of news, highlights and broadcasting of FIVB events. |
| 1995 |
FIVB |
The FIVB Final Beach Volleyball Rankings serve as a basis to qualify the best pairs in the world for the Olympics. Some 600 athletes representing 42 countries take part in the Olympic Qualification season. |
| 1995 |
FIVB |
Over 50 National Federations have set up a Beach Volleyball National Council to promote the sport in their countries. |
| 1995 |
FIVB |
Brazilian teams sweep the World Championships as Franco Neto and Roberto Lopes are the Men's Champions setting a record with seven victories for the season. Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires are the Women's Champions despite a stellar performance from Nancy Reno who sets the record with seven victories, six coming with Holly McPeak and the other with Karolyn Kirby. |
| 1996 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly claims his fourth King of the Beach title at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. |
| 1996 |
AVP |
AVP teams dominate the U.S. Olympic Trials in Baltimore with the teams of Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes and Mike Dodd/ Mike Whitmarsh advancing as the U.S. Olympic Team representatives. |
| 1996 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes cap off their incredible year with wins at Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and the Great Texas Shootout, where they take home the winner-take-all payout of $100,000. Steffes is voted by his peers as Miller Lite/AVP Tour Player of the Year. Kiraly breaks the single season prize money earnings record with $492,081. Despite having such a great season, Adam Johnson and Jose Loiola end their dominance and become threats on the tour winning seven tournaments, including four in a row, while limiting Karch and Kent to just eleven victories. |
| 1996 |
FIVB |
The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Series once again holds twenty-nine tournaments for both men and women for a record $4.3 million in total prize money. |
| 1996 |
FIVB |
The first Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from July 23 to 28 in Atlanta Beach, in a 10,000-seat stadium. Twenty-four men’s teams and eighteen women’s teams compete for Olympic medals as over 107,000 spectators attend the event. American teams dominate the men's competition with a gold and silver medal sweep. Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes take home the gold as Kiraly becomes a three-time gold medalist and the first indoor and outdoor Olympic champion in volleyball. Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh win the silver medal. Canadians John Child and Mark Heese outduel Portugal's Joao Brenha and Miguel Maia for the bronze medal. In the women's competition, Brazil dominates with Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires beating fellow Brazilians Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel for the gold medal. Australians Natalie Cook and Kerri-Ann Pottharst win the bronze. |
| 1996 |
FIVB |
In November the IOC confirms that Beach Volleyball will be included in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. |
| 1996 |
FIVB |
The number of National Federations which have regular Beach Volleyball activities soars to 95. |
| 1996 |
FIVB |
Brazilians once again dominate the World Championships with Zé Marco and Emanuel Rego winning the Men's Championships and Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires winning the Women's Championships. Rego sets the men's FIVB record for winnings in a season with $174,000, and Silva and Pires tie the women's FIVB record for victories in a season with seven. |
| 1997 |
AVP |
Jose Loiola wins the Miller Lite King of the Beach Invitational after finishing as runner-up for the past three years. Loiola joins Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson among an elite group of "Kings." |
| 1997 |
AVP |
The 38th annual Manhattan Beach Open is canceled due to legal issues and a lawsuit brought against the City of Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County, and the AVP by a small local interest group. The event is moved down the coast to Hermosa Beach and renamed the Miller Lite Hermosa Beach Grand Slam. |
| 1997 |
AVP |
Dain Blanton becomes the first African-American professional beach volleyball player to win a tournament on the Miller Lite/AVP Tour, with partner Canyon Ceman at the Miller Lite Hermosa Beach Grand Slam. This event also marks the most prize money for a single tournament in the history of beach volleyball at $300,000. |
| 1997 |
AVP |
Jose Loiola becomes the first international player to reach the $1 million mark in career earnings as he and partner Kent Steffes win the Miller Lite Open at Chicago, one of twelve tournament wins for the pair in 1997. Kent claims his 100th career win, teaming with Jose at the Miller Lite Open at Milwaukee. |
| 1997 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly and new partner Adam Johnson go winless until the end of July and then win four consecutive tournaments. At the Miller Lite U.S. Championships at Hermosa Beach they defeat the rookie tandem of Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers. With their second place finish, Holdren and Rogers set a Miller Lite/AVP Tour record for the best finish by a rookie team. |
| 1997 |
AVP |
The AVP business collapses under mounting financial problems. AVP CEO Jerry Solomon is fired and Harry Usher, former US Olympic organizer is hired to run 1998 AVP Tour. |
| 1997 |
WPVA |
Holly McPeak and Lisa Arce dominate what will be the final WPVA season winning seven of twelve events. |
| 1997 |
FIVB |
Ericsson and Nike present the Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball World Championships at the UCLA Campus. Men and women players are rewarded on an equal footing with total $600,000 in total prize money and the event is broadcast in more than 120 countries. Brazilians dominate the World Championships with Rogerio Pará and Guilherme Marques winning the gold medal over Americans Mike Whitmarsh and Canyon Ceman. Brazilians Paulo Emilio and Paulão win the bronze medal. In the women's competition Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires win the gold medal over Americans Holly McPeak and Lisa Arce. Brazilians Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede capture the bronze medal. Americans dominate the four-person tournament with gold medals in both men's and women's competitions. The medal results for the four-person tournament are: Men Women |
| 1997 |
FIVB |
Brazilians dominate the Tour Championships for the third straight year as Zé Marco and Emanuel Rego repeat as the Men's Champions and Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede win the Women's Championships. |
| 1998 |
AVP |
Prize money is drastically cut as sponsors pull back on their support of the AVP. The AVP continues to struggle under extreme financial burden. |
