THE 2 EVENTS1 mens tournament1 womens tournamentTHE FORMAT24 teams of 2 players, split into 6 groups. The top 2 in each group advance to the second round, along with 4 of the 6 third-placed teams. A knock-out phase then leads from the round of 16 to the final.MILESTONES1895Volleyball is invented by the American William G. Morgan.1920sBeach volleyball starts to gain popularity on the beaches of California and later spreads to Europe, becoming the main sport of Frances nudist colonies.1950sBeach volleyball is taken a stage further as the first competition circuit is born, involving hundreds of enthusiasts and five Californian beaches.1960sIntroduction of sponsors and cash prizes. Celebrities including John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles help to promote the sport.1983Founding of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP).1987The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) establishes the mens world championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - an important step in the struggle for prominence between the FIVB and the AVP.1989Creation of the World Tour, which attracts huge crowds.1996Beach volleyball makes its Olympic debut at the Atlanta Games.2003Merging of the FIVB and AVP circuits begins.STARSKarch Kiraly (United States)The all-rounder. Winner of two volleyball gold medals in 1984 and 1988, he added a third Olympic title by winning the first beach volleyball gold in 1996. World champion in 1986 and European Cup winner in 1992.Sandra Pires (Brazil)The pioneer. With her compatriot Jacqueline Silva, the Brazilian won the first womens Olympic beach volleyball gold in 1996. Added the the world title in 1997 before winning Olympic bronze in 2000 with Adriana Samuel.Kerri Walsh Jennings & Misty May-Treanor (United States)Considered the greatest beach volleyball team of all time, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor have won gold at three consecutive Olympics (2004, 2008, 2012) without losing any of their 21 matches. The American duo are also triple world champions (2003, 2005, 2007). Zach Collins Blazers Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Cj-Mccollum-Blazers-Jersey/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Terry Porter Blazers Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. C.J. McCollum Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Chad Knaus has said in the past that being four years older than Jimmie Johnson, there is the possibility that he could retire from being a crew chief before Johnson does as a driver.But why break up a good thing?A split looked as if it might be necessary earlier this year when Johnson went on a 24-race winless streak, the longest of his career. But after the two won their seventh Sprint Cup title together Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it seems as if they might continue for three, four, five or however many years Johnson wants to keep racing.[Thats] probably the way its going to roll out, for sure, Knaus said. It really is. I love him like a brother. Hes a fantastic individual.They have had their moments of sniping at each other on the radio and will continue to do so. Thats just the way they operate. ?But with 80 career victories, Johnson would be stupid to want someone else atop the box.Jimmie has taught me more about life than life itself has taught me, Knaus said. Hes taught me about family. Hes taught me about relationships. Hes taught me about being a champion.When we started this thing, all I was was just a racer guy, and he was a cool California kid, and we kind of grew up together. To be in this situation to where we know hes got a handful of years left, whatever they may be, and for Jimmie and Mr.?[Rick] Hendrick to want me to stick with the 48 car and be at the helm of this ship -- man, its flattering.Its also the right thing to do. At least the results say so.Those guys have a unique relationship, said four-time Cup champion and Hendrick Motorsports co-owner Jeff Gordon. I think if they peeled back all the layers, [they] will tell you theyve gone through plenty of emotions and ups and downs and moments where they werent sure.But theyve stuck it out and thats what made them so strong and why theyre seven-time champions.Knaus is known to push the envelope, and at times it has bitten him. On Sunday, it gnawed at him as the teams car was pulled from the grid and taken back through inspection for what appeared to be a slight adjustment on one of the posts.Johnson had to start at the rear of the field, a penalty that has occurred throughout the garage with somewhat regularity throughout the second half of the season. Teams appear willing to take a risk for what could be a slight advantage -- or just keeping up with everyone else -- knowing they have time to work their way through the field.Its just one of those deals, dude, Knaus said. You work. Thats what we do. We work. Everybody works out there -- everybody, every single team. ... The facts are everybody is out there, everybody is doing everything they possibly can to try to get every ounce of speed out of their race cars, and were going to do the exact same thing, just like everybody else.There could be a reason Knaus needs every ounce of speed out of his race cars. The Hendrick teams were more than a tick behind for much of the year.I still dont think that we necessarily had the speed that we need week in and week out, Knaus said.dddddddddddd Weve got to get our cars better, for sure. ... Weve got some work to do to continue to be able to compete with those guys.The one thing we have in our corner is we have Jimmie Johnson. He is the one that makes things happen when we dont necessarily have the race cars.?When we do have the race cars that we need, he does phenomenal things.Xfinity Series: Suarez makes historyDaniel Suarez won the Xfinity Series title, and he has had lots of mentors, from Joe Gibbs Racing drivers such as Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch to a driver many wouldnt guess.Former NASCAR driver and truck series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. helped teach Suarez how to handle restarts better, something that came in handy Saturday when he won the race to capture the title.I was horrible at it, Suarez said. I was the worst ever out there on my restarts. One day I got the opportunity to talk to him. I went to his house.He started teaching me some good advice, and after that I really felt like I was a different driver, and tonight, we won a championship and a race because of restarts. I want to thank Ron Hornaday big time for all his help.Edwards has been impressed with the improvement Suarez has made this year.Man, that guy is really impressive, Edwards said. Hes a very nice person, to begin with, and then he just is a hard worker, and if you take the [limited] experience that Daniel has, he shouldnt be running the way he is.?Hes very, very gifted, so I really enjoy being around him.Camping World Truck Series: Sauter wins one for familyIn Milwaukee racing circles, the Sauter name has been tormenting the area short tracks for decades.Even in NASCAR, the Sauter name has been racing since 1980.But an individual driver championship has eluded the family in NASCAR -- until Friday night when Johnny Sauter captured the crown.His father, Jim, and brothers Jim Jr., Jay and Tim all competed in NASCAR.Johnny himself ran his first national series race in 2001.I dont know what it would mean to me until it really happened, but for my family, just validation for -- I dont know that they need validation, but its just cool, said Sauter, the 2001 ASA champion. My dad had raced for 40 years. ...?So its just cool to grow up in a racing family, go to so many racetracks throughout the Midwest, and to be a champion in one of the top three NASCAR divisions, thats just something that I hope the family can enjoy.The Sauter and Shear families have competed against or with each other for decades as well, and Johnny and crew chief Joe Shear Jr. had the magic to win the title.Me and Johnny have been together for years and our families have been together for years, and weve raced against each other, and weve won a championship before, and weve just become best friends and worked really hard and been determined, Shear said. Im like almost lost for words.?This is like really huge and special. ' ' '