When the AVP’s top athletes hit the sand for this weekend’s AVP Crocs Cup Championship Kentucky Grilled Chicken Chicago Open, they’ll be competing in the final tournament factored into the season-long Crocs Cup Championship.

The Crocs Cup awards $75,000 in bonus money to the top four teams of each gender based on their top 10 2009 finishes as a team through this weekend. Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers and Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs have already locked up the $45,000 first-place bonus. $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000 will be awarded to second-, third-, and fourth-place teams, respectively.

Teams have earned Crocs Cup points throughout the season based on the following breakdown per event: 750 points for first place, 640 for second, 540 for third, 450 for fifth, and 370 for seventh. Points are awarded on a decreasing scale through 33rd place (120 points).

Current Crocs Cup Standings (z = clinched first place, y = clinched second, x = clinched third, italics = eliminated ):

On the men’s side, John Hyden and Sean Scott have clinched second and $15,000. Manhattan Beach Open champions Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, meanwhile, have secured the $10,000 third-place prize.

Only 190 points, however, separate fourth-place John Mayer and Jeff Nygaard from Matt Olson and Kevin Wong, giving the fifth-place men’s team an outside shot at cracking the top four with a good weekend. If Olson and Wong advance to the finals and Mayer and Nygaard fail to finish better than fifth, Olson/Wong could pass Mayer/Nygaard. If Olson and Wong win this weekend, they will take fourth place unless Mayer and Nygaard also advance to the final. In the event of an Olson/Wong finals win over Mayer/Nygaard, both teams would finish with 5,350 points. The tiebreaker would be finishes other than the top 10 used, which would favor Mayer/Nygaard.

Mayer/Nygaard and Olson/Wong have each played in one final this season. Mayer/Nygaard won in San Diego over Gibb/Rosenthal, while Olson/Wong dropped the Manhattan Beach championship match to Gibb/Rosenthal.

Furthermore, if sixth-place Brad Keenan and Nick Lucena replicate last weekend’s season-best performance in Muskegon, they could finish fourth with some help. Keenan and Lucena can take fourth by making the finals, Olson/Wong finishing third or lower, and Mayer/Nygaard finishing fifth or lower. Also, if Keenan and Lucena win their first event as a team and Mayer/Nygaard finish third or lower, Keenan/Lucena will finish fourth. With a $5,000 bonus on the line, the race for fourth place should be hotly contested.

Even more drama may loom on the women’s side, where second through fourth place could shuffle in the Windy City. Second currently belongs to Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, who stand just 150 points ahead of third-place Jen Kessy and April Ross. Kessy and Ross opted to play in last weekend’s FIVB event in Finland over the AVP’s in Muskegon, meaning Chicago will be just their ninth AVP event of 2009. Still, with all their points from this weekend counting directly toward their season total, Kessy and Ross will most likely pass Davis and Johnson Jordan for second. Even if Davis and Johnson Jordan win in Chicago, Kessy and Ross can pass them with a seventh-place finish. The reigning world champions haven’t finished lower than third all season.

Kessy and Ross also haven’t finished lower than Davis and Johnson Jordan in any event both teams have played this season. Only at San Diego, where both teams placed third, did Kessy and Ross not finish higher than Davis and Johnson Jordan.

Like Kessy and Ross, fourth-place Dianne DeNecochea and Carrie Dodd missed Muskegon. DeNecochea and Dodd are still 360 points ahead of Brooke Hanson and Lisa Rutledge. DeNecochea and Dodd secure their cut of the bonus prize as long as Hanson and Rutledge don’t win in Chicago; if Hanson and Rutledge do win, DeNecochea and Dodd still take fourth place with a top-three outing. Hanson and Rutledge’s best 2009 finish is second place in San Diego and neither player has an AVP victory yet.

Crocs Cup Championship standings also affect qualifying for next weekend’s Tournament of Champions. The top 14 teams based on Crocs Cup criteria will automatically qualify for the AVP’s Sept. 4-6 stop in Mason, Ohio. The Tournament of Champions will add two wildcard teams to form a 16-team, double elimination event.

For a full listing of the Crocs Cup standings, click here.

Four of the season’s biggest events—Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Chicago—were titled Crocs Slam tournaments, meaning an extra $25,000 in prize money per gender. Crocs Slam events this season award winners an additional $10,000, runners-up $7,000, and third- and fourth-place finishers $4,000. No additional points, however, were put on the line at Crocs Slam tournaments.

With the stakes raised in Chicago, watch the best beach volleyball unfold on TV and on the web! Saturday, NBC will telecast the men’s final live at 2:30 p.m. EDT. At midnight EDT, Universal Sports will air men’s semifinal competition. Sunday, NBC will broadcast the women’s final live at 2:30 p.m. EDT, followed at midnight EDT with Universal Sports airing women’s semifinal action.

avpTV will stream Chicago semifinals and finals live in HD! Tune in Saturday at noon EDT for men’s semifinal coverage, followed by the men’s final at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Sunday, watch a women’s semifinal at noon EDT and the women’s final at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Click here to start watching avpTV for free!

To follow all main draw matches point-by-point, click here for Chicago results!

For tickets to the hottest spot on the beach in Chicago this weekend, click here.