Now that summer has come and gone, it is easy to assume that for beach volleyball players it is time to head inside to wait out the winter months. Ironically though, this is exactly how several of the AVP athletes plan on spending their offseason, as they will soon be moving their beach game indoors as part of the AVP Johnsonville Hot Winter Nights Tour.

Starting in January, AVP athletes and staff will pack up the beach and head out on a 17-city tour, visiting indoor arenas in various cities throughout the East Coast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. Fans at each of the Hot Winter Nights events will be able to escape from the cold winter weather and experience the same beach party atmosphere that is found on the summer tour, all while enjoying the competition of the AVP's top athletes.

The format for the Hot Winter Nights Tour will be different from what is seen on the summertime AVP Crocs Tour, but is sure to provide fans with some extremely exciting and entertaining competition.

Instead of playing in set teams, a round-robin format will be used to determine both a men's and women's individual champion. Each event will showcase four men's and four women's athletes, who will battle it out on the sand to determine the best player on the beach for the night.

Each stop on the tour will start out with pool play, which will feature three matches per gender. Players will rotate partners for each match, allowing each player to team together once. An abbreviated game format will be used for pool play, with each match consisting of one game to 15 points.

At the end of pool play, the two players with the best records will advance to the final where they will square off to determine the night's champion. The player with the best record will have first pick of their partner for the championship match. The final will consist of one game played to 15 points, must win by two.

In its second year, the AVP Johnsonville Hot Winter Nights Tour is guaranteed to bring some heat to the chilly winter months.

The 2009 Johnsonville Hot Winter Nights Tour takes place in January and February of 2009. For a complete 2009 AVP Johnsonville Hot Winter Nights Tour schedule and tickets, click here.