Professional beach volleyball teams from across the country and several international locations will return to Edwardsville’s Plummer Family Park from Sept. 25-27 for the second annual Midwest Open tournament.
The three-day 2-on-2 tournament will feature men’s and women’s divisions competing for a share of $20,000 in guaranteed prize money on the six beach volleyball courts at Plummer Family Park, 3501 Sports Park Drive.
The Midwest Open is an AVP Heritage Contender event sanctioned by the Association of Volleyball Professionals, the nation’s longest-running professional beach volleyball tour. Qualifying matches are Friday, Sept. 25, with the main draw scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27. Championship matches are Sept. 27.
“It was exciting last year to host the inaugural Midwest Open and to bring fast-paced, high-level volleyball matches for everyone to enjoy for free,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “We are thrilled to do this again, with the support of some terrific community partners, at our incredible sports park.”
The winning team in each division will receive $5,000. Second-place teams will receive $3,000, while the two semifinal losers in each division will tie for third place and receive $1,000 each.
S.M. Wilson & Co. will serve as the presenting sponsor. Bacardi and Busey Bank are MVP sponsors, and GMB is the DJ sponsor. Court sponsors include Brown Lending, Byrne & Jones, Gameday Men’s Health, Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau and Narwhal’s Crafted.
Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, Edwardsville Bank, FastSigns, Republic Services and the Gori Law Firm are community sponsors.
VOLLIS, a beach volleyball lifestyle brand, is organizing the tournament in partnership with the City of Edwardsville.
The event also will feature food and beverage trucks, a DJ, a professional volleyball announcer and other activities. The tournament lineup, team eligibility requirements and registration information are available at www.themidwestopen.com.
For information about sponsoring or partnering with the city for the free community event, contact Sports and Recreation Superintendent Canee’ Brown at cbrown@cityofedwardsville.com.