(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]; We now bring to all of our followers and viewers the sport of Professional Volleyball as sponsored by the world’s most renowned promoter of this globally followed and played sport, the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP).
Now going on its 39th year of existence, the annual AVP tour has the most talented and skilled volleyball players, both Men and Women, who have arrived here not only from our local beach communities and beyond, but this Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open Tournament attracts players from throughout our nation and many parts of the globe. Here in the beautiful and sun-drenched City of Manhattan Beach, CA, all have come to perform for the traditional prize money associated with this event and the tour.
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General admission for the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open is FREE every day, with the option to purchase premium seating tickets for Club AVP, The Deck, Premium Club AVP, private cabanas and courtside VIP boxes, all ranging in price. This Tournament has been a huge fan draw year after year, as our Southern California beaches are some of the most well-known and visited sites for our young talents to ply their skills on the inviting sands of these near-golden and most well-kept beaches.
In bringing more attention of this great sport to our viewers/followers, I say, if you are a recreational, a club, a high school, a community college, a university volleyball player and/or just a devoted fan of the game, why not come out and spend a day of this weekend at Manhattan Beach watching these world-class athletes compete at the highest level of play. You will not be disappointed with the good time nor the great experience you will have by investing your to come out and see some of the best volleyball players in the world right here in our own backyard. Tickets are available at www.AVP.com. And, be sure to follow the AVP on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @avpbeach
We strongly encourage you to take a very good read of the initial press announcement that we now present to you as a credentialed media outlet for the event. We will provide daily coverage of the Tournament through Sunday.
Top-Seeded Theo Brunner and Chaim Shalk dominate men’s bracket on first day of AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open
AVP Photo of the Day
Top-seeded Sarah Sponcil dives for the ball to keep a play alive in the first round of matches Friday morning at the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open. (Credit AVP)- Top seeded women’s team, Sarah Sponeil and Terese Cannon, breeze through first two rounds of play Friday
- Action resumes Saturday at 9 a.m. PT; General admission is FREE and premium seating options are available at www.AVP.com
MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIFORNIA (August 19, 2022) – In the AVP Tour’s return to the West Coast, top-seeded men Theo Brunner and Chaim Shalk and top-seeded women Sarah Sponcil and Terese Cannon – both champions of last month’s Hermosa Beach Open – started paving their way toward a repeat in the South Bay by winning their first two matches Friday in the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open.
Men’s teams still alive in the winners’ bracket following Day 1 include defending MBO champions Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, Chase Budinger and Troy Field, and Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander. For the women, Sara Hughes and Kelley Kolinske, Kelly Cheng and Betsi Flint, and Zana Muno and Brandie Wilkerson remain undefeated.
Both the men’s and women’s Atlanta Open champions found themselves fighting for survival in the contenders’ bracket after just one match. Ric Cervantes and Jonah Sief, who snagged the 30th seed following Thursday’s qualifier, got off to a slow start in set one against Olympian Paul Lotman and Miles Partain, but picked up the momentum upsetting the No. 3 seed, 16-21, 21-17, 15-12. Fourth-seeded women Julia Scoles and Geena Urango faced a similar fate two rounds in, falling to 13th-seeded Megan Kraft and Emily Stockman in straight sets, 21-18, 21-17.
Raffe Paulis and Brian Miller – a wildcard entry seeded 24th – proved that they can hang with the best, knocking out both Timothy Brewster and Kyle Friend, the ninth seed, and Evan Cory and Bill Kolinske, the eighth seed. They will face their toughest challenge bright and early Saturday morning in a 9 a.m. meeting with Brunner and Schalk on Court 1.
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In the second round of the winners’ bracket, 11th-seeded Billy Allen and Jeremy Casebeer swept Olympian powerhouses and sixth-seeded David Lee and Casey Patterson, 21-17, 21-16, while 10th-seeded Avery Drost and Chase Frishman continued their winning streak in an 18-21, 21-16, 19-17 battle against seventh-seeded Andy Benesh and Miles Evans.
Day 2 of play continues Saturday at 9 a.m. PT, with the contenders’ brackets in the double-elimination beginning at approximately 10:40 a.m. PT. Winners’ bracket quarterfinals will start at approximately at 1:30 p.m. PT.
The three-day Manhattan Beach Open runs through Sunday and features 32 men’s and 32 women’s teams competing for a $300,000 purse, tied for the largest of the season. It is the tenth event in a 2022 AVP schedule that includes 16 tournaments in 12 states across the country and offers $2 million in prize money – the most comprehensive tournament slate for the AVP since 2009.
Brackets for both the men’s and women’s competition can be viewed here.
