UCLA vs Pepperdine 2-24-19 BVB

These rankings came out after this game happened so UCLA stays at #1 while Pepperdine goes from #4 up to #3

This is #5 for UCLA, Senior Zana Muno

Dear Readers~


I apologize for not putting this up on Monday. I was out of state this weekend and Monday was the day I came home so I hope you don't mind that Monday didn't have a blog. Without any other problems, let me start this blog between UCLA and Pepperdine.

February 22-24, 2019 had a lot of NCAA volleyball going on. This includes men’s indoor and women’s beach. The game I’ll be talking about in this blog will be women’s beach volleyball between UCLA and Pepperdine at the big tournament held at Queens Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, February 24, 2019.

On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 3:30 pm Pacific Time, the #1 UCLA Bruins took on the #4 Pepperdine Waves in a game of beach volleyball on Queens Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii for the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic that happened from February 22-24, 2019.

The #5 teams were the first game to finish. That game had Izzy Carey and Megan Muret, for UCLA, against Nikki Lyons and Katie Gain, for Pepperdine. Both sets were fairly close. Set 1 ended 21-15 with Izzy and Megan winning the set. The second set ended with the score a little closer at 21-17 with Izzy and Megan winning that set as well. That game ended with UCLA having a 1-0 lead over Pepperdine.

The #4 teams finished next. They include Mac May and Savvy Simo, from UCLA, while Maddie Dilfer and Alexis Filiprone, for Pepperdine. The first set ended close at 21-19 with Maddie and Alexis winning that set. The second set ended 21-16 in favor of Maddie and Alexis. That makes the total a tie at 1 win for each school.

The #2 teams finished next. They include Lily Justine and Sarah Sponcil, for UCLA, along with Skylar Coputo and Deahna Kraft, for Pepperdine. The first set ended 21-17 with Sarah and Lilly taking that set. The second set ended 21-15 with Sarah and Lilly winning that second set as well. The total score is now 2-1 with UCLA at a 1 game advantage over Pepperdine.

The #3 teams finished next. They include Zana Muno and Abby Van Winkle, for UCLA, against Gigi Hernandez and Jenna Tunnell, for Pepperdine. The first set ended 21-13 with Zana and Abby getting the win. The second set ended 21-11 with Zana and Abby coming out on top and making the score 3-1 with UCLA in the lead and there being only 1 game left.

The last team to go were the 1’s. They include Megan and Nicole McNamara, from UCLA, against Brook Bauer and Heidi Dyer, from Pepperdine. The first set ended 21-17 with Brook and Heidi winning. After the second set ended close at 24-22 with Nicole and Megan winning that set, a third set happened. That score was close, ending at 24-22 and in favor of Nicole and Megan. UCLA won that game 2 sets to 1 and made the final score end with UCLA winning 4 of the 5 matches the teams played.

For those that have read my previous blogs then you’ll know that a few athletes on the AVP have played for UCLA and some have played for Pepperdine.

The athlete for UCLA that I’ll be covering is Kelly Reeves. I've mentioned her before when I linked her setting tutorial with Riley and Maddison McKibbin. The video she did with them that I'll be linking down below is the vlog that Riley and Maddison did for the 2018 AVP New York Open. See the link below to watch that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUmEEoovcZ4 And don't forget to follow her on Instagram for Typical Tuesdays: @kellyreeves02

Kelly Reeves is on the far left joined with other AVP players like Geena Urango and Angela "Benny" Bensend

The athlete for Pepperdine that I’ll be covering is Corinne Quiggle. If you've read my blog about men's indoor volleyball of BYU @ Pepperdine, you may have heard of Corinne. She recently got a silver medal at the FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) 2 star women's only event in Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh with her partner, Amanda Dowdy. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram if you want to see pictures of their adventures: @corinnequiggle and @adowdy11

This is Amanda Dowdy (Left) and Corinne Quiggle (Right) with their Silver medals from the FIVB event in Cambodia

UCLA’s next game is on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 8 am Pacific Time at Arizona State as they travel to Tucson, Arizona for the PAC-12 South tournament happening that weekend. Pepperdine’s next game is on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 9 am Pacific Time against California State University Bakersfield as Pepperdine hosts the Zuna Classic in Malibu, California that weekend. That concludes the UCLA vs Pepperdine beach volleyball game that happened on February 24, 2019. Stay tuned for my next blog and until next time, Miller out

~J. Miller

Cal Poly @ UCLA 2-21-19 BVB

This is 5'8 Freshman #10 Jaden Whitmarsh for UCLA

Dear Readers~


If you read my last blog where I explained how NCAA beach volleyball works then you'll know that the NCAA beach volleyball season has started and the first team that I'll be covering will be #6 Cal Poly @ #1 UCLA. On February 21, 2019 at 8 am Pacific Time Cal Poly traveled to the Sunset Canyon Recreation center there in Los Angeles to take on UCLA in the first game of the 2019 season.

Before I get into the game, I want to introduce UCLA's newest coach. Being the new volunteer assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins is the AVP's very own Irene Pollock. This is a little odd because Pollock's husband, JD, is the director of player development for San Diego State's basketball team down in San Diego, California. If you'd like to read more about Pollock's transfer to UCLA, I'll leave a link to her article down below:  https://uclabruins.com/news/2019/2/19/bruins-add-pollock-to-beach-volleyball-staff.aspx Don't forget to follow her on Instagram: @irenepollock

Cal Poly has a few coaches that some of the readers may know. First off is their head coach. He's Mr. Todd Rogers, the man that won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in beach volleyball with Phil Dalhausser. The pair no longer play together because Todd retired and no longer plays competitively. Cal Poly's assistant coach is someone that some of my readers may have heard of if they read my P1440 Young Guns blog about the Huntington Beach Open. I'm talking about the one and only Miss Allie Wheeler. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @toddjrogers and @alwheels12

Now allow me to explain how scoring on the beach works in the NCAA. Unlike indoor where you win 3 sets, the beach has to win 3 of 5 games. Each team is composed of 5 main teams. In order to win your school must win at least 3 games. Just like in the AVP, the first and second sets go to 21 while the third set, if needed, goes to 15 and yes they do use the rule where you must have a 2 point or higher lead to win. Most of the time the games start with the fourth and fifth teams up in what's called the "First Flight" then after both of those games are over, the first, second, and third teams are up in what's called the "Second Flight". This part differs depending on how many courts the school hosting the event has. Now let me introduce the first game of the Cal Poly @ UCLA beach volleyball game.

The first game to finish was the 4's which paired Mac May and Savvy Simo, for UCLA, against Elenore Johanssen and Jayelin Lombard, for Cal Poly. That game lasted 2  sets. The first set ended 21-14 in favor of UCLA while the second set ended 21-9, also in favor of UCLA. If the name "Mac May" sounds familiar it's because she also plays indoor for UCLA in the fall.

The second game to finish was the 3's which paired Abby Van Winkle and Zana Muno, for UCLA, against Macy Gordon and Vanessa Roscoe, for Cal Poly.  The first set ended 21-17 in favor of Cal Poly while UCLA got their revenge by winning the  second set 21-17 and causing a third set. That third set ended 15-10, in favor of UCLA.

The third game to finish was the 5's with Izzy Carey and Megan Muret, for UCLA, against Brayden Gruenewald and Heather Pembroke, for Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-16, in favor of UCLA. The second set was similar by ending at 21-15, with UCLA winning that set as well.

The fourth game to finish was the 1's with Megan and Nicole McNamara, for UCLA, against Emily Sonny and Torrey Van Winden, for Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-16, in favor of UCLA while the second set was closer, ending at 24-22, in favor of UCLA.

The fifth and final game of the day to finish was the 2's with Lily Justine and Sarah Sponcil, for UCLA, against Tiadora Miric and Crissy Jones, of Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-17, in favor of Cal Poly, while UCLA took the second set 21-9 and causing a third set. The third set ended 15-13 in favor of UCLA. At the end of that game, UCLA won all 5 matches for their home opener.

