(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The results are in from Day 2 of the AVP Gold Series, Manhattan Beach Open and it’s looking very solid for both of the Top-seeded winners of yesterday’s Day 1 competition.
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In the Men’s Division, it was Chaim Shalk and Theo Brunner who advanced to the Semifinals. And, in the Women’s Division, it was Top-seeded Sarah Sponcil and Terese Canon who made the winning grade. The full recap of today’s brackets are now official and you can read all about it right here in the press announcement that was issued to all media outlets covering this highly followed 2022 AVP Tournament and Tour.
The competition is expected to be even better tomorrow (Sunday) as it was proven to be today. Remember, 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 court-side VIP boxes, all ranging in price.
Top Seeds Sarah Sponcil and Terese Cannon, Chaim Shalk and Theo Brunner Advance to Semifinals of AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open
- Both No. 1 seeds won the Hermosa Beach Open in July and are seeking a “South Bay Sweep”
- Action resumes Sunday at 9 a.m. PT, with the women’s final scheduled for 1 p.m. and the men’s final set for approximately 2 p.m.
- General admission is FREE, and premium seating options are available at www.AVP.com
-AVP Photo of the Day-
Theo Brunner spikes the ball in the men’s winners’ bracket quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open. (Credit AVP)MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIFORNIA (August 20, 2022) – Sarah Sponcil, Terese Cannon, Chaim Schalk, and Theo Brunner will go to sleep Saturday night dreaming not only of getting their names etched permanently on the Manhattan Beach Pier’s Walk of Fame for the first time, but also of securing a coveted “South Bay Sweep” on the AVP Tour.
The top-seeded women’s and men’s teams in the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open each remained undefeated in the winners’ bracket, winning their two matches Saturday to cruise into the tournament’s semifinals. Six weeks ago and just a mile and a half south along the Pacific Ocean, Sponcil and Cannon partnered to secure both players’ first win on the AVP Tour, while Brunner and Schalk won as a team for the first time at the AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open.
Sponcil and Cannon opened the day Saturday with a 21-14, 21-18 victory over ninth-seeded Corinne Quiggle and Sarah Schermerhorn in the Round of 16, and then battled for a 22-20, 21-15 triumph over fifth-seeded Brandie Wilkerson and Zana Muno to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
Schalk and Brunner started the morning with an unexpected challenge, fighting through three taxing sets to eventually upend 24th-seeded Brian Miller and Raffe Paulis, 21-18, 21-23, 16-14. The experience seemed to stoke their competitive fire, because the next time they stepped on the court – for a rematch of the Hermosa Beach finals – they took down fifth-seeded Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander, 23-21, 21-15.
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Schalk – a 2016 Olympian – and Brunner have now advanced to the semifinals in all five AVP tournaments they have played this season and will be seeking their fourth championship match appearance in 2022. Meanwhile, Sponcil – a 2020 Olympian – and Cannon will be aiming to reach the women’s final for the third time in four tournaments.
The other women’s team to secure a spot in the semifinals was third-seeded Kelly Cheng – a 2020 Olympian – and Betsi Flint. The pair, coming off an international tour victory in Germany last week, toppled sixth-seeded Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, 21-19, 21-18, and then upset second-seeded Sara Hughes and Kelley Kolinske, 21-16, 21-13. They have lost just one set in Manhattan Beach, and their semifinals appearance will be their fifth in six AVP tournaments this season.
Hughes and Kolinske will take on 13th-seeded Megan Kraft and Emily Stockman in Sunday’s contenders’ bracket quarterfinals, Wilkerson and Muno battling Kloth and Nuss on the opposite side of the bracket.
The men’s semis will also feature defending Manhattan Beach Open champions Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, the second seeds who battled 11th-seeded Billy Allen and Jermey Casebeer in the last match of the day Saturday on stadium court and emerged with an epic 21-15, 17-21, 18-16 victory.
Four men’s teams will fight to survive Sunday morning to secure a spot in the semifinals, as Crabb and Sander will take on third-seeded Paul Lotman and Miles Partain, while seventh-seeded Andy Benesh and Miles Evans will meet Allen and Casebeer.
Contenders’ bracket quarterfinals begin Sunday at 9 a.m. PT, with the semifinals starting at 11 a.m. The women’s championship match is scheduled for approximately 1 p.m., with the men’s final set for approximately 2 p.m.
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.
-AVP Quote of the Day-
“Today we were like, ‘Let’s just do our thing. Let’s play like robots.’ And that’s what we’re going to do tomorrow, too. That’s always our big picture plan – just do the things we want to do out there, and if we lose, we lose. Ever since I first saw beach volleyball on television and decided I wanted to play, it was a dream of mine to have my name on the pier. Winning this weekend would be accomplishing a dream.” —- Theo Brunner, four-time AVP champion, on his strategy going into the final day of the AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open. Brunner and partner Chaim Schalk will play in the semifinals Sunday at noon PT.
-Saturday’s Winners’ Bracket Notable Matchups-
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Women:
- Third round: (1) Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil def. (9) Corinne Quiggle/Sarah Schermerhorn, 21-14, 21-18
- Third round: (2) Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske def. (7) Sarah Pavan/Mackenzie Ponnet, 21-15, 22-20
- Third round: (3) Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint def. (6) Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss, 21-19, 21-18
- Third round: (5) Zana Muno/Brandie Wilkerson def. (13) Megan Kraft/Emily Stockman, 21-18, 21-19
- Winners’ bracket quarterfinals: (1) Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil def. (5) Zana Muno/Brandie Wilkerson, 22-20, 21-15
- Winners’ bracket quarterfinals: (3) Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint def. (2) Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske, 21-16, 21-13
Men:
- Third round: (1) Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk def. (24) Brian Miller/Raffe Paulis, 21-18, 21-23, 16-14
- Third round: (2) Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb def. (10) Avery Drost/Chase Frishman, 22-20, 21-18
- Third round: (5) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander def. (4) Chase Budinger/Troy Field, 21-16, 21-19
- Third round: (11) Billy Allen/Jeremy Casebeer def. (19) Jake Dietrich/Hagen Smith, 16-21, 21-19, 15-12
- Winners’ bracket quarterfinals: (1) Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk def. (5) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander, 23-21, 21-15
- Winners’ bracket quarterfinals: (2) Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb def. (11) Billy Allen/Jeremy Casebeer, 21-15, 17-21, 18-16
-Sunday’s Key Matchups-
Women:
- 9 a.m. PT: Women’s contenders’ bracket quarterfinal: (2) Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske vs. (13) Megan Kraft/Emily Stockman
- 9 a.m. PT: Women’s contenders’ bracket quarterfinal: (5) Zana Muno/Brandie Wilkerson vs. (6) Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss
- 11:00 a.m. PT: Women’s semifinal: (1) Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil vs. TBD
- 11:00 a.m. PT: Women’s semifinal: (3) Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint vs. TBD
- 1 p.m. PT: Women’s final: TBD vs. TBD
Men:
- 10 a.m. PT: Men’s contenders’ bracket quarterfinal: (7) Andy Benesh/Miles Evans vs. (11) Billy Allen/Jeremy Casebeer
- 10 a.m. PT: Men’s contenders’ bracket quarterfinal: (3) Paul Lotman/Miles Partain vs. (5) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander
- 12:00 p.m. PT: Men’s semifinal:(1) Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk vs. TBD
- 12:00 p.m. PT: Men’s semifinal:(2) Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb vs. TBD
- 2 p.m. PT: Men’s final: TBD vs TBD
