The international beach volleyball tour wrapped up the first Major Series event of the year last weekend in Hamburg and traveled 429 miles east to Olsztyn, Poland, where the Olysztyn Grand Slam will play out throughout the week. The women’s qualifier kicked off the action earlier this morning, while the men’s qualifier tournament will be played tomorrow. The women will stay one day ahead, with their semifinals and medal matches on Saturday. The men’s medals will be awarded on Sunday.

The Olympic qualification period has come to an end, but there’s still plenty of excitement to follow. Here are four interesting storylines to keep an eye on.

1. POL or NYC?

This week, top American beach volleyball players had to decide between playing the FIVB Olsztyn Grand Slam in Poland the AVP New York City Open. On the men’s side, Billy Allen and Theo Brunner, Tri Bourne and John Hyden and Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson decided to play on the international tour, while Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena and Taylor and Trevor Crabb will appear at the AVP. On the women’s side, Irene Hester Pollock and Caitlin Ledoux (see point No. 2), Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat and Kim DiCello and Kendra Van Zwieten will compete in Poland, while Lane Carico and Summer Ross, Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross and Brittany Hochevar and Jen Fopma chose the domestic competition.

2. Irene Hester Pollock and Caitlin Ledoux in their first FIVB Grand Slam main draw

This American duo defeated Ingrid Lunde and Oda Ulveseth of Norway 21-16, 21-14 in the Olsztyn qualifier to advance to the main draw. The duo has collected two 17ths in Opens already this season, and their career-high finish was a fourth in the 2014 Parana Open.

3. The Olympic qualification period is over, but a grand slam means top competition

For fans in the throes of Olympic-year excitement, it can be easy to forget the pros on tour play for a living. Even though 17 of the 24 Olympic spots per gender have been filled and the remaining berths won’t be granted until the conclusion of the Continental Cup Finals, July 6-10, the teams competing in Poland are hoping to earn prize money and improve their game and point totals for future events. With Olsztyn being a Grand Slam, the prize money is good and so are the points, so competition will be fierce.

4. A gorgeous venue on the shores of Lake Ukiel

The FIVB tour stopped in many beautiful venues in recent years, and Olsztyn, Poland, is yet another. Two of the five competition courts are tucked behind the Hotel Omega in a “forest setting”; it's a 10-minute lakeside walk from the main venue; and center court has been expanded since the 2015 event to accommodate more fans.

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