That concludes the game. I hope you liked it and are ready for the rest of the NCAA 2019 beach season. Don't forget that the first AVP event is just around the corner so mark your calendars for that happening from May 3-5, 2019 in Huntington Beach, California but if you can't make it to the west coast that weekend, the NCAA Beach volleyball national finals are that same weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama if you live on the east coast. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

2019 NCAA Beach Volleyball

These are the top 5 teams to start the 2019 NCAA beach volleyball season

Dear Readers~


In less than a week after this blog is released, it will be time for the 2019 NCAA beach volleyball season. because of this, I wanted to give a little NCAA beach volleyball introduction, since it's different than the AVP. Unlike how indoor volleyball is played by women in the fall and men in the spring, the NCAA only has beach volleyball for women and because of this, it happens in the spring since a few athletes play beach in the spring after they do indoor in the fall. An example is Mac May, a sophomore from Iowa that plays for UCLA.

With Beach volleyball becoming more and more popular, more colleges are getting beach volleyball, and not just schools in California, Florida, or Texas. My home state of Tennessee has many schools with beach volleyball. The top ones are UT Martin, in western Tennessee, and Austin Peay State University, northwest of Nashville.

The top 5 teams at the start of the season are from 5 to 1: Hawaii, Pepperdine, Florida State, USC, and UCLA. UCLA won the 2018 national finals in Gulf Shores, Alabama last season and before that the 2017 winners were UCLA's cross town rivals, USC. The 2018 finals were UCLA taking on Florida State (Game linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Pzn-S2qnE) The 2017 finals were USC taking on Pepperdine (Summary of the game linked here: https://www.ncaa.com/video/beach-volleyball/2017-05-07/nc-beach-volleyball-championship-2017)

Believe it or not, lots of AVP females have played beach volleyball in the NCAA for the top 5 ranked 2019 teams. Katie Spieler played for Hawaii, Corrine Quiggle played for Pepperdine, Kelly Claes played for USC, Sarah Sponcil currently plays for UCLA, and Florida State is the only team in the top 5 that has no alumni or current players that compete on the AVP  as of the posting of this blog.

Katie Spieler's profile when she was at UH

Corinne Quiggle's profile when she was at Pepperdine

 

Kelly Claes' profile when she was at USC

 

 

Sarah Sponcil's profile at UCLA

Hawaii's first game is Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 10:30 am Hawaii Time against Saint Mary's on Queen Beach there in Manoa, Hawaii. Pepperdine's first game is Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 2 pm Pacific Time  against Stanford. USC's first game is Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 1 pm Pacific Time against LMU at Merle Norman's Stadium there in Los Angeles. UCLA's first game is Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 8 am Pacific Time against Cal Poly at the Sunset Canyon Recreation area there in Los Angeles. Florida State's first game is Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 5 pm Eastern Time against LSU there in Tallahassee, Florida.

That was just a summary of where some of the beach volleyball teams stand as the season starts in the next week. Don't forget to follow your favorite team as they begin their journey for the 2019 NCAA national championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama from May 3-5, 2019. There is even a giveaway for a person to win a free trip to the national finals there in Gulf Shores. Use the link below for more: https://woobox.com/qdwo6o?source=ETW_NCAAVB_FACEBOOK&fbclid=IwAR39Cshz29eccV_kaoE-6XgFV-G_PlqzbCsJXQ_sexShmrvGZWgR1BjfNjM

That concludes my introduction of the 2019 NCAA top beach volleyball teams as they begin their season in the next week. Make sure to watch them during the season. If you'd like your favorite team, game, or sport covered, let me know in the comments below. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

BYU @ UCLA 2-9-19 MVB

 

This is UCLA's setter #13 Micah Ma'a

 

 

This is BYU's Outside Hitter #5 Gabi Garcia Fernandez

 

Dear Readers~


ON February 9, 2019 the #7 BYU Cougars traveled from Provo, Utah to Los Angeles, California to take on the host, the #4 UCLA Bruins, in a game of men's indoor volleyball. This is the first time this season that both of these teams have played each other in the regular season. Because of this, so many people were excited to see this game. The game took place on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 7 pm Pacific Time at the John Wooden Center, there in Los Angeles, where the UCLA men's team has their home games when they're not at Pauley Pavilion, where UCLA's women's indoor volleyball team plays their home games in the fall. Now it's time to get into the game.

The first set ended 25-16 in favor of BYU while UCLA got their revenge by wining the second set 25-14. The third set ended 25-19, in favor of UCLA. With UCLA leading 2 sets to 1, BYU knew that they had to win the fourth set to stay in the game. The fourth set would later end 25-18 in favor of UCLA and ending the game in UCLA's favor after winning the last 3 sets of the game.

The leader in kills goes to UCLA's Austin Matautia, with a total of 13, while Gabi Garcia Fernandez led BYU with 11 kills of his own. The leader in aces goes to UCLA's Micah Ma'a, with 5 aces alone, while Gabi Garcia Fernandez led BYU with 3 aces of his own. The leader in blocks was UCLA's Matt Younggren, with 6, while Cyres Fa'alogo and Felipe de Britto Ferr both had 5 blocks each for BYU. The leader in assists was BYU's Will Stanley, with 23 assists, while UCLA's Micah Ma'a had 20 assists of his own. The leader in digs was UCLA's Adam Parks, with 9, while Gabi Garcia Fernande and Taylor Richards led BYU with 7 digs each.

UCLA's next game is against Long Beach State at 7 pm Pacific Time on Saturday, February 16th at the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State in Long Beach, California. BYU's next game is against Concordia at 7 pm Mountain Time on Thursday, February 14th at the Smith Fieldhouse at BYU in Provo, Utah.

Just a fun fact about the visiting BYU Cougars, for those that haven't seen my BYU @ Pepperdine blog for men's indoor volleyball, is that AVP  player and 2016 Rio Olympian Casey Patterson went there. With Casey being close with Riley and Maddison Mckibbin, he's in many of their vlogs. One of my favorites that he was in was the 4 man vlog the Mckibbin's did for the AVP Hawaii Open in 2018. That video is titled "The Fours Awaken EPIC Beach Volleyball Match" That game had quite the teams. Casey's team was called "The Lilikoi Boys" and that team included Maddison Mckibbin, Sam Schachter, and Casey's current partner, Chase Budinger. I suggest  watching the whole video. The Mckibbin brothers did a good job putting the video and the event together so make sure to watch it at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJQ7CiCkvY4 Don't forget to follow Casey on Instagram: @caseypatt

 

This is a clip of Casey from the 4 man game in Hawaii at the 1:25 mark

Just a fun fact about the host, the UCLA Bruins, is that another AVP player, this time on the female side, attended that school and her name is Kelly Reeves. In 2016 Kelly Reeves was the AVP newcomer of the year for the 2016 AVP season. Being good friends with Riley and Maddison, she got the chance to do a video with them and instead of it being a vlog, like with Casey, she got to do a tutorial. Her tutorial is called "How to Bump Set- Beach Volleyball Tutorial" One of the things she talks about are the 3 types of sets that she personally uses. These three are the normal set, the tempo set, and the shoot set. Keep in mind that I'm not a professional volleyball player (not yet anyway, but the day may come) so if you want to watch the whole tutorial by Kelly, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EXb-rlia9Y Don't forget to follow her on Instagram: @kellyreeves02 for more. She even does Typical Tuesday, so I suggest checking that out.