| 1998 |
AVP |
Eric Fonoimoana is crowned King of the Beach at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. |
| 1998 |
AVP |
Emanuel Rego, the world's #1 ranked player signs with the AVP and teams with Jose Loiola to create one of the tour's most exciting teams. Emanuel earned AVP Rookie of the Year for his outstanding play, winning four tournaments, two with Loiola, one with fellow Brazilian Andre Gomes, and one with Kent Steffes. |
| 1998 |
AVP |
The first all Brazillian final is played in Cleveland. Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego defeat Franco Neto and Roberto Lopes. |
| 1998 |
AVP |
Bill Berger and Dan Vrebalovich take over management of the AVP as CEO and COO respectively. They immediately fund the day to day business, and begin to restructure the AVP from a players association to a for-profit, privately owned entity. The AVP is placed into chapter 11 bankruptcy, the players are signed to new long-term agreements as independent contractors and a long-term turnaround deal is agreed to by the AVP's creditors. |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
For the first time in the FIVB World Tour, men and women players are rewarded at the same level with $170,000 in total prize money per Open event. |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
In March the Olympic qualification formula and the competition program for the Olympic Beach Volleyball tournament are established. National Federations and teams receive information almost three years before the Olympics. Twenty-four men's teams and an equal number of women's teams, will compete in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney (Bondi Beach). |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
A massive TV campaign orchestrated by the FIVB Marketing Department and Television Agency, will give tremendous exposure to the World Tour. |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
The 1998 Goodwill Games feature Beach Volleyball competitions from July 22 to August 2 in New York’s Central Park with the world’s eight best men's and women's teams. The men's medallists are, gold: Rogerio Pará and Guilherme Marques (Brazil), silver: Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson (United States), and bronze: Martin Conde and Eduardo Martinez (Argentina). The women's medallists are, gold: Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede (Brazil), silver: Pauline Manser and Kerri-Ann Pottharst (Australia), and bronze: Holly McPeak and Lisa Arce (United States). |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
Beach Volleyball is included in major sports competitions such as the South East Asian Games, Central and Pan-American Games, Universiade, etc. |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
The FIVB offers new opportunities to mid-level players and organizers by introducing Challenger, Satellite, and Amateur tournaments, in addition to the major World Tour Grand Slam and Open events. |
| 1998 |
FIVB |
More than 120 National Federations now have regular Beach Volleyball activities. |
| 1999 |
AVP |
Berger and Vrebalovich form a partnership with Spencer Trask Securities to form Major League Volleyball. MLV purchases the AVP out of bankruptcy and funds the 1999 Tour. The AVP holds twelve events with a total of $1 million prize money. |
| 1999 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly wins his 139th career open victory at the Sunkist/AVP Dallas Open with partner Adam Johnson and ties Sinjin Smith's all-time record for open victories. A few weeks later on the 4th of July, Kiraly breaks the record as he and partner Adam Johnson win the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball in Chicago. |
| 1999 |
AVP |
David Swatik wins the his first event in Hermosa Beach with partner Mike Whitmarsh beating world's #1 ranked team of Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego. These teams meet again in the finals of the coveted Manhattan Beach Open and again Swatik/Whitmarsh prevail. Swatik goes on to cap a dream season by winning the King of the Beach tournament in Las Vegas. |
| 1999 |
AVP |
The AVP once again sanctions women's events at five men's tournament tour stops. At the season ending event, combined with the King of the Beach, Holly McPeak is crowned Queen of the Beach. |
| 1999 |
USAV |
On April 29, continuing on a commitment to increase awareness of its all-new product line-up in the highly competitive California market, Oldsmobile Division of General Motors announces sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic beach volleyball series to determine which athletes will represent America at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Three women's and two men's tournaments are played as part of the Oldsmobile Alero Beach Volleyball Series sanctioned by USA Volleyball and the U.S. Olympic Committee. |
| 1999 |
FIVB |
The Olympic qualification process starts with a period from January 1st 1999 until August 15th 2000. The best eight teams results will count towards the qualification of the best twenty-four men and twenty-four women's pairs at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. |
| 1999 |
FIVB |
The Men's and Women's World Championships are organized in Europe for the first time. From July 21st to the 25th, Marseille, France hosts these major competitions with the best athletes of the planet. This event, which is organized every two years and has $600,000 in total prize money, is held in a special facility for 5000 spectators. At the end of the competition the spectators total nearly 50,000. The ranking points are double of any other Open event. |
| 1999 |
FIVB |
At the end of July, Beach Volleyball is included for the first time in the Pan American Games which are held in Canada. In a packed stadium of 5000 spectators, the men's Canadian team of Jody Holden and Conrad Leinemann win against the Brazilain duo of Lula and Adriano. Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede of Brazil win the women's competition. |
| 1999 |
FIVB |
Brazilians dominate the World Championships again with Men's Champions Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego and Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede repeating as Women's Champions. Loiola and Rego tie the men's FIVB season record with seven victories and Behar and Bede set the women's FIVB record for earnings in a season with each winning $118,000. |
| 2000 |
BVA |
On January 12, the newly formed professional women's beach volleyball tour titled Beach Volleyball America (BVA) announces the schedule and purses for their inaugural 2000 season of play. The BVA is created to guide and promote the growth of women's beach volleyball in the United States. "A strong domestic tour is crucial in order to develop US athletes for the top levels of international play, in particular the Olympic Games in Sydney." said Charlie Jackson, tour CEO. For this reason, BVA is working closely with the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) and the Olympic Challenge Series (OCS) to maximize opportunities for the women and avoid schedule conflicts. |
