The RoxVB Series junior beach national championship begins Thursday at Rally’s Beach Complex in Cartersville, Ga.
Rox Volleyball launched the RoxVB Series in 2015 as a platform to grow junior beach volleyball. The goal, Rox emphasized, was to create a tour with no athlete membership that would unite all athletes and the sport.
“It’s a pleasure to partner With Rox Volleyball and the RoxVB Series,” said Colleen Craig, Rally Beach Complex CEO and RoxVB Series promoter. “They bring energy, excitement, top-quality products and creative ideas to our sport. We have worked hard to build Rally Volleyball into a premier destination for volleyball. The RoxVB Series was a natural fit.”
This year, the tour had more than 5,000 participants and was well-represented in 12 states with 20 promoters who ran more than 60 events. Winners of qualifiers hosted by promoters receive a bid to the national championships where they will get to play against the country’s elite junior athletes.
“RoxVB Series was created base on the need of growing the game without a membership program,” RoxVB Series Founder and Rox Volleyball president Troy Olson said. “This gives every junior athlete the opportunity to play at a higher level and compete against the best of the best. I am proud to say after two years the series has doubled in size and given several athletes an opportunity that they may not have had to be seen by a college recruiter and to play at the collegiate level.”
Jon Justice won the 2016 RoxVB Series.
“It’s really good competition and a really well-run event,” Justice said. “It brings people from all over the country. It gives you a great basis of who you are playing against and what you are up against when getting recruited to colleges, which is really helpful.”
The RoxVB Series goal is not only about the high level of competition, but also a training and family experience. The three-day event in Georgia includes a luau, family games and appearances by AVP and USA Volleyball athletes Kendra VanZwieten and Emily Stockman. Eight athletes will get to compete in a match with the pros.
The event also is hosting a players’ clinic before the tournament featuring college coaches, including VolleyballMag.com national beach coach of the year Russell Brock of LSU, Kristina Hernandez of Stetson and David Fischer of UNCW.
To learn more about the RoxVB Series national championship, including registration and sponsorship of the event, visit www.roxvbseries.com.
