Pro Volleyball Event’s Status Is Uncertain

Surf’s up, but is professional volleyball out?

Officials at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals aren’t sure if there is going to be a professional volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach this summer. There was no Manhattan Beach Open last summer after community activist Donley Falkenstien led a fight to keep the annual AVP tournament off the beaches of this seaside city.

Falkenstien’s coalition, the South Bay Coastal Defense Alliance, successfully lobbied the California Coastal Commission to bar paid admissions to any summertime events on a public beach after the tournament tried to increase the number of seats for which it charged.

City Manager Geoff Dolan said Thursday that he would like to see professional volleyball return to Manhattan Beach. But Manhattan Beach is not listed on the AVP tour schedule posted on the World Wide Web.