| 2000 |
BVA |
In May, the BVA held its first tournament in Oceanside, CA. Lisa Arce and Barbara Fontana capture the title and split the $15,000 first prize. |
| 2000 |
AVP |
Veteran Mike Whitmarsh wins his first King of the Beach title and Barbara Fontana is crowned Queen of the Beach at the combined men's and women's season ending event |
| 2000 |
AVP |
In a season of parity, eight different teams win tournaments in the eleven event season. Brazilian's Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego top the season with three victories. |
| 2000 |
BVA |
In its inaugural season, five different teams win in the seven scheduled events. At the season ending Kyocera U.S. Championships, volleyball greats, Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan reunite and finish 5th |
| 2000 |
FIVB |
The second Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from September 16 to 26 in a specially constructed 10,000 seat venue at Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. Twenty-four men's and women's teams compete for Olympic medals. Despite the perfect score in qualifying, Brazilians Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego finish a dissapointing 9th. The last team to qualify, Americans Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana win the gold over Brazilians Zé Marco and Ricardo Costa. The 15th-seeded German team of Jörg Ahmann and Axel Hager are surprise bronze medalists. Surprise women's top-seeded Australians Natalie Cook and Kerri-Ann Pottharst held true to their seed in winning the gold medal over the second-seeded Brazilians Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede. Brazilians once again dominate the women's competition as Sandra Pires and Adriana Samuel win the bronze. |
| 2000 |
FIVB |
Brazilians dominate the men's season with three teams combining to win nine of the thirteen events. Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego win five events, World Champions ZéMarco and Ricardo Costa win four and newcomers Marcio Araujo and Benjamin Insfran win two. |
| 2000 |
FIVB |
The American women dominated the women's season with three teams finishing in the top four in rankings and combining to win seven of the thirteen events. World Champions Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede of Brazil led all teams with four victories. The American teams of Holly McPeak and Misty May, who finished ranked 2nd, and Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs, who finished 4th, each won three tournaments while fellow Americans Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, who finished 3rd, claimed the other victory for the United States. |
| 2000 |
BVA |
Holly McPeak becomes the richest women in beach volleyball, passing Karolyn Kirby early in the season and topping the $700,000 mark in career earnings. Holly's five victories in 2000 (three FIVB, one BVA, and one OCS) moved her to 55 career victories just 12 behind all-time leader Karolyn Kirby and just three behind Jackie Silva. |
| 2001 |
AVP |
On May 31, Agent Leonard Armato and his company Management Plus announce that they have acquired the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) and will unite the world's best men's and women's professional beach volleyball players under one umbrella organization. With this historic unification of the men's and women's competition, the 2001 AVP Tour will be able to capitalize on having one property that can maximize sponsor dollars, marketing opportunities, media coverage and prize money. The AVP will now stand alone as the only professional beach volleyball tour in the country. It will follow the regulations set forth by USA Volleyball and the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) and will allow its players to compete in official tournaments en route to the 2004 Olympics. |
| 2001 |
|
Christopher "Sinjin" Smith plays the final match of his impressive career, a 21-19 and 24-22 loss with George Roumain to Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers in the 4th round of the contender's bracket at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Sinjin retires as the leader in tournaments played with 416, 2nd in all-time victories with 139, and 4th in all-time winnings with over US$1.6 million earned. |
| 2001 |
FIVB |
The 2001 Goodwill Games feature Beach Volleyball competitions from August 29 to September 4 in Brisbane, Australia with the world’s sixteen best men's and women's teams. The men's medallists are, gold: Jose Loiola and Ricardo Santos (Brazil), silver: bronze: Martin Conde and Eduardo Martinez (Argentina), and bronze: Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong (United States). The women's medallists are, gold: Sandra Pires and Tatiana Minello (Brazil), silver: Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede (Brazil), and bronze: Pauline Manser and Kerri-Ann Pottharst (Australia), and bronze: Elaine Youngs and Barbra Fontana (United States). |
| 2002 |
AVP |
With his 143rd career victory at the AVP Michelob Light Santa Barbara Open Presented by Paul Mitchell, Karch Kiraly becomes the oldest player to win a professional domestic beach volleyball tournament. The win with Brent Doble, the 12th partner to taste victory with Karch, comes at the age of 41 years, 225 days. |
| 2002 |
|
Holly McPeak becomes the first woman to win $1Million in prize money. Winning her 62nd career title, the 6th with Elaine Youngs, at the FIVB French Grand Slam in Marseille nets her $15,000 to bring her career total to $1,001,927. |
| 2002 |
|
Karch Kiraly becomes the first beach volleyball player to break the $3 Million mark in prize money. His share of the $7,500 for finishing 3rd at the season ending Paul Mitchell AVP Shootout at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas with Brent Doble brings his total career earnings to $3,001,258. |
| 2003 |
AVP |
Misty May and Kerri Walsh cap off a perfect season with their victory at the Las Vegas Aquafina AVP Shootout Presented by Bud Light. May and Walsh not only won all eight AVP Nissan Series events they entered, but they also compiled a perfect 39-0 match record -- the first time any team has ever gone through an entire season without losing a match. En route to their perfect record, Misty and Kerri only lost five sets in compiling a 78-5 set record and outscoring their opponents 1711-1236. Despite playing one tournament less than their main rivals, Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs, Misty and Kerri also won the points championship to earn each of them a one-year lease on a Nissan vehicle of their choice. |