 

 This is the map/graph Kelly drew for the 3:40 mark

That concludes my blog about the #7 BYU @ #4 UCLA men's indoor volleyball game at the John Wooden Center there in Los Angeles, California. Feel free to check out some of my previous blogs like USC @ UCI or Stanford @ Hawaii if you like men's indoor volleyball, my P1440 series if you like beach volleyball played by pros, or Stanford vs Nebraska for the women's indoor national finals back in December. Don't forget to mark your calendars for early May when the AVP has their first event in Huntington Beach, California to start the 2019 season, which is also the same weekend as the 2019 NCAA beach volleyball finals in Gulf Shores, Alabama if you live on the east coast. The 2019 NCAA beach volleyball season starts in under 2 weeks so take a look to see if your favorite school has a team that will be competing. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

USC @ UCI 2-2-19 MVB

 

This is #20 Jack Wyett, Outside Hitter for USC

Dear Readers~


On February 2, 2019 at 7 pm Pacific Time people were crowding into the Ben Event Center there in Irvine, California for the big game of #4 UCI hosting #15 USC. With UCI coming off of their fourth win in a row against Grand Canyon, UCI really wanted to beat USC and make it 5 wins in a row. USC is sitting at 1 win in a row after losing to Long Beach State and then beating Princeton before their game against UCI. The last time these two teams faced off, they were at the Galen Center, home to USC, with USC winning 3 sets to 1. USC wanted to beat UCI for a second time this season, especially since the game is at UCI with USC coming in as the visitors.

The first set ended 25-20 with UCI winning the first set to start the game. The second set was close, ending at 27-25 with USC winning that set. The third set ended 25-19, in favor of USC. UCI knew that if USC won this fourth set the game would be over. With both teams playing hard, the fourth set ended 25-23 with UCI winning the set and causing a fifth set to happen. With each team winning two sets each, pressure was on in the fifth set. That set ended 25-10 with UCI beating USC on home court and winning 3 sets to 2 against USC.

The leader in kills goes to UCI's Karl Apfelbach, with 19, while Ryan Moss led USC with 18 kills of his own. The leader for aces was a tie at 3 aces each. UCI's Joel Schneidmiller and USC's Chris Hall and Tyler Resnick each left with their 3 aces. USC's Tyler Resnick and Ryan Moss led in blocks, with 5 each, while UCI's Scott Stadick and Karl Apfelbach had 4 blocks each. UCI's Dante Chakravorti led in assists, with 50, while Chris Hall led USC in assists, with 42. Chris Hall also led in digs, with 18, while David Parker led UCI with 13 digs of his own.

UCI's next game will be on Thursday, February 14, 2019 against UCSD at the Ben Events Center, there at UCI at 7 pm Pacific Time while USC's next game is at Stanford at the Maples Pavilion on Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 7 pm Pacific Time.

Just a fun fact about the USC Trojans: Many, and I mean MANY, AVP players went there. The ones I chose for this blog were Riley and Maddison Mckibbin (they're younger brother, Jameson, currently goes to USC and is a setter for their men's indoor volleyball wearing #10) Riley and Maddison vlog a lot of the 2018 AVP season so you can check them out on their YouTube Channel "The Mckibbin Brothers" for all of their cool content and I'll link my personal favorite video that they did down below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OgPKEBha2A I highly recommend checking it out and giving it a like. Make sure you follow them on Instagram as well: @Maddison.mckibbin, @riley_mack4, @jameson_Mckibbin, and their professional page @themckibbinbros

 

Riley is the one getting ready to set the ball while Maddison is on the far left of the picture. This is from my personal favorite video that they've done, so feel free to check them out on YouTube

 

Just a fun fact about UCI is that an AVP champion went there. His name is Ty Loomis and he won the 2017 San Francisco Open with Maddison Mckibbin, mentioned above. Ty didn't play in the 2018 AVP season so there's not much of a summary to give here so I apologize for that. I'll leave a link for the vlog that Ty was in down below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUmEEoovcZ4 Don't forget to follow him on Instagram: @tyroneloomis

 

This is Ty Loomis from the New York Vlog (Around the 5:25 mark)

That concludes my blog about the USC @ UCI men's indoor volleyball game. Don't forget to check out some of my other blogs like the ones over the NCAA men's and women's indoor volleyball, the AVP or P1440 if you like beach volleyball, or my story if you're looking for a good read. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

#TBT to UCLA @ Berkeley 9-28-18 WVB

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT blog is complete. This one covers UCLA taking on Berkeley in the Bay area. Now it's time to get into this blog.

On Friday, September 28, 2018 at 7 PM Pacific Time, UCLA's women's volleyball team traveled to the bay area to play University of California, Berkeley. UCLA gave Berkeley a challenge. Now time to introduce some of the players from that game.

Starting with the visiting team, UCLA. Some of UCLA's top players are: 6'4" Redshirt Freshman from Maryland, Middle Blocker, #1 Emily Ryan, 6'0" Senior from Roseville, California, Middle Blocker, #2 Kyra Rogers, 6'5" Redshirt Freshman from Sloughhouse, California, Outside Hitter, #8 Alexis Light, 6'3" sophomore from Iowa, Outside Hitter and beach volleyball player, #14 Mac May, 6'4" Sophomore from Moraga, California, Middle Blocker, #17 Sabrina Smith, and lastly, the tallest player on the court, 6'7" Freshman from Oregon, Middle Blocker, #18 Tristin Savage. All of these positions, heights, and ages are all true. Check out the UCLA 2018 Volleyball Roster for the rest of the players as well as the 2019 list to see who you could be seeing on the court this fall.

 

This is the game day post UCLA put on their Instagram for the big day featuring Senior Kyra Rogers. Don't forget to follow UCLA on Instagram as they prepare for their 2019 fall season: @uclawomensvb

Next is the home team, playing for UC Berkeley. First up for Berkeley is a 6'4" Junior from Rocklin, California, Outside Hitter, #4 Maddie Haynes, 6'2" Sophomore from Chandler, Arizona, Middle Blocker, #10 Preslie Anderson, 6'3" Redshirt Freshman from Tempe, Arizona, Middle Blocker, #11 Lauren Forte, 6'2" Freshman from Larkspur, California, Middle Blocker, #15Bella Bergmark, 6'2" Redshirt Junior from San Diego, California, Middle Blocker, #16 Savannah Rennie, and 6'2" Senior from Los Altos, California, Outside Hitter, #24 Carmen Annevelink. Don't forget to check out the UC Berkeley 2018 volleyball roster for the rest of the players, since I only listed a few and the 2019 roster to see who could be playing this upcoming season. Now that the players have been introduced, let the game begin.

The first set went in favor of Berkeley ending 25-21. The second set went in favor of Berkeley 25-19. At the start of the third set, UCLA knew that it was now or never. They worked hard enough for the set to end 25-23 in favor of UCLA. UCLA worked even harder in the fourth set with UCLA winning 25-21. After each team winning 2 sets, a fifth set happened. It was a good one but in the end, UCLA came out victorious with the set ending 15-13 in favor of UCLA. The game ended with UCLA winning the game 3 sets to 2.

I hope you enjoyed the summary of the UCLA at UC Berkeley women's volleyball game. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2019 AVP stop in Manhattan Beach, California for stop #2 of the Gold Series from August 16-18. Don't forget to check out some of my other blog posts and until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

#TBT to UCLA @ Stanford: 9-26-18 WVB

Dear Readers,


If you've read some of my previous #TBT blog posts you'll know that UCLA stands for "University of California, Los Angles". On September 26, 2018 UCLA played another California school. The previous California PAC-12 game I talked about was UCLA at USC, check that out if you haven't already. The game I will cover today is UCLA at Stanford. Unlike their LA cross town rivals, Stanford is over 5 hours, by car, away from UCLA so the team had plenty of time to work on their game plan, practice a little, and all the other fun stuff they get to do on the way to games.

I already talked about a few of UCLA's top players in my previous blog. They get to go first since they're the visiting team. UCLA has players like #1 Emily Ryan, #2 Kyra Rogers, #8 Alexis Light, #14 Mac May, #17 Sabrina Smith, and #18 Tristin Savage. Check out their bios on UCLA's website for more about them.

It's time to introduce the home team, the private university in Northern California, Stanford University. Stanford is coached by 2 women and 1 man. The associate head coach is Denise Corlett, the assistant coach is Erin Linsey, and the volunteer assistant coach is Russell Corbelli. Some of the players are 6'6" Junior from Aliso Viejo, California, Outside Hitter, #2 Kathryn Plummer,6'4" Freshman from Austin, Texas, Middle Blocker, #3 Holly Campbell, 6'6" Junior from Overland Park, Kansas, Outside Hitter and Opposite, #12 Audriana Fitzmorris, and 6'4 Senior from Brooklyn, New York, Middle Blocker, #25 Courtney Bowen.

