Every Labor Day weekend, a beach volleyball stadium pops up on Lake Michigan, just north of the Drake Hotel, and some of the world’s best players come to Chicago.

This weekend will be no different. The Association of Volleyball Professionals will take over Oak Street Beach starting Saturday morning for the AVP League Championships, with winners crowned Sunday afternoon.

“Chicago is one of the best places that we play year after year. It’s a great environment to play in,” said Phil Dalhauser, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist who is now teamed with Trevor Crabb. “The fan base here is knowledgeable about the sport, and they get really into the matches. I’m excited to be back and see what the weekend has in store.”

The AVP ran its season differently this year. Instead of individual women’s and men’s teams, it grouped pairs into teams representing cities: Palm Beach, Miami, New York, Brooklyn, Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Diego. (Despite Chicago being a mainstay on the beach volleyball circuit, no team was assigned while New York has two.)

The Palm Beach Passion won the AVP Cup, with Dalhauser and Crabb playing on a team with Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes, the 2024 Olympic silver medalists for Canada.

While Chicago didn’t have a team in the AVP Cup, the city will play host to a single-elimination tournament to decide the league championship. The teams no longer matter, and they aren’t playing for points. It’s the best teams in the AVP Cup competing for what the league calls the biggest payout of the season — and teams can’t afford to make any mistakes. There won’t be pool play or a losers bracket.

“We absolutely love this event, and we couldn’t be more excited to be back in Chicago to play in the AVP League Championship,” Wilkerson said. “We know what it feels like to win here, and we’re going to give it our all to do it again.”

On the AVP circuit, teams play each other again and again as the tournaments move around the country. They’ve also played against each other in tournaments sanctioned by FIVB, the international federation for beach volleyball.

“We know these teams so well; we know their strengths and weaknesses, but they also know ours,” Humana-Paredes said. “We know that they’re working toward the same goal.”

A tournament means upsets are a strong possibility, so even teams seeded sixth could make waves — but there are favorites. Here are the teams to keep an eye on at the lakefront this weekend.

Men’s teams

Andy Benesh and Miles Partain

After taking fifth at the 2024 Paris Olympics, this pair won in Chicago last season and are looking to repeat their success. Though they don’t have a top-25 FIVB ranking, they have found success on the AVP circuit. They went 6-2 in AVP Cup matches and come to Chicago as the top seed.

Trevor Crabb and Phil Dalhausser

Dalhausser, 45, has been among the elite in beach volleyball for more than two decades. He announced his retirement earlier this year but two weeks ago changed his mind and said he’ll return for the 2026 season. Now playing with Crabb, the pair went 6-2 in AVP Cup play. Crabb’s brother Taylor also will compete in Chicago this weekend with partner Taylor Sander. The brothers used to play together, and when they face off, it can turn into one of the best rivalries on the beach.

Women’s teams

Taryn Kloth Brasher and Kristen Nuss

The country’s best volleyball players often are found in Southern California, but this unlikely pair are from New Orleans (Nuss) and Sioux Falls, S.D. (Kloth Brasher). They represented the U.S. in Paris. Currently ranked ninth in the world by FIVB, Kloth Brasher and Nuss went 7-1 in AVP Cup play for the best record among women. Most recently, they won the Manhattan Beach Open with a win over Terese Kraft and Megan Kraft, the No. 3 seed in Chicago.

Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes

At the Paris Olympics, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes lost a contentious gold-medal match to the Brazilian pair of Duda Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos. The Canadians were able to beat the Brazilians in early August in Montreal. Coming into Chicago off that win, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes look to continue the success they’ve had all season, going 6-2 in AVP Cup play and winning the title with Dalhausser and Crabb.

Maggie Hendricks is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Schedule

Saturday

10:30 a.m.: Women’s quarterfinal 1 (LA Launch vs. San Diego Smash)
11:30 a.m.: Women’s quarterfinal 2 (Brooklyn Blaze vs. Miami Mayhem)
12:30 p.m.: Men’s quarterfinal 1 (New York Nitro vs. Miami Mayhem)
1:30 p.m.: Men’s quarterfinal 2 (LA Launch vs. San Diego Smash)
3 p.m.: Women’s semifinal 1 (Palm Beach Passion vs. quarterfinal 1 winner)
4 p.m.: Men’s semifinal 1 (Palm Beach Passion vs. quarterfinal 1 winner)

Sunday

10:30 a.m.: Women’s semifinal 2 (Austin Aces vs. quarterfinal 2 winner)
11:30 a.m.: Men’s semifinal 2 (Dallas Dream vs. quarterfinal 2 winner)
1 p.m.: Women’s championship match, CBS-2
2 p.m.: Men’s championship match, CBS-2

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/29/beach-volleyball-chicago-oak-street-beach/