Let’s run it back, shall we? Same day (Saturday), same time (8 a.m.), same place (Manhattan Beach, California), same stakes: A berth into the 2026 AVP League on the line.
The second of three AVP League qualifiers begins Saturday morning, and everything is virtually the same, save for the absence of last week’s winners, Betsi Flint and Kylie Deberg, and Paul Lotman and Miles Partain, who are now members of the AVP League in its third season. Even roughly half of the first-round matchups are the same, as we will see the second edition of: Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst vs. Evan Cory and Derek Bradford (which was awesome), Troy Field and Ryan Wilcox vs. Lev Priima and Diego Perez, Marcus Carvalhaes and Dylan Maarek vs. Avery Drost and Tim Bomgren, Sam Schachter and Jonny Pickett vs. Seain Cook and Brian Miller, and Cody Caldwell and Wyatt Harrison vs. DJ Klasnic and Pete Connole.
The women will see far fewer rematches, but there will be second bouts of Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft vs. Tina Graudina and Lauren Stivrins, and Falyn Fonoimoana and Lindsey Sparks vs. Toni Rodriguez and Molly Shaw.
Taylor Crabb, Andy Benesh make AVP debut
The central difference for the men is the introduction of USA Volleyball’s most fascinating new pair: Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh. After winning a bronze medal in their debut event at the Joao Pessoa Elite, they skipped the first qualifier, entering No. 2 as the No. 2 seed. They’ll play Tim Brewster and Ryan Ierna, both of whom are playing the best beach volleyball of their careers. Brewster is coming off a bronze medal at the Tlaxcala Challenge with Logan Webber, while Ierna qualified for his first Challenge and Elite main draws at the end of the 2025 season, both with Brewster. They are not the 15 seed to sleep on.
Does Jacob LaBouliere have more magic in him?
Rookie Jacob LaBouliere stole the show in the opening event, stunning No. 2 Chaim Schalk and James Shaw in the opening round with Will Rivera. Now the 16 seed with Charlie Siragusa, he’ll need to summon more of that magic, as they will attempt to topple Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, who took a fifth in the first qualifier.
How will Chaim Schalk and James Shaw rebound?
Chaim Schalk and James Shaw had a tremendous finish to the 2025 season, a fifth-place at the World Championships that saw them take down mighty Cuba in the second round. Their 2026 season began flat, with a first-round loss to LaBouliere and Rivera. The AVP’s unique format of three sets to 15 makes for an upset-friendly atmosphere, so there isn’t much to do about a single loss in a quick match. But two in a row would be eye-opening. They’ll open with Rowdy Lennon and Logan Mister, a pair who made the finals of the Palm Beach Contender last summer. If seeds hold, they’ll meet Schachter and Pickett in the second round, which is no easy draw.
Alaina Chacon, Maddie Anderson make AVP debut
Alaina Chacon and Maddie Anderson skipped the opening qualifier to go win a medal for USA Volleyball, taking bronze at the Nayarit Challenge. They beat a handful of high-level teams to do it, including Lithuania’s Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte, Japan’s Reika Murakami and Asami Shiba, and Germany’s Lea Kunst and Melanie Paul. It’s the perfect launchpad the new partnership needed, and they’ll need all that momentum and then some, as they will open with Abby Van Winkle and Molly Phillips and, should they win, play Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft in the second round.
Do Sara Hughes and Ally Batenhorst have an AVP run in them?
Sara Hughes and Ally Batenhorst have played two international events — Challenges in Bhubaneswar and Tlaxcala — and won bronze in them both. They played just a single match last Saturday, losing the first round to Geena Urango and Megan Rice. They’ll begin with Hailey Harward and Xolani Hodel and, should they win, would more than likely see Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen — America’s most underrated team? — in the second round. The long road, of course, points to a matchup with top-seeded Cheng and Kraft, should both make the semifinals.
You can find brackets and results of the second AVP League Qualifier at Volleyball Life.
Streaming will be on the AVP YouTube Channel.
Who is in the 2026 AVP League?
Women
- Kristen Cruz, Taryn Brasher
- Julia Donlin, Lexy Denaburg
- Melissa Humana-Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson
- Betsi Flint, Kylie Deberg
- Winner Qualifier No. 2
- Winner Qualifier No. 3
- At Large
- At Large
Men
- Phil Dalhausser, Trevor Crabb
- Logan Webber, Hagen Smith
- Miles Partain, Paul Lotman
- Winner Qualifier No. 2
- Winner Qualifier No. 3
- At Large
- At Large
- At Large
