International beach volleyball cast gathers for FIVB Huntington Beach Open

Dozens of men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams from around the world will meet in Huntington Beach this week as the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals partners with Fédération Internationale de Volleyball for the FIVB Huntington Beach Open.

After qualifiers Tuesday and Wednesday, the main tournament is set for Thursday through Sunday at Huntington City Beach, 400 Pacific Coast Hwy.

Among the athletes scheduled to compete are double Olympic medalist April Ross — a Costa Mesa native and Newport Harbor High School alumna — and Brazilian 2015 world champions and 2016 Olympic medalists Bruno Schmidt and Alison Cerutti. Current FIVB women’s world-ranking leaders Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada are also expected along with men’s leaders Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak of Poland.

The competition model will be the first of its kind — a hybrid of the FIVB’s 4-Star format and the AVP double-elimination format.

“Our partnership with the AVP at the FIVB Huntington Beach Open is a great opportunity to continue to grow beach volleyball in the United States, a key market for the sport,” FIVB President Ary Graca said in a statement.

In addition to the tournament, fans can visit an interactive sponsor village including the AVP Jump Zone, food, a wine and beer garden, a bounce house, music and more.

General admission is free. VIP seating is available in various price packages.

Here’s the schedule:

Tuesday: Qualifiers, 1 to 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Qualifiers, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday: Main draw tournament, opening rounds, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: Main draw tournament, elimination rounds, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sunday: Main draw tournament, final rounds, 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (Finals at 4 p.m., televised on NBCSN.)

For more information or to buy VIP tickets, visit avp.com/tickets/huntington-beach.