Holly Stein / AVP

Ones to watch: Among the professional players who will hit the beach on Coney Island for this week's AVP Brooklyn Open is Mike Lambert (pictured), who is one-half of the best-ranked duo in the world.

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Get ready, volleyball fans and beachgoers. The Association of Volleyball Professionals league is making its first-ever tournament stop in New York, coming to Coney Island from Thursday, Aug. 17 through Sunday, Aug. 20.

"With Coney Island being the most popular beach on the eastern seaboard, the AVP tournament coming here means volleyball has really hit the big time," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "The sun and sand, the rides, the competition - it’s a match made in Brooklyn!"

The Coney Island tourney, to be held alongside the Astroland Amusement Park, will be the first time many of the professional players will serve, set and spike in New York.

The number one duo in the world, Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger, are going in with one goal in mind: to win and dominate.

"Yeah, we’re going in to win the thing," Lambert, the AVP 2004 Offensive Player of the Year told GO Brooklyn. "Same as with all the big tournaments. Just to be in a city like New York, it’s such a cool, fun place, and Coney Island is like the California lifestyle on the East Coast. I’ve never been there, but I love music from Brooklyn, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, so it’ll be awesome to actually be there."

Casey Jennings, part of the third-ranked duo in the world, believes the crowd will be friendly.

"I don’t really know what to expect," he said. "I am really excited, though. The first time I ever came to New York, I stayed in Brooklyn and the people were super friendly. Living in L.A., you hear that New Yorkers are not friendly to tourists, but I found that wasn’t the case at all."

Jennings, 31, and his partner Matt Fuerbringer, 32, who have won AVP events in nearby Belmar, N.J., are the only teammates ranked in the top five who have stuck together since they started on the tour.

Over 150 of the top professional beach volleyball players will be competing for the $25,000 prize. The event, which will be televised live on NBC, will begin with a qualifier on Aug. 17 and will continue through the weekend with the men’s final at 4:30 pm on Aug. 19. The women’s final will follow at 4:30 pm the following day.

For the AVP, which has annual tournament stops in cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, having a tournament in Brooklyn is a chance to show New York that volleyball is not just a lifestyle recreation sport, but is in fact one that features great athletic competition, said AVP Tour Commissioner Leonard Armato.

Armato has been trying to bring an AVP event to New York for years, and, with Bruce Ratner’s help, has now seen his dream come true. Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project and Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment will partner with the AVP to build a temporary 4,000-seat stadium on the beach, and will also construct 12 outer courts with limited general admission seating.

"Coming to New York, this takes the sport to another level," Armato said. "We will be exposed to a much greater audience, with many more people now that we are able to penetrate Brooklyn and New York."

Volleyball is the fastest-growing sport in the country and is the most popular summer Olympic sport, according to attendance and television viewing, said Armato.

Any duo can try to qualify for the Brooklyn Open on Aug. 17, between 8:30 am and 6 pm, for a chance to take their shot at the pros.

The tournament starts with 32 teams and is double elimination. The tournament becomes single elimination once there are only four teams left.

"Coney Island is a perfect fit for a new tournament, because volleyball is starting to represent the beach culture of the 21st century, and Coney Island beach is the beach with probably the greatest tradition in the country," Armato added. "Put the two together and you have a perfect partnership bridging the past and the future. I see this open being a flagship event every year and that’s exciting."

The Association of Volleyball Professionals Brooklyn Open will be held at West 21st Street on the Boardwalk in Coney Island, from Aug. 17-20. The action begins at 8:30 am every morning and runs throughout the day. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $40 for courtside. Tickets can be bought at the door, or by visiting www.avp.com, clicking on the "Schedule" link and scrolling down to the "Brooklyn Open" link. For more information, contact Ashwin Puri at (201) 635-3304.

©2006 Community Newspaper Group