AVP MBO 2019: Day 3

Dear Readers~

So August 18, 2019 was Day 3 and Championship Sunday of the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open in Manhattan Beach, California. That day I watched a total of 6 matches, all 6 were on stadium court. They were two matches to get into the semifinals, followed by two of the four semifinals, and lastly, the men's and women's finals. Now it's time to cover the first match.

The first match was Emily Day and Betsi Flint taking on Sarah Hughes and Brandie Wilkerson for a spot in the women's semifinals. The first set ended at 21-12 with Sarah and Brandie taking that set. The second set was closer, ending at 21-16 with Emily and Betsi taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended very close at 17-15 with Brandie and Sarah taking that set and the match to get into the semifinals to take on the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open champions, Alix Klineman and April Ross as well as knocking Emily and Betsi out of the tournament.

Brandie and Sarah are closest to the camera while Emily and Betsi have their faces towards the camera. Don't forget to follow the four over on Instagram: @emday6, @betsiflint, @sarahhughesbeach, and @bvuilleumier

Up next was Trevor Crabb and Reid Priddy against Tim Bomgren and Troy Field for a spot in the men's semifinal. The first set ended at 21-15 with Trevor and Reid taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Tim and Troy taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 15-13 with Trevor and Reid taking that set and advancing to the semifinals to take on the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open winners, Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena as well as knocking Troy and Tim out of the tournamnet.

Tim and Troy are facing the camera while Trevor has his back to the camera and Reid is out of frame about to serve. Don't forget to follow the four on Instagram: @timbomgren, @troyfield_beach, @reidpriddy, and @kingcrabb808

Up next was one of the women's semifinal matches. This one had April Ross and Alix Klineman against Brandie Wilkerson and Sarah Hughes. The first set ended at 21-16 with April and Alix taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Sarah and Brandie taking that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended at 15-12 with April and Alix taking that set and the match. April and Alix also moved on to the women's finals to play Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes as well as knocking Brandie and Sarah out of the tournament.

April and Alix are on the other side of the net facing the camera while Sarah is on the side closest to the camera while Brandie is out of frame about to serve. Don't forget to follow Sarah and Brandie on Instagram along with April and Alix: @alixklineman and @aprilrossbeach

The next match was one of the men's semifinal matches of Trevor Crabb and Reid Priddy against Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena. The first set ended at 21-12 with Reid and Trevor taking that set. The second set ended very close at 23-21 with Reid and Trevor taking that set as well and moving on to the finals as well as knocking the 2018 AVP Manhattan Beach Open champions out of the tournament. Trevor and Reid moved on to the men's finals to play Casey Patterson and Chase Budinger.

Trevor and Reid have their backs to the camera while Phil and Nick are facing the camera on the other side of the net. Don't forget to follow Trevor and Reid as well as Nick and Phil: @phildahausser and @njlucena

Up next was the women's final of April Ross and Alix Klineman against Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan. The first set ended at 28-26 with Melissa and Sarah taking that set. The second set ended at 21-16 with April and Alix taking that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended at 16-14 with Sarah and Melissa taking that set and becoming the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open Champions.

April and Alix are closest to the camera (hugging) while Melissa and Sarah are on the other side of the net facing the camera. Don't forget to follow April and Alix, as well as Melissa and Sarah, over on Instagram: @melissahumanaparedes and @sarah_pavan

The last match of the day, and also the tournament, was the men's final of Trevor Crabb and Reid Priddy against Casey Patterson and Chase Budinger. The first set ended at 21-15 with Trevor and Reid taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Trevor and Reid taking that set as well and ending the game after only two sets. By winning both sets, Trevor and Reid became the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open Champions. This was Trevor's first championship win in his 5 year career and the first AVP win of Reid Priddy after he switched from indoor to beach back in 2017.

Reid and Trevor are on the side facing the camera while Chase and Casey are on the side closest to the camera. Don't forget to follow Reid and Trevor, as well as Chase and Casey, over on Instagram: @caseypatt and @budinger10

For those that don't know, the winners of this stop each get a plaque with their name and their partner's name on it that will go on the Manhattan Beach Pier for eternity. The plaque gets put down the day before the 2020Manhattan Beach Open starts but the ones the winners are holding are kept by them and a third is for the pier.

