The Association of Volleyball Professionals will host week five of its League Cup on Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, at Alamitos Beach — the beach volleyball venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Cal State Long Beach alumni Paul Lotman and Taylor Crabb will play against each other for Dallas and Miami, respectively, alongside multiple other Olympians and Southern California natives.
“The community, all of L.A. and Orange County, the turnout is always great for beach volleyball,” Lotman said in an interview. “It’s really the home, a great home, for beach volleyball.”
The L.A. Launch will host the Brooklyn Blaze, Dallas Dream and Miami Mayhem at Alamitos Beach, 700 East Shoreline Drive. Four matches will take place from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the final four will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available on AVP’s website, with general admission starting at $42. The tournament will be broadcast on YouTube @avpbeach, as well as the CW Network on Saturday and CBS on Sunday.
Miles Partain and Paul Lotman win in straight sets against against Avery Drost and Chase Frishman in the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2022.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Paul Lotman, CSULB class of 2008, mid-jump at an AVP match on June 12. (Courtesy of Bryan Malloch)
Paul Lotman, CSULB class of 2008, mid-jump at an AVP match on June 12. (Courtesy of AVP League)
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Miles Partain and Paul Lotman win in straight sets against against Avery Drost and Chase Frishman in the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open volleyball tournament on Saturday, August 20, 2022.
(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
“They’re absolute Long Beach legends,” Nick MacRae, head coach of CSULB men’s volleyball, said in an interview about Lotman and Crabb. “They’ve experienced the highest success in our program, NCAA Players of the Year, and Olympians, and they’re still staying very connected to our university and men’s volleyball team.”
This tournament marks the first time in six years that professional volleyball has come to Long Beach. The city hosted the AVP Champions Cup in 2020, but no fans were present because of COVID-19. The last fan-attended professional volleyball event was AVP’s Nivea Tour Long Beach Open in 2010, also at Alamitos Beach.
“That’s going to be the Olympic venue for beach volleyball, so that’s also pretty exciting to be able to play there,” Lotman said. “To experience that and play on that sand will be amazing.”
Matthew Prosser, assistant men’s volleyball coach at CSULB, played at the 2010 Long Beach Open.
“It was always an exciting place to play, knowing that it was the city that I went to college in and competed for with the men’s team at Long Beach State,” Prosser said in an interview. “Other than trying to win, it was always a little extra motivation when you were playing a professional beach tournament in Long Beach.”
Prosser coached Lotman at CSULB in 2008, the year the latter graduated. Lotman grew up in Lakewood, playing volleyball at Los Alamitos High School and CSULB. In 2012, he competed at the London Olympics; Team USA tied for fifth.
“My mom still lives (in Lakewood),” Lotman said, “and it’s only about 10 minutes away, so it’s nice to come home and get some family and friends’ support from my neighborhood.”
Growing up locally might even work to Lotman’s advantage at the tournament, Prosser said. In March, Lotman’s jersey number, 2, was retired at the CSULB pyramid in front of a full crowd. Prosser said the tournament is a chance for the community to see players they remember from CSULB.“Same with Taylor Crabb,” Prosser said. “Trying to make his second Olympics will definitely allow some of those supporters that saw him play in the pyramid come out and cheer him on, so that helps the players a lot.”
Playing at the LA28 volleyball venue can also give athletes aiming for the Olympics positive exposure, Prosser said.
Andy Benesh, Crabb’s partner, is looking to return to the Olympics, too. Lotman’s partner, Miles Partain, played with Benesh at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Together, the Dallas and Miami men’s teams comprise four Olympians, and their matches next weekend will place fellow CSULB alumni and former partners against each other.
Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, with Miami, are also pushing for a spot at LA28.
“A lot of dynamics going on in that group of athletes,” Prosser said, “that could offer up a lot of excitement and maybe some drama for the fans to see.”
AVP’s 2026 regular season will end in August in Dallas, and the League Championship will take place in Chicago on Sept. 5 and 6. Lotman is not currently competing in FIVB, the International Volleyball Federation, but he said it’s not off the table
“With the right partner,” he said in a statement, “I would make a run for LA28.”
With the large beach volleyball community in Long Beach, Lotman said, he hopes for a good turnout of youth players at the tournament.
“If you really have it in your heart to be a professional volleyball player,” Lotman said, “you can do it. I think watching the pros next weekend will be a great opportunity to see that in action.”