If you want to know about the athletes on the UCLA team, you can either look at my previous blog post about the UCLA at USC game or you can check out UCLA's volleyball list. Out of all of the players on the court, from both teams, the tallest is UCLA's Tristin Savage at 6'7" followed by Stanford's Kathryn Plummer and Audriana Fitzmorris, both at 6'6". Now that all of the players have been introduced, let the game begin. Keep in mind that indoor volleyball plays to 25 instead of 21, like on the beach.

UCLA had a rough first set losing 18-25. They did a little better but they sadly lost 19-25 and were hoping for a third set redemption. Stanford was able to win all 3 sets by winning the third set 25-17 in their favor.

This is Stanford celebrating after keeping their win streak alive by beating UCLA in 3 straight sets. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram as they prepare for their 2019 season: @stanfordwvb

This is the game day post UCLA put on their Instagram account for the game. It features #4 junior outside hitter 5'11 Jenny Mosser. Don't forget to follow UCLA on Instagram as they prepare for their 2019 season coming this fall: @uclawomensvb

Don't forget to tune in to Amazon Prime this weekend for the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open happening in Hermosa Beach, California July 26-28, 2019. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

#FBF to BYU @ Pepperdine 9-25-18 WVB

Dear Readers~


It's time for another #TBT/#FBF blog post. This one covers BYU taking on Pepperdine in a game of women's indoor volleyball back in september. Now it's time to start the game.

I know what some of you are thinking: What's BYU stand for? If you're asking yourself this, you must not be from the west, or at least not from Utah. For those that don't know, BYU stands for Brigham Young University, based in Provo, Utah. On Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at 6 PM Pacific Time, the BYU women's volleyball team traveled to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California for the first game against the two teams. The game was held at Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse.

It's time to introduce the visiting team from Provo, Utah, BYU. BYU is coached by 1woman and 4 men. The head coach is Heather Olmstead, the assistant coaches are David Hyte and Jonny Neeley, the volunteer assistant coach is Gil Fellingham, and the strength and conditioning coach is Turreal Moore. Some of the players for BYU are: 6'5" sophomore from Bountiful, Utah, Middle Blocker, #24 Kennedy Eschenberg, 6'7" sophomore from Pleasant Grove, Utah, Outside Hitter, #22 Sara Hamson, 6'4" junior from Highland, Utah, Opposite/Middle Blocker, #5 Emily Lewis-Bushman, 6'4" freshman from Pleasant Grove, Utah, Middle Blocker, #2 Heather Gneiting, 6'3" sophomore from Clovis, California, Outside Hitter, #2Taylen Ballard, and 6'3" freshman from Bountiful, Utah, Middle Blocker, #21 Whitney McEvan. For those that think Bountiful, Utah sounds familiar, that's because it's the birthplace of 3 time Olympian, Jake "Spiker" Gibb.

Now the home team, Pepperdine. Pepperdine is coached by 2 men and 2 women. The head coach is Scott Wong, the assistant coaches are Julie Bennett and Kyle Luongo, and the volunteer assistant coach is Ali Longo. Some of the Pepperdine players are: 6'3" sophomore from Boise, Idaho, Middle Blocker, #7 Alli O'Harra, 6'4" freshman from Dana Point, California, Middle Blocker, #9 Rosie Ballo, 6'5" redshirt junior from Indianapolis, Indiana, Middle Blocker, #12 Tarah Wylie, and 6'4" freshman from Trabuco Canyon, California, Outside Hitter/Opposite, #18 Rachel Ahrens.

Now that some of the players and coaches have been introduced, it's time to talk about the game. Keep in mind that indoor volleyball goes to 25 instead of 21, like on the sand, but both versions use the 2 point rule.

The first set ended in BYU's favor with them winning 25-15. The second set was a little closer at 25-18, with BYU winning again. Pepperdine had one last chance to get their revenge. The third set was the closest one all game ending 25-21 in favor of BYU. That means that BYU won the game 3 sets to none. As of their game on Friday, October 5th at San Diego, BYU now has 8 wins and no loses at home, 6 wins and no loses on the road, and 2 games ending in the neutral category. That gives BYU a season total of 16 wins a no loses so far, giving them a hitting percentage, or PCT, of  1.000. On the other side of things, Pepperdine has 5 wins and 1 lose at home, 4 wins and 3 loses on the road, and the neutral category being 3 wins and 1 lose. That gives Pepperdine with a season total of 12 wins and 5 loses so far, giving them a PCT of 0.857.

 

This is the game day post Pepperdine put on their Instagram for the big game in Utah. Follow @peppvolley on Instagram as they prepare for their 2019 season

 

This is the post BYU put on their Instagram to celebrate the 3-0 sweep over Pepperdine. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram for their 2019 season: @byuwvolleyball

That concludes the BYU vs. Pepperdine women's volleyball game. Until next time, Miller Out.


~J. Miller

#TBT to UCLA @ USC 9-19-18 WVB

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT blog post will be about a game that happened back in the fall between UCLA and USC. This was a game of women's indoor volleyball since the men's indoor season is in the spring along with the women's beach season.

I know you've seen the title and are wondering "What's 'UCLA' stand for?" If you're asking yourself this, you're probably not from the west coast simply because UCLA stands for University of California, Los Angeles. I decided to write about this school because of who they played on September 19, 2018 for indoor volleyball. That team was none other than their cross town rivals, USC, or University of Southern California. UCLA, the public school, is ranked 18th while USC, the private school, is ranked 14th. The game was at the Galen Center, home to USC's indoor volleyball teams for both the women an the men. Now that the introductions of the teams have been made, let's meet some of the players.

First up is UCLA, since they're the visiting team. UCLA is coached by 3 men and 1 woman. The head coach is Michael Sealy with the help of assistant coach Tony Ker, volunteer assistant coach Jimmy Lo, and assistant coach as well as recruiting coordinator Kaitlin Nielsen. Some of the players for UCLA are: 6'4" Redshirt Freshman from Maryland, Middle Blocker, #1 Emily Ryan, 6'0" Senior from Roseville, California, Middle Blocker, #2 Kyra Rogers, 6'5" Redshirt Freshman from Sloughhouse, California, Outside Hitter, #8 Alexis Light, 6'3" sophomore from Iowa, Outside Hitter and beach volleyball player, #14 Mac May, 6'4" Sophomore from Moraga, California, Middle Blocker, #17 Sabrina Smith, and lastly, the tallest player on the court, 6'7" Freshman (yes she is really a 6'7" Freshman, there's a post on my Facebook, Jarrod Miller, if you don't believe me) from Oregon, Middle Blocker, #18 Tristin Savage. All of these positions, heights, and ages are all true. Check out the UCLA 2018 Volleyball Roster for the rest of the players. I suggest you should go and follow these girls on Instagram (if you have an Instagram that is): @emilyryan14, @kyra__rogers, @alexislighttt, @macmay3, @Sabrina.n.smith, and @Tristin_lynn_savage

 

This is the gameday post UCLA put on their Instagram page for the big event. It features a 5'9 sophomore Libero #15 Anne Crouch

Next is the home team, USC. USC's coaching team is 3 men and 1 woman, like UCLA. The head coach is Brent Crouch with the help of assistant head coach JJ Van Neil, assistant coach Alex Dunphy, and volunteer assistant coach Eric Barber. Some of the players for USC are: 6'2" Junior from Stevinson, California, Outside Hitter, #6 Emily Baptista, 6'3" Junior from Portland, Oregon, Middle Blocker, #11 Jasmine Gross (yes that really is her last name), 6'4" Senior from Newport Beach, California, Middle Blocker, #12 Brittany Welsh, 6'4" Freshman from Phoenix, Arizona, Middle Blocker, #15 Abby Hansen, and lastly, 6'4" Junior from Illinois, Outside Hitter, #17 Daley Krage. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @emilyybaptista, @jasmine_gross, @britt_welsh, @abbyyyhansen, and @dkrags

 

THis is the game day post USC put on their Instagram page for the big day. It features 6'0 freshman Setter Raquel Lazaro on the left and 6'2 junior Outside Hitter Khalia Lanier on the right

Now that some of the players have been introduced, it's time for the results of the game. Keep in mind that indoor volleyball goes to 25 while the beach plays to 21.

