11th Annual LezVolley Tournament
Lesbian volleyball players will converge in Cherry Grove on Fire Island for the 11th Annual LezVolley Tournament on August 13, 2022. The tournament will include 25 teams, prizes for the winning teams, giveaways, and a raffle. Spectators and participants can buy tickets to win prizes.
Women and nonbinary people can sign up for the day-long, all-women’s volleyball tourney between April and July regardless of their level of experience. Participants can register their entire team if they have seven or more players, and they can also sign up as single players and ask to be placed on a team.
This year will also be the 3rd year of the Love, Shea Award. The Love, Shea Award was created in 2019 to celebrate the life of Shea Carmen Swan, a talented photographer and beloved friend who passed away on October 22, 2018. Shea was part of the LezVolley family and played on the Stonewall team. Throughout the day, spectators are encouraged to vote for their favorite team and the fan-favorite team receives symbolic prizes to bring home and the prestigious award sponsored by Shea’s family.
In 2021, LezVolley celebrated its 10th Anniversary, and it was its most successful event ever! Vocalist, a pianist, and songwriter Marisa Corvo from the TV show, The Voice, performed the National Anthem before the tournament began to kick off the games in a positive and powerful way!
This year, Danielle Stanziale (of Danielle Presents Women’s Events, and Kristine Bungay, of Stonewall Inn & K-OZ Parties, plan on making the event even better this year with a DJ on the beach. LezVolley includes an Opening Party on Friday, August 12; an Official After Party on Saturday, August 13; and a Pool Show on Sunday, August 14.
About the LezVolley Tournament
LezVolley is the brainchild of Danielle Stanziale and Kristine Bungay. In 2011, after seeing the number of female tourists decrease, Danielle and Kristine started brainstorming about how they could help Cherry Grove stay the No. 1 vacation spot for LGBTQ+ women. Drawn to the fitness world, they decided to launch a sporting event that would bring the community together and LezVolley was born.
With Stanziale and Bungay continuously working on making the event better since 2011, the LezVolley Tournament and event has seen tremendous growth in the size of both participants and spectators.
The tournament gathers each summer a wide range of teams from all five boroughs of NYC, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and all over New York. It includes:
- Players of all ages and skill levels
- The crowd reaches 1000+ people
- The majority of attendees and visitors belong to the LGBTQ+ and non-binary community
LezVolley teamed up with New York City’s Gotham Volleyball league, the largest gay sports organization in New York city founded in 1981, who professional officiate the games. You can check out a short interview with Danielle Stanziale and Kristine Bungay about why they started LezVolley.