Friday’s Notable Results
Men: First round
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(1) Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk def. (32) Frank Field/Tal Shavit, 21-14, 21-11
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(2) Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb vs. (31) Wyatt Harrison/Charlie Siragusa, 21-7, 21-15
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(4) Chase Budinger/Troy Field def. (29) Devin Burki/Shane Cervantes, 21-16, 21-14
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(5) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander def. (28) Kyle Coyle/Alex Ukkelberg, 21-14, 23-21
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(6) David Lee/Casey Patterson def. (27) Carlos Jimenez, 21-13, 21-15
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(7) Andy Benesh/Miles Evans vs. (26) Michael Groselle/Nathan Yang, 21-15, 24-22
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(8) Evan Cory/Bill Kolinske def. (25) Peter Connole/Silila Tucker, 21-13, 21-14
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(24) Brian Miller/Raffe Paulis def. (9) Timothy Brewster/Kyle Friend, 21-19, 21-16
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(30) Ric Cervantes/Jonah Seif def. (3) Paul Lotman/Miles Partain, 16-21, 21-17, 15-12
Second round
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(1) Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk def. (17) Tim Bomgren/Piotr Marciniak, 21-15, 21-11
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(2) Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb def. (18) Jacob Landel/Lev Priima, 21-15, 21-14
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(4) Chase Budinger/Troy Field def. (13) Skylar del Sol/Andrew Dentler, 21-19, 21-14
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(5) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander def. (12) John Hyden/Logan Webber, 21-19, 21-17, 15-10
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(24) Brian Miller/Raffe Paulis def. (8) Evan Cory/Bill Kolinske, 21-19, 16-21, 15-12
Women: First round
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(1) Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil def. (32) Nicole Nourse/Audrey Nourse, 21-10, 21-13
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(2) Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske def. (31) Maria Clara Salgado/Abby Van Winkle, 21-14, 21-11
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(3) Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint def. (30) Charlie Ekstrom/Skyler Germann, 21-11, 21-13
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(4) Julia Scoles/Geena Urango def. (29) Megan Gebhard/Kate Reilly, 21-18, 21-10
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(5) Zana Muno/Brandie Wilkerson def. (28) Cecilia Agraz/Tani Stephens, 21-15, 21-13
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(6) Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss def. (27) Amy Ozee/Mariah Whalen, 21-17, 21-13
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(7) Sarah Pavan/Mackenzie Ponnet def. (16) Katie Spieler/Carly Wopat, 21-19, 21-16
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(8) Larissa Maestrini/Lili Maestrini def. (25) Samantha Parrish/Madison Shields, 21-12, 21-17
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(21) Kylie Deberg/Kahlee York def. (12) Carly Kan/Kaitlyn Malaney, 21-17, 16-21, 15-11
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AVP Quote of the Day
“Every match is important, but this tour is getting so strong, and everyone is good, so you have to bring your ‘A-game’ every point. Anything can happen, any momentum shift can happen at any point, so you have to be ready for whatever’s to come. Sticking with your partner through the good and bad is crucial in this type of tournament, and that’s what I’m focusing on with Terese.” —- Top-seeded Sarah Sponcil, after breezing through the first day of competition, with partner Terese Cannon, at the Manhattan Beach Open.
Second round
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(1) Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil def. (17) Jessica Gaffney/Megan Rice, 19-21, 21-8, 15-12
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(2) Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske def. (18) Delaney Mewhirter/Kelly Reeves, 21-16, 21-19
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(3) Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint def. (14) Deahna Kraft/Allie Wheeler, 19-21, 21-18, 15-8
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(13) Megan Kraft/Emily Stockman def. (4) Julia Scoles/Geena Urango, 21-18, 21-17
Saturday’s Winners’ Bracket Notable Matchups
Women:
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9 a.m. PT: (1) Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil vs. (9) Corinne Quiggle/Sarah Schermerhorn
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9 a.m. PT: (5) Zana Muno/Brandie Wilkerson vs. (13) Megan Kraft/Emily Stockman
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9:50 a.m. PT: (2) Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske vs. (7) Sarah Pavan/Mackenzie Ponnet
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9:50 a.m. PT: (3) Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint vs. (6) Tayrn Kloth/Kristen Nuss
Men:
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9 a.m. PT: (1) Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk vs. (24) Brian Miller/Raffe Paulis
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9 a.m. PT: (4) Chase Budinger/Troy Field vs. (5) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander
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9:50 a.m. PT: (2) Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb vs. (10) Avery Drost/Chase Frishman
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9:50 a.m. PT: (11) Billy Allen/Jeremy Casebeer vs. (19) Jake Dietrich/Hagan Smith
Broadcast Schedule:
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LIVE coverage of the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open on Stadium Court and Court 1 is available throughout the tournament on the AVP’s YouTube channel,@avpbeach.
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Television coverage of the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open will air on FS1 on Tuesday, August 23 at 7 p.m. PT, on Bally Sports regional sports networks on Saturday, August 27 (times vary by region) and on the Tennis Channel on Sunday, August 28 at 8 a.m. PT.
