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Volleyball tourney offers big names, $5 tickets

Gold medalist Jake Gibb, left, and teammate Sean Rosenthal celebrate a point Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008, during the AVP Crocs Tour Cincinnati Open beach volleyball tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy Gold medalist Jake Gibb, left, and teammate Sean Rosenthal celebrate a point Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008, during the AVP Crocs Tour Cincinnati Open beach volleyball tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

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Kerri Walsh blocks a ball by the team of Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs during the final of the Women's AVP Crocs Tour Pro Beach volleyball tournament Sunday, August 31, 2008, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. May-Treanor and Walsh were defeated by Branagh and Youngs.

Staff photo by Nick Graham Kerri Walsh blocks a ball by the team of Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs during the final of the Women's AVP Crocs Tour Pro Beach volleyball tournament Sunday, August 31, 2008, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. May-Treanor and Walsh were defeated by Branagh and Youngs.

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Misty May-Treanor (left) and Kerri Walsh won the AVP Crocs Tour Cincinnati Open Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.

Staff photo by John Boyle Misty May-Treanor (left) and Kerri Walsh won the AVP Crocs Tour Cincinnati Open Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.

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By Eric Schwartzberg, Staff Writer Updated 7:37 AM Thursday, September 3, 2009

Some of the best professional beach-volleyball players in the world will take to the sand in Warren County this weekend for the Fifth Annual AVP Crocs Tour.

This year’s lineup for the event, which takes Friday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 6, at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, features 16 teams of each gender including two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh, 2008 Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, Beijing Olympians Nicole Branagh, Elaine Youngs, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, as well as 2009 World Champions Jen Kessy and April Ross, among others.

Reach Event Marketing Director Mario Cicchinelli said AVP is celebrating the fifth year of the event and offering 2,600 tickets at $5 a piece for each session.

“That’s unheard of in the professional sports industry,” he said. “A family of four (can attend) for $20.” The event also offers an “interactive sponsor village” that offers children of all ages a wide variety of games, including laser tag, plus an opportunity to rub elbows with the athletes.

The event benefits the Mason Parks Foundation, Cancer Free Kids and Barret Cancer Center.

“It’s for a good cause ... and it’s a fun event,” said Maineville resident Dan Meyer, quality leader for GE Aviation Systems and head of volunteer efforts for the event. “It’s an opportunity to go meet the players and interact with them, as well as interact with their co-workers in a nonwork environment.”

The company has been supplying volunteers for the event since its inception. About half of this year’s 400 volunteers are GE employees, Meyer said.