Set #1 was tough for UCLA because they came up short with the first set ending 21-25, with USC winning. UCLA struggled even more in the second set with the set ending 8-25 with UCLA losing the set. UCLA had one last chance for redemption. After UCLA worked as hard as they could, the set ended 27-29, coming up just short of winning the set. The game ended with USC winning all 3 sets. The loss was tough on UCLA because the last 4 times these two teams played each other at the Galen Center, UCLA won.

That concludes the hometown rivalry game of UCLA, the public school, taking on USC, the private school, in Los Angeles, California at the Galen Center. I hope you liked the teams I covered in this week's edition of #TBT and until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

BYU @ Pepperdine 2-6-19 MVB

 

This is #4 Jon Stanley, Outside Hitter/Libero for BYU

 

This is Pepperdine's game day post for the week for their first game against BYU (This blog) and their later game against Stanford (A blog for a later date)

Dear Readers~


On Wednesday, February 6, 2019 a #7 BYU traveled out to Malibu, California to play against #5 Pepperdine in a game of men's volleyball.  The game was at 7 pm Pacific Time on that Wednesday, so both teams were ready to play. With BYU losing to UC Santa Barbara on February first and second, they wanted revenge by beating Pepperdine instead of getting a third loss in a row. With Pepperdine coming off of a win against CSUN (California State University, Northridge), Pepperdine wanted 2 wins in a row.

The first set ended in favor of Pepperdine at 25-17. the second set wasn't much better for BYU with Pepperdine winning that set 25-19. BYU knew that if Pepperdine won this third set that would be it and game over for them. with both teams playing hard, the third set ended 25-18 in favor of Pepperdine and taking down BYU in three straight sets. That gave Pepperdine it's second straight win and BYU it's third straight loss.

 The leader in kills goes to BYU's Gabi Garcia Fernande, with 13, while David Wieczorek led Pepperdine with 12 kills of his own. The leader for aces was Pepperdine. Two different Pepperdine players had 5 aces each and they were Micael Wexter and David Wieczorek while BYU had three players get 1 ace each and they were Gabi Garcia Fernande, Felipe de Brito Ferr, and Miki Jauhiainen. The leader in blocks goes to Pepperdine with two players having 3 blocks each and they were Max Chamberlain and David Wieczorek while Felipe de Brito Ferr led BYU with 4 blocks of his own. The leader in assists goes to Pepperdine's Robert Mullahey, with 32, while Will Stanley led BYU with 26 assists of his own. The leader for digs was Pepperdine's Kaleb Denmark, with 7, while Kana'i Akana led BYU with 4 digs of his own.

Don't forget to watch out for BYU's next  game as they travel back to California to take on UCLA in some more men's indoor volleyball while Pepperdine stays in Malibu to take on Stanford. The BYU @ UCLA game is on Saturday, February 9th at 7 pm Pacific Time in Los Angeles while the Stanford @ Pepperdine game is on Friday, February 8th at 6 pm Pacific Time in Malibu.

Just a fun fact about the visiting BYU Cougars is that Rio 2016 Olympian Casey Patterson went there. I mentioned Casey a lot during the AVP and P1440 2018 season and also he was mentioned in my summary of his games in the Hague with Chase Budinger. Casey has been in many videos with the Mckibbin Brothers. My favorite is the vlog that the Mckibbins did at the 2018 AVP Championships in Chicago. That video is titled "Sibling Rivalries make better athletes AVP Chicago" so check that out in the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOEsh4ntQnI He's all over the video so there's not really a certain spot. Make sure you follow him on Instagram: @caseypatt

 

This is Casey Patterson with Riley Mckibbin at the 2018 Chicago Open, where they both tied with a 13th place (Riley played with his younger brother Maddison Mckibbin while Casey played with Stafford Slick)

Just a fun fact about the home team, the Pepperdine Wave, is AVP player Corinne Quiggle attended Pepperdine and played beach volleyball for them. Corinne and her 2018 partner, Kim Smith, are known for their unbelievable comeback from competing in the AVP 2018 Manhattan Beach qualifiers to finishing with a 5th place at that event. As I was putting this together, I looked and Corinne has no videos with the Mckibbin brothers, so there are no videos of her with them I can show but if you want to check out her website, that'll be linked down below instead: https://www.corinnequiggle.com/  Make sure you follow her on Instagram: @corinnequiggle

 

This is some of Corinne's website (Visit link above to learn more about her and her beach volleyball journey on her website)

That concludes my blog about the game between #7 BYU and #5 Pepperdine in Malibu. Feel free to check out some of my previous blogs like Stanford @ Hawaii or Long Beach State @ UCLA for indoor men's volleyball, my blogs on the P1440 Huntington Beach and Las Vegas Opens for some beach volleyball, or my made up story if you just want a good read. Make sure to keep an eye out for the first AVP event of the 2019 season in early May or the first game of the 2019 NCAA women's beach season in late February. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

Stanford @ Hawaii 2-1-19 MVB

Since I couldn't find a game day photo from Stanford, this is the next best thing

Since I couldn't find a  game day photo from Hawaii, this is the next best thing

Dear Readers~


On the first and third of February, Stanford traveled across the ocean to Honolulu, Hawaii to take on the University of Hawaii in two games of men's volleyball. I'll be covering the game on the first but if you'd like to see the results of their second game, I'll be linking that down below. This is where you can go to see the results of that second game: https://hawaiiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?id=22619&path=mvball

On Friday, February 1, 2019 the #8 team, Stanford, took on the #2 team, the University of Hawaii, for their first of 2games at the Stan Sherriff Center, there in Honolulu. The game was at 7 pm Hawaii time, which is 11 pm Central time, since Hawaii is 4 hours behind during the winter and 5 hours behind in the summer. But enough about time, let me explain how the game went.

The first set ended 25-15, in Hawaii's favor. The second set was closer at 27-25, and the closest set out of the two games the teams played that weekend, with Hawaii coming out on top again. Stanford knew that if they lost this next set that would be game and they would have to redeem themselves on the third. Both teams played very well in that third set. When that set was over, the score was sitting at 25-22 with Hawaii coming out on top by winning all 3 sets on home court there in Honolulu.

Now for the top athlete of each category during the game.  Leading in Kills was Hawaii's Rado Parapunou, with 17, while Jordan Ewert led Stanford with 14. The leader in aces was a tie between Stijn van Tilburg and Colton Cowell, of Hawaii, each with 2, while Jordan Ewert led Stanford with their only ace of the 3 set game. The leader in blocks was Hawaii's Dalton Solbrig, with 5, while Jaylen Jasper and Stephen Moye each had 1 block a piece for Stanford. The leader in assists was Hawaii's Joe Worsley, with 41, while Paul Bischoff led Stanford with 34. When it came to digs, Gage Worsley, of Hawaii, led with 11, while Jordan Ewert led Stanford with 10. With results like that, you can see why Hawaii is ranked #2 in the NCAA for men's volleyball, behind only Long Beach State, as of the poll that came out on February 4, 2018.

Just a fun fact about Stanford for those that haven't seen my blogs during the women's NCAA season back in the fall, one of the top females on the AVP played indoor for them during her time there. That athlete is the one and only, Alix Klineman. She was in a video with the Mckibbin brothers during the Austin vlog. Linked right here if interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK-VXftT074

This is the fun fact for Alix from the Austin Vlog (around 5:38 mark)

Just a fun fact about Hawaii is that Katie Spieler, of the AVP, played beach volleyball there for Hawaii. Katie was also partnered with Allie Wheeler for the P1440 Huntington Beach Young Guns tournament I put in a previous blog, where the pair got a second place. Katie was also in the Austin vlog at the same point as Alix, so make sure to check that out in the link above.

