Top Women’s Beach Teams Headed to Chicago for Corona Light Wide Open At North Avenue Beach This Weekend

CHICAGO, ILL. (July 26, 2011) --- Several of the top women’s pro beach volleyball teams in the nation will head to Chicago’s North Avenue Beach this weekend for the $100,000 Corona Light Wide Open, which will be played Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31.
Among the players expected to compete in the Women’s Open division are Whitney Pavlik and Jenny Kropp, currently ranked No. 13 on the USA Volleyball Beach Player Rankings and winners of the Corona Light Wide Open event last month in Seaside Heights, N. J. Other players registered for the two-day event include Kristin Batt and Brooke Sweat, currently 17thin the rankings; Jenn Snyder, currently ranked 16th and a Wide Open winner last year, and her partner Angela Lewis; and the 21st ranked team of Meg Wallin and Chara Harris, who won a Wide Open title in 2009.
Last year’s Corona Light Wide Open winners in Chicago, Erin Gray and Kathryn Babcock are both expected to return this year, but with different partners. Gray, currently 15th in the rankings, is expected to play with Olaya “Yaya” Pazo, while Babcock will team with Sheila Shaw.
Also expected to compete are one of the top teams from the former AVP tour, Jennifer Johnson Jordon and Annett Davis. Johnson Jordan and Davis were only the second team in the history of the AVP to compete in 100 events together and were frequently ranked among the top 10 women’s teams on the tour.
The Corona Light Wide Open is a weekend festival of beach volleyball, music and fun and is making its annual stop at North Avenue Beach. Created, in part, by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and featuring an appearance by Brian Lewis, a former No. 1 player in the world, the event includes a free concert between the Men’s and Women’s Open division championship matches at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 31 featuring west coast sensation, singer-songwriter Kelley James.
Play will be held in nine different two-person divisions. In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 250 players are expected to take part in amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com. Online entry is available until 5 p.m. local time on Friday, July 29. The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group.
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