When Chase Budinger was playing in the NBA, he had a locker room full of teammates who were working together to win and support each other off the court.
Since switching to beach volleyball, it鈥檚 always been just him and a single partner.
That's changing this season on the AVP tour, with a new league format that is bringing a team concept to the two-person game, and with it a home city and a nickname and all of the other trappings of the more traditional team sports.
鈥淚t just brings that team atmosphere, that team bonding that is something that I鈥檝e missed from my basketball days,鈥 Budinger said in a recent telephone interview as he moved on to the AVP鈥檚 new league.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I kind of feel again, where you鈥檙e cheering on your teammates and really have another team鈥檚 back,鈥 said Budinger, who played before reaching the Olympics in beach volleyball. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool, because it鈥檚 something so different than normal beach volleyball.鈥
Although it has long been the most prestigious beach volleyball tour in the United States, the AVP has struggled to find footing in the sand as it tries to carry the sport's quadrennial Summer Games spotlight through the non-OIympic years.
The new format is an attempt to solve some of the problems that may be hindering the sport's growth, including shorter matches that are more TV-friendly, and more predictable pairings to capitalize on the name recognition of its biggest stars.
Most visibly, the AVP league departs from traditional beach volleyball, where twosomes traveled and competed for themselves, by teaming a men鈥檚 pair with a women鈥檚 pair and assigning them a city in the hopes of fostering hometown support. Teams don't play for tournament titles, but to move up in the season standings and reach the end-of-season championship in Los Angeles Nov. 9-10.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a total shakeup from what鈥檚 been happening for the last few decades,鈥 said Brandie Wilkerson, a Canadian who won with Melissa Humana-Paredes; the pair now plays for the AVP鈥檚 Palm Beach Passion, teamed up with 2008 gold medalist Phil Dalhausser, and Avery Drost.
鈥淭he team camaraderie is interesting,鈥 Wilkerson said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never had to really think about another teammate other than Melissa. So that鈥檚 been fun and we鈥檙e getting into it, we鈥檙e getting to know these players better. We get to support each other.鈥
Other teams include the San Diego Smash, New York Nitro, Dallas Dream, Austin Aces, Miami Mayhem, LA Launch and Brooklyn Blaze. So far, the league has bounced from Los Angeles, where it played in the UCLA Tennis Center, to Miami鈥檚 Hard Rock Stadium.
鈥淧laying cities just like other professional teams do and having big crowds in stadiums 鈥 what鈥檚 not to like about that?鈥 said Olympic gold medalist Alix Klineman, who plays for Miami.
鈥淚t takes time. I don鈥檛 think people overnight all became Laker fans,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was learning to love the organization and the players, and as they got better, more people became fans. Hopefully this format has the staying power that everybody hopes it does, and then I think fans will get on board.鈥
The competition heads this weekend to the Honda Center, home of the NHL鈥檚 Anaheim Ducks. While beach volleyball events are often held away from the shore on trucked-in sand 鈥 including in the Champ de Mars 鈥 existing stadiums offer conveniences that aren't always possible at Manhattan Beach or Copacabana.
鈥淚t feels professional,鈥 said April Ross, a three-time Olympic medalist who won gold in 2021 with Klineman in Tokyo. 鈥淲e have air conditioned locker rooms, player lounges. I really enjoy those venues.鈥
It鈥檚 different on the court, too, with sets that go up to 15 (instead of 21). The fast-paced play keeps the fans interested, and it doesn鈥檛 hurt that the matches can more reliably fit into a TV window. (A traditional beach volleyball match can last from 30-something minutes to well over an hour, meaning a two-match broadcast would time out of a two-hour TV window just when things are most exciting.)
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a big sprint,鈥 Ross said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 intense, I鈥檒l say that. I think it鈥檚 fun to watch, and every point matters a lot. Strategically, it鈥檚 tough: If you have a slow start there鈥檚 not a lot of room for changing your strategy and staging a comeback.鈥
This year鈥檚 season was scheduled in the fall, to build off of the Olympic bump; in 2025 it is expected to move back to the summer. There are three women鈥檚 teams from Paris: Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, and Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, as well as the Canadians. The men's side features both American pairs from the recent Olympics: Budinger and Miles Evans, and Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, and former Olympians such as Dalhausser and Brazil's Alison.
An AVP spokesman declined to provide attendance figures except to say they have increased each week through the first six events of the season. The players 鈥 many of them Southern Californians 鈥 say they are hoping that the format helps grow beach volleyball as the sport's birthplace prepares for the Olympics to return in 2028.
鈥淟.A. has their work cut out for them, to try to top Paris,鈥 Klineman said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for L.A. I think our city has a lot to offer. But we also have to step it up, to do something like Paris.鈥
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