This summer, Ontario's beach volleyball scene set new records, delivering a season filled with exhilarating action. The OVA Beach Tour, Beach Ontario Championships, and Beach Nationals smashed previous records, proving that beach volleyball in Ontario is thriving like never before. Notably, Team Canada's silver medal Olympic win by Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, along with outstanding performances from Ontario-based Olympians Heather Bansley, Sophie Bukovec, Sam Schachter, and Dan Dearing, added to the season’s historic highlights and served as an inspiration for young Ontario beach athletes who are following in their path.

The 2024 OVA Beach Ontario Championships (OCs) returned to Ashbridges Bay on August 3-4 and 10-11 to conclude the two-weekend provincial event. From last year's Beach Championships this edition saw a sizeable increase in participants, up 21% from 2023 with 1,404 athletes (702 teams) competing. With the exception final Beach Tour events in Brampton on August 17th and 24th, 3440 teams competed in the Tour, up from 2314 in the previous year!

Ontario Championships: August 3-4

Under the intense sun at Ashbridges Bay, the first weekend of the 2024 OVA Beach Ontario Championships culminated in a thrilling showdown. The atmosphere was charged as spectators packed the feature court, eager to witness the province’s best battle it out for the top spot. In the women’s final, the dynamic duo of Abbey Thorup and Jaeya Brach faced off against the formidable Lea Monkhouse and Marie-Alex Bélanger, with Monkhouse/Bélanger emerging victorious.

The men’s final did not disappoint, as Max Losier and Robert Kemp clashed with Jonny Pickett and Markus Law-Heese in a match full of high-stakes drama, with Pickett/Law-Heese claiming the gold. Both winning teams took home a purse of $4,000 per team for their hard work and gold medal performance.

Ontario Championships: August 10-11

Following the excitement of the adult division in the first weekend, the second weekend focused on youth talent, featuring the Youth Open (20U) and other age divisions. The Youth Open female bracket saw A. Lonardi/O. Odigie take home the gold, while S. Hancock/K. Cornman and A. Mikel/E. Cudmore secured silver and bronze. On the men’s side, A. Kerkhoff/B. Oldham clinched the gold, with B. Morrison/C. Tautrims earning silver and C. Dorsey/J. Svendsen taking bronze.

During this event, the prestigious Jason Senechal Award was presented to Conor Dorsey, recognizing his exceptional contributions and achievements in beach volleyball. Conor, a Cambrian College athlete and a key member of Team Ontario’s beach program, has competed internationally on the FIVB Beach Pro Tour and is set to compete in the upcoming FIVB Futures event in Halifax, NS. The award was presented by the late Jason Senechal’s mother, Gale, making the moment even more poignant.

A special thank you to the members of the OVA Beach Crew, Referees and Volunteers for helping manage a smooth and successful 2024 beach season!

Beach National Championships: August 16-18

The 2024 Beach Nationals in Toronto, featured youth age groups from 14U to 18U and the Senior event, utilizing an impressive 102 courts at Ashbridges Bay. Awards were be presented to the top three teams in each category, with the Senior event featuring a prize purse of $25,000.

Ontario's own Mikayla Law-Heese and Ruby Sorra have claimed victory in the Senior Women’s Division, with the Quebec duo of Lea Monkhouse/Marie-Alex Bélanger placing second and McBain/Ozee securing third.

In the Senior Men’s Division, Ontario’s Robert Kemp and Max Losier struck gold, improving on their third-place finish from last year. Rivest/David took the silver, and Law-Heese/Pickett earned the bronze.

Craving more beach competition?

Check out Volleyball Canada’s third edition of the University & College Beach National Championships. The 2024 event will be hosted August 31 – September 1, 2024 at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto. And stay tuned for information about the 2024-2025 OVA Winter Beach Tour.

Important Links:

For detailed results and to relive the excitement, check out the action shots and podium pictures on the OVA Flickr account, and catch live streams of the OVA matches on CBC Sports Connect. As we celebrate this record-breaking season, we invite your feedback to help us continue enhancing our events for the future via our Post-Season Survey.

• Podium Pictures and Action Shots
• OVA Live Stream on CBC Sports Connect
• OVA Beach Tour and Championships Results
• VC Nationals Results
• OVA Post-Season Survey

Join us as we look forward to continuing the momentum next season and beyond!