| 2004 |
|
Misty May and Kerri Walsh extend their match winning streak to 57 after beating Jia Tian and Fei Wang of China in the SemiFinals of the Brazil Open. With the victory, May and Walsh break the longest known streak of 56 matches by Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan. |
| 2004 |
|
Misty May and Kerri Walsh extend their tournament winning streak to 14 after beating fellow Americans Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs at the Hellas Open. Their streak of 14 consecutive tournaments breaks the record of 13 shared by Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes and Greg Lee/Jim Menges. |
| 2004 |
|
Holly McPeak ties Karolyn Kirby for the most career tournament victories at 67 when she and Elaine Youngs win the China Open over fellow Americans Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan. Holly also leads all women in career tournaments played (228) and career winnings ($1,206,202). |
| 2004 |
|
With their 31st victory together at the Japan Open, Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar become the winningest women's team of all time. The Brazilian pair had been tied at 30 with Linda Hanley and Nina Matthies since September, 2002 -- needing 14 tournaments to add the historic victory. |
| 2004 |
|
In the semi-finals of the Manhattan Beach Open, Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis snap the 89-match winning streak of Misty May and Kerri Walsh by the score of 21-19 and 21-19 in 36 minutes. The last time Misty and Kerri had been defeated was July 5, 2003 by Ana Paula Connelly and Sandra Pires in the finals of the Norway Open. During the streak, Misty and Kerri also won a 90th unofficial match over Vanilda dos Santas Leão and Gerusa da Costa Ferreira in a U.S. vs. Brazil series. The loss also snapped May/Walsh winning streak of 15 consecutive tournaments and 13 straight domestic tournaments including a perfect 8 for 8 in 2003. |
| 2004 |
|
Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs defeat Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis in the Manhattan Beach Open 21-19, 16-21, and 15-12 in 76 minutes to give Holly her 68th victory and move her ahead of Karolyn Kirby as the all-time leader in women's victories. The victory is Holly's 12th with Elaine Youngs. |
| 2004 |
|
Karch Kiraly extends his record number of victories to 145 by winning the Manhattan Beach Open with Mike Lambert over Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings, 21-15 and 21-18 in 45 minutes. The victory is the 1st for Mike Lambert, who becomes the 13th partner to win with Karch. Karch also adds to his records as being the oldest player to win at 43 years, 7 months, and 3 days and winning in his 23rd different season. |
| 2004 |
|
In a repeat of the previous week, Karch Kiraly extends his record to 146 career titles and Holly McPeak extends her record to 69 career victories as both win in San Diego. Kiraly and Mike Lambert defeat Sean Rosenthal and Larry Witt 21-18, 14-21 and 15-8 in 59 minutes while Holly and Elaine Youngs defeat Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan for the second straight week 22-20 and 21-18 in 51 minutes. |
| 2004 |
FIVB |
The third Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from August 14 to 26 in a specially constructed 10,000 seat facility within the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex in Athens, Greece. Twenty-four men's and women's teams compete for Olympic medals. Top-seeded Brazilian Emanuel Rego, competing in his third Olympic Games takes the gold medal with new partner Ricardo Santos. Spain's 15th-seeded Javier Bosma and Pablo Herrera are the surprise Silver Medalists while the 5th-seeded Swiss pair of Patrick Heuscher and Stefan Kobel take the bronze. In the women's competition, top-seeded Americans Misty May and Kerri Walsh capture the gold medal without dropping a set. The Brazilian women continue their streak of medals with second-seeded Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar taking the silver as they did in Sydney, four years earlier. Fourth-seeded American Holly McPeak, also playing in her third Olympic Games, wins the bronze along with her new partner Elaine Youngs. |
| 2005 |
|
With their 34th victory together, in the Austin Open, Misty May and Kerri Walsh become the all-time women's team victory leaders, passing the Brazilian duo of Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar. |
| 2005 |
|
With their $20,000 check for winning the Santa Barbara Open, Misty May and Kerri Walsh join the Brazilian duo of Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar to become only the second women's team to surpass $1 Million in career team winnings. |
| 2005 |
FIVB |
With her bronze medal finish at the Swiss Open in Gstaad, Adriana Behar of Brazil becomes the first woman to eclipse the $1Million mark in career FIVB winnings. |
| 2005 |
FIVB |
Citing favoritism for the American players for signing a modified version of the player contract, players at the World Championships in Berlin went on strike, halting play for 95 minutes. FIVB President Dr. Rubén Acosta Hernandez met with the players and reached an agreement that favors the continued success of the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour and SWATCH-FIVB World Championships, powered by Smart, to further the growth of the sport. Three "major" items were agreed with the players, including the creation of Beach Volleyball Player's Commission for each gender. The commissions will be made up of seven players each and will meet at least once a year in Lausanne, Switzerland in a date to be determined. |
| 2006 |
AVP |
With their win at the Santa Barbara Open, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh become the first women's team with 50 tournament titles. |
| 2006 |
AVP |
With her win at the AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Huntington Beach Open and the $50,000 paycheck, Misty May-Treanor becomes the second American woman to top the $1 Million mark in career winnings. Misty achieves the mark in just her 99th tournament, which is faster than the other three millionaire women, fellow American Holly McPeak (199 tournaments) and Brazilians Adriana Behar (107) and Shelda Bede (101). |
| 2006 |
AVP |
Elaine Youngs' second place finish (with Rachel Wacholder) in Seaside Heights pushes her career earnings past $1 million. She becomes the third American woman to achieve that mark. |
| 2006 |
AVP |
In Seaside Heights, both Casey Jennings (with Matt Fuerbringer) and Kerri Walsh (with Misty May-Treanor) won titles, becoming just the second husband-wife duo to win pro beach events on the same weekend. They join Mike and Patty Dodd, who accomplished the feat four times in 1989, but each time in different locations.
