SALT LAKE CITY -- The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour will make a stop in Salt Lake City for the first time ever, and it will be a homecoming for two of the top players in the world.
Jake Gibb is from Bountiful. He’s a two-time Olympian, and he finished last season ranked number one in the world.
“It’s crazy to have the pro tour here," he said. "When I grew up, beach volleyball or volleyball in general was considered a women’s sport in my high school. There wasn’t a men’s team, so I didn’t know much about it. I picked it up later in life, and now I’ve fallen in love with it and I can’t get enough.”
Gibb has a new partner this year. He’s teamed up with Casey Patterson, who played college volleyball at Brigham Young University. They’ve already had success, winning a gold medal in Beijing, and now they’re excited to play in front of family and friends this week.
“This is actually my first full-time beach season,” Patterson said. “And to do it with Jake, and to have the success we’ve had so far, and to have both played in Utah for a while, me at college and him before that, it’s been kind of cool.”
The tournament starts on Friday at Liberty Park. The women’s and men’s finals are set for Sunday.
