It was nothing – an internet poll, a tweet, another useless bit of subjective, unscientific information tossed into cyberspace for the world to glimpse at and promptly ignore five minutes later, when the next bit of useless, subjective, unscientific bit of information was tossed into cyberspace for the world to glimpse at.

And yet, the AVP’s Twitter poll on Thursday afternoon was also an undeniably fascinating look into the minds of beach volleyball fans.

It asked what team fans were most excited to watch for FIVB Huntington this week, with the options being Sara Hughes-Summer Ross, Kelly Claes-Brittany Hochevar, Alix Klineman–April Ross, Betsi Flint-Emily Day (it is a wonder why Trevor Crabb–John Mayer or Sean Rosenthal-Chase Budinger were not included).

Perhaps it’s obvious that the answers were overwhelmingly in favor of Hughes-Summer and Klineman-April.

Perhaps it’s fair to wonder why.

Hochevar and Day won more AVP tournaments than any American last season. Less than two weeks ago, Hochevar and Claes debuted in a four-star FIVB in China, grinding through the qualifier in the final set of the final round, winning their second and critical match in pool play to advance, surviving a 32-30 third set in the first round of bracket play, a 20-18 third set the next round, winning in two in the quarters and again in a sweep in the semis before finally tumbling in the finals to the No. 1 team in the world in Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes.

It marked a number of firsts for Claes: first international podium, first meaningful tournament without Hughes behind her, first international final.

So here’s what’s interesting: Everything.

Everything about FIVB Huntington Beach will be interesting. Fascinating. Captivating. The format is not an ounce shy of complete and total madness, with 48 teams per gender, at least 16 of which will be Americans.

The field is as stacked as any tournament in recent memory, far more than the Olympics, which cap each country with a quota. Not for Huntington.

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Brazil, either the No. 1 or No. 2 country in the world for beach volleyball, depending on whom you talk to, sent seven men’s and four women’s teams. Canada is posting a total of 10, which might actually include every single beach volleyball player from the country.

It’s the first look at a format of such magnitude, and should all go well, perhaps we’ll see more. It’s also, as the AVP’s Twitter account suggested, the first local look at intriguing new partnerships: Hughes-Ross, Day-Flint, Hochevar-Claes, Klineman-Ross, John Mayer-Trevor Crabb, Sean Rosenthal-Chase Budinger, Casey Patterson-Stafford Slick, Billy Allen–Ryan Doherty.

Can Klineman and Ross rediscover that honeymoon magic they found on their incredible run at The Hague, in which they won a pair of country quota matches, breezed through the qualifier and didn’t drop a single set in the main draw en route to a victory in their first tournament as teammates?

Can Hughes-Ross prove to be an improvement from the decorated team of Hughes-Claes?

Can Claes-Hochevar continue their torrid start?

Will Team Naughty and Nice, as Crabb (naughty) and Mayer (nice, presumably, unless Mayer has suddenly discovered a cantankerous streak) have come to be known, enjoy international success?

Will Budinger’s NBA prowess translate to the beach?

Can Slick and Patterson solve the issues that have plagued them early in their partnership?

Will Allen and Doherty deliver the same type of play they did in Doha, when they took down the Dutch’s Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen?

Will this format be a rousing success or a claustrophobic mess?

These questions are the beauty of this event. We don’t know. This week, perhaps we’ll find the answers to a few of them.