|
| 2006 |
AVP |
Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor win in Chicago as Walsh joins the millionaire club. She is the 18th person worldwide to win over $1 million in her career, and did so in fewer events (90th tournament) as well as being one of just four to reach the mark before turning 28 years old.
|
| 2006 |
AVP |
Kerri Walsh establishes the new AVP mark for women's victories in a single season, as her title with Misty May-Treanor in Lake Tahoe marked her 14th of the season. The event in Lake Tahoe also featured light snowfall for the first time ever during a pro beach volleyball tournament.
|
| 2006 |
FIVB |
In Acapulco, Mexico, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal won the men's FIVB title while Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the women's, marking the first time since June 2003 that American men and women won the same international event.
|
| 2007 |
AVP |
Suffering a first-round loss in Huntington Beach, Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger rebound to win the title after reeling off eight straight elimination matches. They become the only known team to lose in the first round of a 32-team draw yet win the title.
|
| 2007 |
|
Misty May-Treanor becomes the women's all-time wins leader by capturing her 73rd victory, surpassing Holly McPeak's record by winning with Kerri Walsh in Hermosa Beach. She reached this total in just 123 tournaments -- winning 57.5% of her events.
|
| 2007 |
FIVB |
Jennifer Kessy and April Ross emerge from the qualifier in the FIVB Grand Slam in Stavanger, and as the 29th seed, win the tournament. The duo became the lowest seeded women's team to win in the 15-year history of the FIVB.
|
| 2007 |
AVP |
Karch Kiraly plays the final match of his impressive career, a 21-13 and 21-16 loss with Kevin Wong to Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal in the 4th round of the contender's bracket at the AVP Seaside Heights event. Injuries prevent Karch, who will retire at the end of the 2007 season, from playing any of the remaining events. |
| 2007 |
AVP |
In a championship match that lasted 1:41, Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs defeat Jennifer Kessy and April Ross 21-19, 18-21, 16-14 in Seaside Heights. The marathon set the record for the longest match in rally scoring, men or women, in domestic or international play.
|
| 2007 |
AVP |
The semifinals in Chicago featured 14th-seeded Jenny Kropp and Jenny Pavley, who became the lowest seeded team to ever advance to the semifinals in AVP women's history.
|
| 2007 |
AVP |
With their third straight Manhattan Beach Open title, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have tied for the most consecutive Manhattan Beach Open victories with the team which won the first three ever held (Jean Brunicardi and Johnette Latreiile in 1966, 1967 and 1968).
|
| 2007 |
|
Misty May-Treanor became the all-time earnings leader on the women's side following her second place finish in Boston. She has collected a total of $1,505,157.50 in her short career thus far (136 tournaments). Nine men's players have earned more money, but all have at least 50 more tournaments played.
|
| 2007 |
AVP |
As an indication of their dominance, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the Cincinnati event, their 50th team title on the AVP Crocs Tour. The other 59 team titles have gone to a combined 21 different teams. At the end of the season, May-Treanor is awarded the Best Offensive Player, Best Defensive Player, and MVP honors for the second straight season, the only player in history to receive all three in the same year.
|
| 2007 |
|
Karch Kiraly retires to close an impressive career on the beach, leaving as the all-time wins leader and money earner. His longevity was marked by the fact he won a tournament in 24 different years, and he advanced to the semifinals in over 75% of all the events he ever played and was named as the AVP's MVP a record-most six times.
|
| 2008 |
AVP HWN |
Hot Winter Nights, a series of 19 events in January and February, kicks off in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma marking the first ever indoor beach volleyball tour. Mark Williams and Nancy Mason are the first winners in the "King of the Beach format" events.
