MPVA Corona Extra Championships to invade GH Saturday
Fri, Aug 1, 2008
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The 18th annual Midwest Professional Volleyball Association (MPVA) Corona Extra Championships will take place at the Grand Haven State Park Saturday.
Grand Haven's Steven VanderWerp and Pete Goers are the top seed in the men's open draw, having gone unbeaten on the beach so far this summer. The women's top seed is the team of Laurie Armstrong, a former All-American at Grand Valley State, and Karen Avery, the head volleyball coach at Valparaiso University.
The professional division begins at 8:15 a.m., with the amateurs starting play at 9. Event organizer Scott VanderWerp said he expects the women's pro finals to start around 5 p.m., followed by the men's finals at 6.
"We have a record number of pro registrations already, and we also have a high school beach challenge," VanderWerp.
A big emphasis has been placed on bringing younger players into the MPVA this year. The Main Draw is a portion of the tournament geared toward top area college players, which features a reduced entry fee and a guarantee of more than two matches per team.