AVP Tour coming back to Santa Barbara

The AVP is returning to Santa Barbara.

The domestic pro beach volleyball tour announced its 2013 schedule on Friday, and Santa Barbara is on the list for a tournament on Sept. 28-29.

It will be the fourth tournament of a five-event season and one of two events in California.

The tour kicks off Aug. 17-18 in Salt Lake City, Utah, marking the first time the AVP has played in that state.

The second event is in Cincinnati, Ohio (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) followed by St. Petersburg, Fla. (Sept. 14-15), Santa Barbara and Huntington Beach (Oct. 19-20).

The timing of the Santa Barbara event could affect the participation of some of the top American teams. The tournament comes just four days before an FIVB World Tour Grand Slam tournament in Beijing, China.

Donald Sun, a former executive for the multibillion dollar tech company Kingston Technology, bought the AVP last year and put on events in Santa Barbara and Cincinnati. He said at the time he wanted to slowly bring the tour back.

The 2013 season will mark the 30th anniversary of the domestic tour.