Five Paris 2024 Olympians will compete on the sand at Blackie's Beach when the fourth annual Hoag Newport Beach 4-Man Volleyball Invitational returns Oct. 17-18.

The free, two-day tournament carries a $200,000 prize purse split across men's and women's divisions, with proceeds benefiting the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation, a nonprofit that funds sports access for at-risk youth in the county. Competition runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at 2118 W. Oceanfront, next to the Newport Beach Pier.

Kristen Cruz, who reached the No. 1 world ranking in 2025, headlines the field. Cruz represented Team USA at the Paris Games alongside partner Taryn Brasher and has since captured back-to-back Manhattan Beach Open titles and an undefeated 2025 AVP League season, according to her AVP player profile. Two-time Olympian Kelly Cheng, who finished fifth in Paris and ninth in Tokyo, also returns.

On the men's side, Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, who paired together at the Paris Games, are in the draw. Budinger played 407 games across a seven-year NBA career before switching to sand. Olympic gold medalist Phil Dalhausser, who won Beijing 2008 with Todd Rogers and holds more than 60 AVP titles, rounds out the marquee names.

Sixteen-time AVP champion Taylor Crabb, voted the most exciting player in AVP history by fans in 2023, is also confirmed. Crabb qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan. He has teamed with Paris Olympian Andy Benesh for 2026, making Benesh the fifth Paris Olympian in the field. The pair won their first AVP event together in Huntington Beach in May, according to Crabb's official site.

New this year is a Saturday qualification tournament. Four teams per gender will compete in a draft-style format to earn the final spot in the main draw, according to the event's official site.

"The four-man game is fast, physical and incredibly entertaining, and when you put the best players in the world on the sand together, anything can happen," co-founder Steve Obradovich, an AVP Hall of Famer, said on the tournament website.

Obradovich and Kevin Martin of Eagle Four Partners launched the invitational in 2023. General admission from the sand is free. Upgraded options include grandstand seating, a VIP FunZone with a shaded bar and vendor giveaways, and VIP Sand Suites with courtside sofa seating for up to eight guests, according to Visit Newport Beach.

The tournament weekend overlaps with the Newport Beach Film Festival and StyleWeek OC. Balboa Bay Resort is offering a tournament package through Oct. 19 that includes accommodations, an $80 daily breakfast credit and shuttle service to the courts.