‘This event is insane’: 37th Annual Clash volleyball tournament boasts impressive numbers to start AVP Grass Tour

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — In a part of the country where football, basketball and baseball reign supreme, the sport of volleyball, specifically grass volleyball, is making it’s presence known.

This weekend was the 37th Annual Clash, an outdoor volleyball tournament held in Columbia.

The event is the official start of the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) grass volleyball tour and a reminder that one of the country’s fastest growing sports, has a heartbeat right here in the Southeast.

“I waited too long to come to the Clash,” retired professional beach volleyball player Casey Patterson said. “This event is insane.”

Volleyball players of all ages, like Columbia native and current USC student Zachary Echerer, gathered at Saluda Shoals Park this weekend for the tournament.

“The vibes are here, it’s been a lot of fun,” Echerer said. “It’s always a fun tournament every single year.”

The competitive grass volleyball tournament featured 3-on-3 mens and women’s action on Saturday, with 2-on-2 Co-Ed games on Sunday.

2023 Gamecock grad Amanda Spiegel played while in school and is still active in the Columbia volleyball scene.

“If you’re going to play a tournament in Columbia, you’re going to play the Clash,” Spiegel said.

The event has several youth divisions but is mostly for adult players, ranging from beginner to professional levels, with more than 30,000 dollars in total winnings at stake.

This year, roughly 480 teams and more than 1200 players were in action, making it the biggest tournament in the southeast, and the largest in Columbia in 15 years, according to tournament director Austin Daniel.

“So history is being made out here,” Daniel said. “Who would have known grass volleyball is even a thing.”

This is Daniel’s third year running the tournament. He and his brother Adam also run the Volley-Bums brand which organizes tournaments throughout the Summer.

“Makes it special because this is our home,” Daniel said. “It’s been in our back yard all our life. But we started playing volleyball about ten-ish years ago. We’ve been trying to grow this thing and get it back to what it used to be which is absolutely greatness.”

The ever growing sport of grass volleyball combines the traditional skills and rules of beach volleyball with the explosive element of indoor.

“These are the kind of events that I remember growing up the most,” Patterson remarked. “This is where my roots are. I hated beach growing up. I played grass only in high school because all the old guys would play beach and not jump and I’m like this is stupid. Let’s go play grass and fly around and bounce. So it’s kind of like coming full circle. I love it.”

Patterson, a 2016 Olympian, came down to Columbia for the Clash to meet with fans and enjoy some good volleyball.

“It’s always a little bit surreal where you’re like, 12 year-old Casey inside is like, bro how rad was it I got to make a living just playing volleyball,” Patterson said. “So for me, coming back to events like this is my favorite thing to do.”

The 18-time AVP champ says what makes volleyball special, from the beach to the grass, is the community it brings.

“The volleyball world is huge but small at the same time,” Patterson said. “Everybody knows each other so that’s what makes these special. It’s like a reunion every time you come to one of these events.”

Spiegel feels the same way..

“I think it’s just the people,” Spiegel said. “You get to meet up with a bunch of people and get out there and try to play some good volleyball.”

“It’s basically a big tailgate with kind of that family vibe,” Daniel added.”

“Almost like family reunion is what we like to tell people. So all the planning goes on all year long for two days for it to go down. It’s really special and I hope that I get to do it for the rest of my life because we’ve just fallen in love with the sport and so have the 1200 people that are here with us today.”

This year’s clash had players from all over the country compete.

However, a handful of division winners from came from right here in the midlands.

If you’re interested in playing grass volleyball there will be several smaller tournaments throughout the summer.

You can check them out on the VolleyBums website.