|
| 2008 |
FIVB |
Reigning Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh set a record for team gold medal finishes on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour in Berlin as the tandem for the United States defeated Jia Tian and Jie Wang of China 21-18 and 22-20 in 45 minutes for the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam title. May-Treanor and Walsh increased their career international gold medal count to 32 to break a tie with Brazilians Emanuel Rego/Ricardo Santos on the men’s list and Adriana Behar/Shelda Bede in the women’s international record book. |
| 2008 |
FIVB |
A day after Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh set a SWATCH FIVB World Tour team mark for gold-medal finishes at 32, Brazilians Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos matched the Americans by capturing the smart Grand Slam men's title in Berlin with a 25-27, 21-19 and 15-13 win in 73 minutes over Americans Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. Emanuel's share of the US$43,500 winner's prize also puts him over the US$2,000,000 mark in career winnings (including three seasons on the AVP tour). He becomes just the third player to top the milestone. |
| 2008 |
|
With their $25,000 pay check for winning the AVP Boulder Open, Misty May and Kerri Walsh become the first team, men or women, to top the $3 Million mark in career team winnings. |
| 2008 |
|
Misty May-Treanor becomes the first woman to win 100 career tournaments. She and Kerri Walsh defeat Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs 18-21, 21-17, and 15-12 in 1 hour and 26 minutes at the AVP Chicago Open. The victory is also the 16th consecutive tournament win for the pair and 90th consecutive match win, breaking their own records set in 2004. |
| 2008 |
|
In the finals of the AVP Slam Long Beach Open, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal defeat Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers 21-14 and 21-14 in 61 minutes to end their 37-match winning streak -- a modern day record. The streak extended over four AVP and three FIVB events. |
| 2008 |
|
With their 21-17 and 21-18 win over Angie Akers and Holly McPeak in the semifinals of the AVP Slam Long Beach Open, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh stretch their match winning streak to 100. |
| 2008 |
FIVB |
Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh become the first team to successfully defend their Olympic Gold Medal by defeating China's Jia Tian and Jie Wang 21-18 and 21-18 in 42 minutes. The victory was also the 100th of Walsh's career and the team's 19th consecutive tournament and 108th consecutive match win. Walsh becomes the fastest player, man or woman, to reach the milestone, playing in just 141 career tournaments, eclipsing May-Treanor's accomplishment just one month earlier in her 153rd tournament. |
| 2008 |
FIVB |
The fourth Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from August 9 to 22 in a specially constructed 12,200 seat venue at Chaoyang Park in Beijing, China. Twenty-four men's and women's teams compete for Olympic medals. The United States becomes the first nation to sweep gold medals in both genders. Second-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers won the gold medal over Brazil's fourth-seeded pair of Marcio Araujo and Fabio Luiz Magalhães. Defending gold medalists, third-seeded Emanuel Rego, playing in his fourth Olympic Games, and Ricardo Santos of Brazil captured the bronze. It was the third medal for Ricardo who also won a silver in 2000. In the women's competition, Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh become the first team, men or women, to successfully repeat as gold medalists. The host nation displays their upcoming presence at the top level of beach volleyball with top seeded Jia Tian, playing her third Olympic Games, taking the silver medal with new partner Jie Wang and fourth seeded Chen Xue and Xi Zhang, the youngest team in the competition at 19 years and 23 years, respectively, taking the bronze. The two medals were the first ever for China in beach volleyball. |
| 2008 |
|
Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs defeat Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh 21-19, 10-21, 25-23 in 1 hour and 45 minutes at the final of the AVP Crocs Cup Shootout Cincinnati. The loss breaks the May-Treanor's and Walsh's consecutive tournament victory streak at 19 and consecutive match streak at 112. It was the first loss since August 19, 2007, also against Branagh and Youngs at the finals in Boston. |
| 2009 |
AVP |
With their victory in the Coney Island Open, Dianne DeNecochea and Carrie Dodd become the oldest team to win a professional beach volleyball tournament with a combined age of 76 years, 9 months and 3 days. They break Brent Doble's and Karch Kiraly's record by a little over four months and the women's AVP record by Linda Hanley and Sarah Straton by almost five years. DeNecochea also becomes the oldest woman to win a professional beach volleyball event at 41 years, 7 months and 18 days, breaking Linda Hanley's record by six months and 11 days. Dodd sets the record for the longest drought between wins at 9 years 23 days since her 2000 win with Leanne McSorley at the BVA stop in Hermosa Beach. DeNecochea sets the second longest drought between wins at 7 years, 10 months and 15 days since her 2001 win with Liz Masakayan at the AVP event in Santa Barbara. Dodd also wins her first AVP event in 108 tries. She previously held the record for the most AVP events for women without a victory. |
| 2009 |
FIVB |
Americans Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers defeat Germans Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann 21-18, 21-15 in 48 minutes in the Semifinals at the World Series 13 Grand Chelem in Marseille, France to snap their 25-match winning streak -- the longest in SWATCH FIVB World Tour history. The German duo began their streak at the World Championships in Stavanger, Norway one month earlier where they won that event plus the next two Grand Slams in Gstaad, Switzerland, and Moscow, Russia. The gold medal match in Moscow had set the record of 22 straight breaking Dalhausser's and Roger's record of 21 set in 2008 when they also won three straight events in Berlin, Paris, and Stavanger. |
| 2010 |
FIVB |