This is Katie's fun facts from the Austin Vlog (around 5:30 mark)

That concludes my blog about #8 Stanford taking on #2 Hawaii in Honolulu. Don't forget to check out some of my other blogs that I've done in the past, like the NCAA, P1440, and my story. If you like this, share with some friends and spread the word. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the AVP's first stop of 2019 in Huntington Beach, California in less than 90 days and the start of the NCAA women's beach season that starts in late February. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP Hawaii 2018: Day 2 (Finals)

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT blog covers Day 2 of the 2018 AVP Hawaii Open. Now it's time to cover the event. I know what you're thinking for those that have seen previous AVP blogs: Why does this have finals in the title if the finals are on Day 3? Well you just asked a very good question person reading this. It is because of what happened at the 2018 AVP Hawaii Open on September 14, 2018. That day held the first ever King of the Court as well as the first ever Queen of the Court. Because of this and having so little teams, the regular games of double elimination were on the 15th while the semifinals and finals were on the 16th. so without further interruption, let the blog begin.

On September 16, 2018 was the semifinals and finals for the Men and Women competing at the 2018 AVP Hawaii Open. If you read my last blog post about Day 1 you'll know that I talked about Americans Taylor Crabb, Jake Gibb, Alix Klineman, and April Ross, Dutch players Alexander Brouwer with Robert Meeusen, and Brazilians Agatha Bednarczuk with Duda Santos Lisboa. Sadly Crabb and Gibb were eliminated on the first day of play and didn't make it to the semifinals but the other 3 teams made it to the finals and played some good volleyball.

Klineman and Ross played in the semifinals against Kelly Claes and Brittany Hochevar, of the United States. The game ended with Klineman and Ross winning back to back sets with 21-17 and 21-16. The pair moved on to the finals to play at 1:30.

Agatha and Duda were in the other semifinals against Sara Hughes and Summer Ross. Agatha and Duda won the first set 25-23 but Ross and Hughes got revenge by winning the second set 21-17 and winning the third set 15-12. That sent Ross and Klineman playing Hughes and the other Ross at 1:30 into the finals.

If you saw my blog post about the finals of the 2018 AVP Chicago Open, you'll know that that game was a rematch so Hughes and Ross wanted redemption. They got redemption on the first set with 21-18 but Klineman and Ross won the second 21-19 and later the third at 15-10 to become the 2018 AVP Hawaii Open Champions, as well as the first ever AVP Hawaii Open.

On the men's side, the first semifinals was Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena against Trevor Crabb and Tri Borne. If Crabb sounds familiar, that's because Trevor is Taylor's older brother. I've mentioned Taylor multiple times before. Dalhausser and Lucena won in back to back sets 21-13 and 21-18 to move on to the finals.

The other semifinals was Brouwer and Meeusen against  Brazil's Gustavo Albrecht and Saymon Santos. Bouwer and Meeusen won that game in back to back sets 21-18 and 21-19. The pair would move on to play Dalhausser and Lucena at 3:15.

The finals came and were intense. The first set ended 21-16 in favor of Dalhausser and Lucena, but the second set was the one to watch. that set ended 27-25, remember that they only polay to 21 unless the teams can't get more than 2 points apart. That second set would later go in favor of Dalhausser and Lucena, naming them the winners and being the first AVP champions of the first ever Hawaii Open.

That concludes pretty much the whole 2018 AVP season so stay tuned for what I decide to post next. I plan to have it come out on Monday September 24th so make sure to tune in on that day to find out what my next sports choice is. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed my summary of the last few AVP stops and tune in next season on Amazon Prime for the 2019 AVP season. Remember that you can still watch the semifinals, finals, and a summary of every day of every stop on the tour. Stops from Austin in May to New York and Seattle in June to San Fran and Hermosa in July to MBO and Chicago in August to the final stop in Hawaii in September. I hope you've enjoyed reading my summaries of the last half of the season as I have had writing and watching them. Until next time, check out some of my other blog posts and share with friends.

~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP Hawaii 2018: Day 1

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT blog is over Day 1 of the 2018 AVP Hawaii Open. On September 15, 2018 the first ever AVP stop in Hawaii happened. It had the top four teams from the AVP and the top four teams from the FIVB from each gender. I will only talk about a few of them. The teams I chose were Taylor Crabb with Jake Gibb and Alix Klineman with April Ross from the AVP along with Alexander Brouwer with Robert Meeusen, from the Netherlands, and Agatha Bednarczuk with Duda Santos Lisboa, from Brazil.

Crabb and Gibb played all 3 games on Day 1. Their games were at 10:20, 1:25, and 3:40. Game 1 was against Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeusen. Crabb and Gibb lost the first set 16-21 and tried to redeem themselves but fell short by losing the second set 20-22. Game 2 was against Reid Priddy and Jeremy Casebeer. Crabb and Gibb won the first set 21-17 as well as the second set at 21-13. Their third game was against Gustavo Albrecht and Saymon Santos. The first set was close at 23-21 with Guto and Saymon winning the set. the second set wasn't Crabb and Gibb's finest moment after losing 18-21 and being knocked out of the tournament.

Klineman and Ross played 2 games on Day 1. Game 1 was at 10:10 and Game 2 was at 12:30. Game 1was against Kelly Claes and Britt Hochevar. Klineman and Ross won the first set 21-17 but Claes and Hochevar got their revenge by winning the second set 21-16, so a third set happened. The third set ended in favor of Klineman and Ross at 16-14. Game 2 was against Sara Hughes and Summer Ross. Klineman and Ross ended the game winning 2 sets to 1. Somehow, the scores for all three sets were the same as the game when Klineman and Ross played Claes and Hochevar, just earlier that day with set 1 ending 21-17 in favor of Klineman and Ross, set 2 ending 21-16 in favor of Hughes and Ross, and set 3 ending 16-14 in favor of Klineman and Ross. Their next game of the tournament would be against Claes and Hochevar again at 10:15 the following day for the semifinals.

The women's international team I chose was Agatha and Duda from Brazil. The pair played 2 games on Day 1 at 9:15 and 11:20. Game 1 was against Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil. Agatha and Duda won back to back sets with 22-20 and 23-12, even though both sets were very close. Game 2 was against the Canadian duo of Melissa Humana Paredes and Sarah Pavan. Agatha and Duda won it in back to back sets again but this time at 21-19 and 21-18. Their next game would be against Sara Hughes and Summer Ross the following day at 9:15.

The men's international team I chose was Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeusen. The pair played 2 games on Day 1. Game 1 was at 10:20 and Game 2 was at 12:25. Game 1 was against Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb, who I have previously mentioned but Game 2 was against Anders Mol and Christian Sorum. Brouwer won the first set 21-18 but Mol and sorum got revenge by winning the second set 21-19, so a third set happened. That ended with Brouwer and Meeusen winning 16-14. Brouwer and Meeusen's next game would be against Gustavo Albrecht and Saymon Santos, who had previously played Gibb and Crabb on Day 1, at 11:20.

That concludes Day 1 of the 2018 AVP Hawaii Open and my latest #TBT blog.


~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP Gold Series Championships 2018: Day 3

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT blog covers the final day of the 2018 AVP regular season in Chicago, Illinois. The final day of the regular season happened on September 2, 2018. A few of the teams that made it are Taylor Crabb with Jake Gibb, Alix Klineman with April Ross, and Jeremy Casebeer with Reid Priddy. The other teams that made it were Sarah Hughes with Summer Ross, Terese Cannon with Sarah Sponcil, Britt Hochevar with Kelly Claes, Ed Ratledge with Rafu Rodriquez, and Tim Bomgren with Chaim Schalk.

The first game of the semifinals was at 9:15 with Claes and Hochevar against Klineman and Ross. The game lasted for two sets. The first set ended 21-19 while the second set ended 22-20. The winners were Klineman and Ross as well as moving on to the finals.

