RECAP: NATLS & WEST COAST AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES

Written by: AAU Volleyball  

The 24th AAU Junior National Beach Championship took place in Long Beach, California in mid July.  This year the Championships took place right alongside the FIVB World Series of Beach Volleyball!  The world’s best professional players and the world’s best amateur players all in one place made for some pretty intense competition. This year the AAU National’s tournament drew over 250 pairs from 23 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico!  The 18 and under Gold Division finals also took place in front of a big crowd inside the World Series of Beach Volleyball Stadium!

The 2017 West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games Beach Volleyball Championships took place just 2 days later in Santa Monica, California.  This premier event for amateur beach volleyball is a part of the West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games which includes quite a few sports.  The unique aspect to this event is that these pairs must earn a bid at a qualifying event throughout the year. This makes for some of the fiercest competition in the country.  

This event also featured the announcement of the 2016 AAU Beach Volleyball Player of the Year!  The 2016 recipient of this prestigious award was Sammy Slater who will be playing beach volleyball at USC.  She joins a long list of successful beach volleyball players such as London Chow, Kathryn Plummer, and Sara Hughes who recently competed in the World Series of Beach Volleyball!  For the complete list of AAU Beach Volleyball Players of the Year, CLICK HERE.


2017 AAU Junior National Beach Volleyball Champions

Girls 10 and under: Anya Baklenko and Jessie Dueck

Girls 12 and under: Saylor Little and Julia Waugh

Girls 14 and under: Ava Chew and Jessica Smith

Girls 15 and under: Samantha Ansel and Paige Kalkhoff

Girls 16 and under: Lexi Denaburg and Riley Powers

Girls 18 and under: Simone Priebe and Kate Privett

Boys 14 and under: Gabriel Dyer and Grant Strong

2017 West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games Champions

Girls 12 and under: Mele Corral-Blagojevich and Finley Rollins

Girls 14 and under: Kelly Belardi and Savannah Standage

Girls 15 and under: Brooke Buchner and Delaynie Maple

Girls 16 and under: Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse

Girls 18 and under: Brook Bauer and Madison Fitzpatrick

Boys 14 and under: John Belardi and Noah Keelin