Legendary Brazilian Emanuel Rego became the first player in the 24-year history of FIVB Beach Volleyball competition to play in 200 international events as he teamed with Alison Cerutti to win their opening match at the ConocoPhillips Grand Slam in Stavanger, Norway. “It is a great honor to be playing at FIVB events around the world,” said the 37-year old Emanuel, who has won 981 matches with nine different partners. “The growth of Beach Volleyball has been remarkable and the FIVB has presented the players with a great opportunity to showcase their skills throughout the world.” |
| 2010 |
AVP |
Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers won all five of their matches on their way to the title at the Long Beach Open to complete the 2010 AVP season with a perfect 34-0 match record. In winning five of the six events in which they played (along with a shared 2nd place in Ft. Lauderdale due to weather), the duo was only pushed to three sets in 6 of their 34 matches, winning by an average score of 21-16. They become the only men's team to finish a season undefeated, matching a perfect 39-0 season in 2003 by fellow Olympic gold medalists, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. |
| 2010 |
AVP |
The AVP Tour closed its doors due to financial hardship, cutting short the 2010 season. “On behalf of AVP staff we want to express our sincere gratitude to fans, players, partners and sponsors,” said Jason Hodell, AVP CEO. “Words cannot express our profound disappointment.” Created in 1983 as a players' association, the AVP first ran the United States’ domestic tour in 1988. For the past 23 years the AVP Tour has featured arguably the best beach volleyball in the world, with AVP athletes winning at least one gold medal in every Olympics since beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996. |
| 2010 |
FIVB |
With their fifth-straight international Beach Volleyball gold medal finish to capture the women’s title at the Otera Open in Kristiansand, Norway, Brazilians Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca set a SWATCH FIVB World Tour record for women's career FIVB titles. The top-seeded Brazilians posted a 21-19 and 22-20 win in 43 minutes over third-seeded Chen Xue and Xi Zhang of China to increase their career victory total together to 36 to break a deadlock with American Olympic and world champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. Juliana and Larissa also extended their personal winning streak to 35-straight match victories. |
| 2010 |
FIVB |
Top-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers claimed their 9th victory of 2010, winning the PAF Open in Aland, Finland with a 24-22, 10-21, 15-13 gold medal victory in 59 minutes over third-seeded Marcio Araujo and Ricardo Santos of Brazil. The nine gold medals in a season is a new SWATCH FIVB World Tour record, breaking the previous record of eight titles in a year set by the Brazilian women’s pair of Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca in 2008. The American pair set the record for men's gold medals in a season the previous week at the Otera Open in Kristiansand, Norway. The American’s winning’s mark of $387,700 also set a season record, breaking the previous men’s best of $355,000 in 2006 by Emanuel Rego and Ricardo. Dalhausser and Rogers also extended their SWATCH FIVB World Tour victory string to 23-straight matches. Their last loss was a pool forfeit to a Portuguese team at the Austrian Grand Slam at the end of July. |
| 2010 |
FIVB |
During the second-round of the men's qualifier at the Milner Open in The Hague, Netherlands, a FIVB Beach Volleyball record for team participation was set when Norway's Vegard Hoidalen and Jorre Kjemperud defeated Guillermo Williman and Nicolas Zanotta of Uruguay 21-14 and 21-19 in 36 minutes. The match marked the start of the Norwegians' 135th FIVB event breaking the previous record of 134 appearances set by Portugal's Joao Brenha and Miguel Maia who played together from 1994 through 2008. Two-time Olympians for Norway, Hoidalen and Kjemperud's partnership covers a 12-season span as the pair captured a SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal at the 1998 stop in Berlin. After losing their next match to compatriots Eskil Holtan and Oyvind Wergeland, Hoidalen and Kjemperud now have won 273 of 521 FIVB matches. |
| 2010 |
FIVB |
Competing together for only the second-time on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour, the 21st-seeded Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong scored a 21-18, 18-21 and 17-15 gold medal win in 60 minutes over the eighth-seeded Benjamin Insfran and Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil at the Milner Open in The Hague, Netherlands. Jennings and Wong lost their final qualifying match four days earlier and only earned a main draw berth via a draw after the late withdrawals of two teams, becoming the first team to win an event as "lucky losers." The previous best had been Germans Sebastian Dollinger and Stefan Windscheif who took advantage of a 2008 “lucky loser” berth in Bahrain to place third in the Manama event. |
| 2010 |
FIVB Jr/Youth |
Partnering with Tara Roenicke for a 19-21, 26-24, and 15-13 victory over Marta Menagatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth of Italy in the gold medal match of the Junior World Championship in Alanya, Turkey, Summer Ross of the United States became the first athlete to win both the SWATCH FIVB Youth World Championships and the SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships in the same year. Ross won the Youth World Championships with Jane Croson in July in Porto, Portugal. |
| 2011 |
|
With their victory in the Beijing Grand Slam, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh win their 100th victory together. They are the first women's team to reach the century mark in wins. |
| 2011 |
FIVB |
With their victory in the FIVB World Championships in Rome, Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca pass fellow Brazilians Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar for the most in women's career FIVB World Tour winnings. |
| 2011 |
FIVB |
With her entry in the Gstaad Grand Slam, Natalie Cook passes Shelda Bede for the most career FIVB World Tour events played with 149. |
| 2011 |
|
After defeating Brazil's Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado in the round of 16 at the Gstaad Grand Slam, Misty May-Treanor becomes the first woman to top the $2Million mark in career winnings. |
| 2012 |
FIVB |