The second game of the semifinals was at 10:15 with Hughes and Ross against Cannon and Soncil. That game lasted for two sets as well. the first set ended 21-14 while the second set ended 21-16. The winners were Hughes and Ross as well as advancing to the finals.

The third game of the semifinals was at 11:15 with Crabb and Gibb against Ratledge and Rodriquez. the first set went27-25in favor of Ratledge and Rodriquez. Crabb and Gibb got their revenge by winning the second set at 22-20. The third set ended 15-5 in favor of Crabb and Gibb. Crabb and Gibb won 2 sets of the 3 so they get to move on the finals.

The fourth and final game of the semifinals was at 12:15 with Bomgren and Shalk against Casebeer and Priddy. Bomgren and Schalk won the first set 21-17. Casebeer and Priddy got their revenge by winning the second set 21-19. The third set ended 15-12 with Bomgren and Schalk winning. After winning 2 sets of the 3, Bomgren and Schalk get to the finals and face Gibb and Crabb.

The women's finals were at 1:30 with Hughes and Ross against Klineman and Ross. The first set was won at 25-23 in favor of Klineman and Ross. The second set was won 21-16 by Klineman and Ross again. With Klineman and Ross winning the second set, they are the winners of the 2018 AVP Gold Series stop #3 women's Championships.

The men's finals were at 3:00 with Crabb and Gibb against Bomgren and Schalk. The first set ended 21-14 in favor of Gibb and Crabb. The second set was 21-17 in favor of Gibb and Crabb. After winning that game, Crabb and Gibb become the winners of the 2018 AVP Gold Series stop #3 men's championships.

Those are the results from Day 3 of the 2018 AVP Gold Series stop #3. Day 3 ended the regular season for most of the AVP athletes. The next stop for the rest of the athletes get a chance to play the best in Hawaii in Mid September.


~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP Gold Series Championships 2018: Day 2

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT blog covers Day 2 of the AVP Gold Series Championships in Chicago, that happened on September 1, 2018, for the third stop of the Gold Series and the final sop for the regular season. The stop for Gold Series #1 was in New York City followed by stop #2 being in Manhattan Beach, California just a few weeks before Chicago. Now it's time to introduce the teams for Day 2 and their results.

The first team is Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb. The pair played two games on Saturday. The first game was at 2:30 and the second game was at 5:00. The 2:30 game was against Jeremy Casebeer and Reid Priddy. The first set was in favor of Crabb and Gibb. the set ended 22-20. The Third set is where Casebeer and Priddy got their revenge by winning the set 21-19 and leading to a third set. Casebeer and Priddy won the third set 18-16 and giving Crabb and Gibb a lost game. Crabb and Gibb played their second game at 5:00 against Piotr Morciniak and Eric Zaun. Crabb and Gibb got their revenge from the Casebeer and Priddy game by winning both sets. The first set ended 21-18 and the second set ended 21-16. Crabb and Gibb will go on to play at 11:15 on Day 3 against Ed Ratledge and Rafu Rodriguez in the semifinals.
The second team is Alix Klineman and April Ross. The pair played only one game on Day 2. That game was against Brittany Howard and Kelly Reeves at 3:30. Ross and Klineman would later go on to win both sets. The first set was21-16 but the second set was a little closer at 21-18. Klineman and Ross would go on to play Kelly Claes and Brittany Hochevar at 9:15 on Day 3 in the semifinals.

The third team is Casebeer and Priddy. They played 1 game and since that one game was against Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb, I won't restate what I previously said. I will say that by winning that game, the pair moved to Day 3 at 12:15 where they will later play against Tim Bomgren and Chaim Schalk in the semifinals.

The fourth and final team in today's blog are Kelly Reeves and Brittany Howard. The pair played 2 games. Game 1 was at 3:30 against Alix Klineman and April Ross while game 2 was against Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil. I won't state the results of the 3:30 game since I already did that in the above listing under Klineman and Ross but I will list the results of the 6:00 game against Cannon and Sponcil. Reeves and Howard would go on to win the first set 21-16 but Cannon and Sponcil would get their revenge by winning the second set 23-121 and forcing a third set. The third set would end 16-14 in favor of Sponcil and Cannon. That game knocked Howard and Reeves out of the tournament and moved Cannon and Sponcil to the semifinals.

Those are the four teams that were chosen to be shared about. Three of the four advanced to Day 3 but one team fell short.


~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP Gold Series Championships 2019: Day 1

Dear Readers~

My latest #TBT blog post covers Day 1 of the 2018 AVP Gold Series stop #3 in Chicago, Illinois on August 31, 2018.  Chicago is the final stop on the regular season before the top teams headed out to Hawaii a few weeks later. The four teams that will be talked about for their performances on Day 1 are Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb, Alix Klineman/April Ross, Jeremy Casebeer/Reid Priddy, and Brittany Howard/Kelly Reeves.

Crabb and Gibb played 2 games on Day 1. Game 1 was at 11:25 while the second game was at 2:40. Their 11:25 game was against Bruno Almorim and Skylar del Sol. Crabb and Gibb finished that game 21-13 and 21-18 to win the game 2 sets to none. Their second game was at 2:40 against Sean Rosenthal and Chase Buddinger. Crabb and Gibb finished that game 21-17 for the first set and an even closer second set 22-20. That means that Crabb and Gibb wont the game 2 sets to none. After winning that game Crabb and Gibb's next game will be on Day 2 at 2:30 against Jeremy Casebeer and Reid Priddy.

Klineman and Ross are the 2018 AVP MBO champions so the pressure was on to be back to back. Just like Crabb and Gibb, Klineman and Ross played 2 games. They were at 12:30 and 3:45. Game 1 at 12:30 was against Corrine Quiggle and Kim Smith. Klineman and Ross won the first set 21-19 but Quiggle and Smith got their revenge by beating them 21-19 in the second set, so a third set was needed to break the tie. The third set ended 15-12 in favor of Klineman and Ross. They won the game 2 sets to 1. Their second game at 3:45 was against Nicole Branagh and Caitlin Ledoux. Klineman and Ross won this game in back to back sets winning the first set 21-14 and the second set 21-14. After winning that game, Ross and Klineman's next game is at 3:30 on Day 2 against Brittany Howard and Kelly Reeves.

Casebeer and Priddy were another pair that played only 2 games on Day 1. They were at 12:25 and 3:40. Game 1 at 12:25 was against Mark Burik and Ian Satterfield. They won the first set 21-15 but Burik and Satterfield got their revenge by beating Caasebeer and Priddy 21-18, so  a third set was needed. The third set ended 15-8 in favor of Casebeer and Priddy. The pair leave the game wining 2 sets to 1. Game 2 was at 3:40 against Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, Taylor Crabb's older brother. Casebeer and Priddy dominated the game winning the first set 21-16 and the second set 21-19, winning 2 sets to none. Their next game is at 2:30 on Day 2 against Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb.

Howard and Reeves were the only pair of these four teams that played 3 games on Day 1 instead of 2. Their games were at 10:15, 1:35, and 4:45. Game 1 at 10:15 was against Carolyn Meister and Vendy Strakova. Howard and Reeves won the game in straight sets by wining the first set 21-17 and the second set 21-14. Their second game was at 1:35 against Geena Urango and Allie Wheeler. Howard and Reeves won that game in straight sets again by getting 21-16 in the first set and 21-17 in the second. Their third, an final game, on Day 1 was against Kelly Claes and Brittany Hochevar. Howard and Reeves won that game in straight sets as well by wining 21-17 in both the first an second sets. After winning that game, Reeves and Howard's next game will be at 3:30 on Day 2 against Alix Klineman and April Ross.


That includes the results of a few teams and their Day 1 results at the 2018 AVP Gold Series stop #3 in Chicago for the championships. Stay tuned for the results of Day 2.


~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP MBO 2018: Day 3

Dear Readers~


My latest #TBT covers Day 3 of the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open that took place in Manhattan Beach, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The teams that made it to Day 3 wereEmily Day/Betsi Flint, Alix Klineman/April Ross, and Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb, who have been covered before. The rest of the teams that have not been covered are Kelly Claes/Britt Hochevar, Kelley Larson/Emily Stockman, Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, Theo Brunner/John Hyden, and Jeremy Casebeer/Reed Priddy. A few of these athletes that were just listed may sound familiar such as Dalhausser/Lucena, who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics together, as well as Dalhausser winning gold for beach volleyball in 2008 with retired beach volleyball player Todd Rogers, the pair also competed together in London in 2012, as well as Reid Priddy, who competed in the Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016 summer Olympics for beach volleyball. In 2008 Priddy won gold and later in 2016 won bronze, both for indoor volleyball. Now on to the results for Day 3 of the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open.

The day started with Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb taking on Jeremy Casebeer/Reid Priddy at 8:15 to start the semifinals. The first set went in favor of Crabb/Gibb winning the first set 21-16 as well as the second set 21-16. Crabb and Gibb are now in the finals.

The second game was Theo Brunner/John Hyden taking on the 2017 Manhattan Beach Open champions, Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena. Unfortunately I was unable to find the results of this game so I apologize. All that I know is that after Dalhausser/Lucena won the game, they'll be playing Crabb/Gibb in the men's finals.

The third game, as well as the first game for the girls semifinals was Larson/Stockman taking on Klineman/Ross. Klineman and Ross have won every set they played in Manhattan Beach. Their first set went in favor of  Klineman/Ross at 21-18 while the second set ended 21-16 in favor of Klineman/Ross. That game ends with Klineman and Ross still undefeated as well as not losing a single set.

The second game, and the last semifinal game of the day was Day/Flint taking on Claes/Hochevar. That game was intense because Day and Hochevar won the 2016 and 2017 Manhattan Beach Open. Because of this, there was a big question on everyone's mind. That question was: Will Day or Hochevar become back to back to back Manhattan Beach Champions. The game ended 21-19 for the first set in favor of Claes/Hochevar. the second set ended 21-19 in favor of Claes/Hochevar again. Claes/Hochevar will end up playing Ross/Klineman for the women's final.

The first game for the finals is at 1:30 with the 2017 AVP Manhattan Beach Open winners, Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena taking on 2016 AVP Manhattan Beach Open winner, Jake Gibb and a man looking for his first AVP Manhattan Beach Open win, Taylor Crabb. The first set went to Crabb and Gibb, wining 21-12 but Dalhausser and Lucena got their revenge by winning the second set 22-20 so that means a third set was in order. that set ended 15-13 in favor of Dalhausser and Lucena.

The women's finals was at 3:00 with Kelly Claes and back to back Manhattan Beach Open winner, Brittany Hochevar against the A team, two time Manhattan Beach Open April Ross and her partner, looking for her first Manhattan Beach Open win, Alix Klineman. The first set was won by Klineman and Ross at 27-25, which was an intense game since the AVP only plays to 21. The second set ended in favor of Claes and Hochevar at 21-17, so a third set happened. That set ended in favor of Klineman and Ross winning 17-15. For those that don't know, in Beach Volleyball, the third set only goes to 15 but they were tied at 15 so they went for the two point advantage and as mentioned earlier, Klineman and Ross won it at 17-15 to become the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open.

For those that don't know about the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, the winners get their names on the Manhattan Beach Pier next season when the AVP goes back to Manhattan Beach for the next AVP Manhattan Beach Open. I hope you enjoyed the latest #TBT covering Day 3 of the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open.


~J. Miller

#TBT to AVP MBO 2018: Day 2

Dear Readers~


My next #TBT blog covers Day 2 of the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Now it's time to cover the event.

On August 18, 2018 The AVP had Day 2 of the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Day 2 results will be fore Emily Day/Betsi Flint, Casey Patterson/Stafford Slick, Alix Klineman/April Ross, Geena Urango/Allie Wheeler, Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb, and Sean Rosenthal/Chase Budinger. If you read the previous #TBT blog about Day 1 of the event, you'll know that I talked about Laura Dykstra and Sheila Shaw. Sadly, those two were unable to make it to Day 2. Of the 6 teams that I listed half made it to the final day and half were unable to make it past Day 2.

Emily Day and Betsi Flint played 2 games on Day 2. Those games were at 1:45 and 4:30. The 1:45 game was against Alix Klineman and April Ross. Day and Flint would go on to lose both sets 11-21 and 16-21. This was also Ross and Klineman's only game on Day 2. Day and Flint's game at 4:30 was against Geena Urango and Allie Wheeler. Day and Flint would go on to redeem themselves by beating Urango and Wheeler 23-21 and 21-17. Day and Flint would go on to play Kelly Claes and Day's former teammate, Brittany Hochevar, in the semifinals at 11:30 on Day 3.

Casey Patterson and Stafford Slick played 2 games on Day 2. Their first game was at 12:40 and their second game was at 4:10. Their game at 12:40 was against the number one ranked team, Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena. They lost 1 set to 2. They won the first set 21-19 but Dalhausser and Lucena got their revenge by winning the second set 21-19 and winning the third set 15-12. That lose moved Patterson and Slick to the contender's bracket against Jeremy Casebeer and Reid Priddy at 4:10 that afternoon. Casebeer and Priddy would end up winning 2 sets to 1. Patterson and Slick won the first set 26-24, remember that a beach set goes first to 21 but they also use the rule where you have to be at least 2 points ahead of your opponent, so that set was close. Casebeer and Priddy redeemed themselves by winning the second set 21-17 and then the third set 15-12 and knocking Patterson and Slick out of the tournament.

With Klineman and Ross playing Emily Day and Betsi Flint on Day 2, and their only Day 2 game, I won't give the results again. What I will give is that after Klineman and Ross won they had to wait until 10:25 AM on Day 3 for their next game against Kelly Larson and Emily Stockman until they could play again. This game was the semifinals.

Geena Urango and Allie Wheeler played 3 games on Saturday. They were at 11:35, 1:55, and 4:30. Their game at 11:35 was against Allison McColloch and Kendra VanZwieten. Urango and Wheeler would go on to win the game 2 sets to 1. They lost the first set 19-21 but came back for redemption by winning the second set 21-19 and the third set 15-10. Their game at 1:55 was against Amanda Dowdy and Irene Pollock. Urango and Wheeler won that game 2 sets to none by winning the first set 21-11 and the second set 21-12. Their next game was at 4:30 against Emily Day and Betsi Flint. Because I already gave the results in the Day/Flint section, I won't be listing them again. Sadly for Urango and Wheeler, Day and Flint won as well as knocking them out of the tournament as Day and Flint move on to Day 3 and the semifinals.

Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb played only one game on Day 2. That game was against Theo Brunner and John Hyden at 2:50, Crabb and Gibb won the first set 21-13 but lost the second set 18-21. They redeemed themselves by winning the third set 15-6 and getting to play Jeremy Casebeer and Reid Priddy in the semifinals at 8:15 on Day 3.

The final team is Sean Rosenthal and Chase Budinger. They played 2 games on Day 2. Their first game was at 8:15 and their second game was at 10:35. Their 8:15 game was against none other than Chase's own older brother, Duncan Budinger and his partner Daniel Dalanhese. Chase and Sean lost the first set 16-21 but redeemed themselves by winning the second set 21-18 and the third set 17-15. Remember that the third set only goes to 15 but since it was close, they had to use the 2 point rule i mentioned in the Patterson/Slick section. Their next game was at 10:35 against Jeremy Casebeer and Reid Priddy. If you couldn't figure out by the section on Crabb and Gibb, Casebeer and Priddy won. They beat Rosenthal and Budinger in back to back sets winning 21-11 and 21-14. That knocked Rosenthal and Budinger out of the tournament and moved Casebeer and Priddy to the semifinals playing the previously mentioned Crabb and Gibb.

That concludes Day 2 for those teams. The semifinals and finals of Day 3 will be coming out in my next #TBT blog so stay tuned to find out who wins the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open.


~J. Miller