The fifth Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from July 28 to August 9 in a specially constructed 15,000 seat venue at Horse Guards Parade in the heart of London, England. Twenty-four men's and women's teams compete for Olympic medals. Third-seeded Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann of Germany defeat top-seeded Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego of Brazil for the men's gold medal. It is the first men's Olympic gold medal not won by the United States or Brazil. Rego, who is playing in his fifth Olympic Games, claims his third Olympic medal to go with his gold in 2004 and bronze in 2008. Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins win the bronze medal as the 17th seed. In the women's competition, third-seeded Americans Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh win their third consecutive gold medal defeating fellow Americans and fourth-seeded Jennifer Kessy and April Ross. Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta and Larissa Franca win the bronze medal. Australia’s Natalie Cook plays in her fifth Olympic Games, finishing 19th with Tamsin Hinchley. |
| 2013 |
|
Kerri Walsh Jennings becomes the all-time women's career victory leader by winning her 113th career title with April Ross at the FIVB Xiamen Grand Slam. Walsh Jennings passes long-time partner Misty May-Treanor. |
| 2014 |
|
Kerri Walsh Jennings becomes the all-time women's career winnings leader, passing long-time partner Misty May-Treanor. |
| 2014 |
FIVB |
Kerri Walsh Jennings becomes the first woman to win 50 career FIVB World Tour titles after capturing the title at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach, United States with April Ross. |
| 2014 |
FIVB |
Winning the silver medal after reuniting with long-time partner Ricardo Santos at the Sao Paulo Grand Slam, Brazil's Emanuel Rego passes the US$2.5Million mark in career FIVB World Tour earnings. |
| 2014 |
AVP |
Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross complete a perfect AVP season, winning all seven events with a 36-0 match record. |
| 2015 |
FIVB |
Brazil's Larissa Franca wins her 51st FIVB World Tour gold medal at the Moscow Grand Slam with Talita Antunes, passing Kerri Walsh Jennings as the winningest female player on the FIVB World Tour |
| 2015 |
FIVB |
The FIVB holds its 1st World Tour Finals with Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil winning for the men and Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca of Brazil winning for the women. |
| 2016 |
FIVB |
The sixth Olympic Beach Volleyball competition takes place from August 6 to 18 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Twenty-four men's and women's teams compete for Olympic medals. Top-seeded Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil defeat 10th-seeded Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai of Italy for the men's gold medal. Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of The Netherlands win the bronze medal as the second seed. In the women's competition, fourth-seeded Germans Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst win the gold medal defeating Brazil's second-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas. USA's Kerri Walsh Jennings wins her fourth beach volleyball Olympic medal, taking the bronze with new partner April Ross as the third-seeded team. |
| 2016 |
|
With her win at the Long Beach Grand Slam with April Ross, Kerri Walsh Jennings becomes the first woman to surpass US$2.5Million in beach volleyball winnings. |
| 2017-18 |
FIVB |
Instituting a new star-rating system for tournaments, the FIVB starts a record-breaking 12-month season with 42 men's and 43 women's events at 47 sites in 29 countries, paying out US$6.5Million in prize money. |
| 2018-19 |
FIVB |
The FIVB sets new records for the 2018-2019 seasons with 49 men's events and 47 women's events at 56 sites in 37 countries, paying out US$7.5Million in prize money. |
| 2020 |
FIVB |
Due to health concerns over the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, the FIVB postponed or cancelled all events in the months of March, April, and May, freezing the World Ranking points as of March 16th. The World Tour would not resume until July 29th. |
| 2020 |
|
New dates are set for the beach volleyball competition at the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, starting 52 weeks later from their original scheduled date, they will now be held from July 24-August 7, 2021 |
| 2020 |
AVP |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AVP begins a three-tournament Champions Cup 2020 that will be played on three consecutive weekends without fans in the parking lot of the Long Beach Convention Center. |
| 2020 |
|
With his win at The AVP Monster Hydro Cup with Nick Lucena in Long Beach, Phil Dalhausser becomes the fourth man to surpass US$2.5Million in career beach volleyball winnings. |
| 2020 |
AVP |
Phil Dalhausser becomes the fifth men's player to win 100 career titles at the AVP Wilson Cup in Long Beach. |
| 2020 |
FIVB |
The FIVB World Tour resumed with a one-star event in Ljubljana, Slovenia after a 4-month shutdown due to the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus; however, the World Tour rankings remained frozen until March, 2021. |
| 2021 |
|
With her win at the FIVB Doha Four Star, April Ross becomes the third woman to top the US$2Million mark in career beach volleyball winnings. |
| 2021 |
FIVB |
The seventh Olympic Beach Volleyball competition, delayed one year and played without fans due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, takes place from July 24 to August 7 in Tokyo, Japan. Twenty-four men's and women's teams compete for Olympic medals. Top-seeded Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway defeat 2nd-seeded Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy playing for the Russian Olympic Committe for the men's gold medal. Cherif Samba and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar win the bronze medal as the third seed. In the women's competition, second-seeded Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman win the gold medal defeating Australia's fifth-seeded Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy. For Ross it is her third Olympic medal, adding to the silver she won in 2012 in London and the bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Switzerland's Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre win the bronze medal as the 12th-seeded team. |
| 2023 |
FIVB |
With her start in the Uberlândia Elite16, Brazil's Talita Antunes became the first woman to participate in 200 International events |