 

This is Sarah Pavan (left) and Melissa Humana-Paredes (right) with their plaques after their match

 

This is Reid Priddy (left) and Trevor Crabb (right) with their plaques after their match

That concludes the blogs covering the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. I know it's different than normal but I hope y'all still like it. If you'd like to see some of the players I met while I was out there, those pictures are on my Instagram (@jarrodmiller_) Stay tuned for my next blog covering the 2019 AVP Gold Series Championsips in Chicago. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

AVP MBO 2019: Day 2

Dear Readers~

For those that saw my blog covering Day 1 of the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open, you'll know that I had the chance to go out to California and attend the big event back in August. The main draw went from August 16-18, 2019 and I was there all three days attending the big event. In my previous blog I covered the Day 1 games I watched so in this blog I'll be covering the games I watched on Day 2 of the event. Now it's time to get into the big event.

The first game was Chase Budinger and Casey Patterson against Chase Frishman and Avery Drost. The first set ended at 21-14 with Patterson and Budinger taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Frishman and Drost taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 16-14 with Patterson and Budinger taking that set and moving on while Drost and Frishman move to the contender's bracket.

Patterson (black shirt) and Budinger (shirtless) are on the other side of the net with Frishman on far left while Drost is back to serve (out of frame) Make sure to follow the four on Instagram: @caseypatt, @budinger10, @chase_frish, and @averydrost

The next game is Emily Day and Betsi Flint taking on Caitlin Ledoux and Maria Salgada. The first set ended at 21-17 with Emily and Betsi taking that set. The second set ended at 21-12 with Emily and Betsi taking that set as well and moving on in the winner's bracket while Maria and Caitlin were sent to the contender's bracket.

Emily (back to camera) and Betsi (face to camera) during their game against Caitlin and Maria. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @emday6, @betsiflint, @mariaclarasalgado, and @Caitlin_Ledoux

The next match is Corinne Quiggle and Amanda Dowdy taking on Alexa Stange and Falyn Fanoimoana. The first set ended at 21-17 with Corinne and Amanda taking that set. The second set ended at 21-12 with Corinne and Amanda taking that set as well. With this match being a contender's match, Amanda and Corinne knocked Alexa and Falyn out of the tournament.

 

Corinne is on the ground diving for the ball while Amanda is running for the save. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @adowdy11 and @corinnequiggle

The next match was Sheila Shaw and Kenzie Ponnet against Morgan Martin and Iya Lindahl. The first set ended at 21-16 with Martin and Lindahl taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Martin and Lindahl taking that set as well. With this one being a contender's match, Sheila and Kenzie were done after only one match on Day 2.

Sheila and Kenzie are on the right while Morgan and Iya are on the left. Sheila is the taller one in white while Kenzie is the shorter one in white. Morgan is the taller one in black while Iya is the shorter one. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @Sheilashaw17, @kenzponnet03, @mlmartin42, and @iyalindahl

The next match covers my first time watching a main draw match on stadium court. This game was Emily Day and Betsi Flint against Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan. The first set ended at 25-23 with Sarah and Melissa taking that set. The second set was just as close, ending at 21-19 with Sarah and Melissa taking that set as well and knocking Emily and Betsi into the contender's bracket.

The team on the near side is Emily and Betsi while the team on the far side is Sarah and Melissa. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @emday6, @betsiflint, @sarah_pavan, and @melissahumanaparedes

That concludes my latest blog covering Day 2 of the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Stay tuned for next time when Day 3 is covered and don't forget to mark your calendars for September 20-22, 2019 when the AVP ends their season in Hawaii for the 2019 AVP Hawaii Open. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

AVP MBO 2019: Day 1

Dear Readers~


So you're probably wondering why I'm having the first blog of the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open be about Day 1 instead of the men's teams, like my previous AVP blogs have been this season. This is because I was given the chance to go out to Manhattan Beach, California and attend the event in person. The first day of the main draw was Friday, August 16, 2019. That day I watched quite a few matches.

Up first is Nicolette Martin and Kerri Schuh against Tory Peranoagua and Jessica Sykora. The first set ended at 21-15 with Jessica and Tory taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Jessica and Tory taking that set as well and putting Nicolette and Kerri into the contender's bracket after their first match of the tournament.

Kerri is on the left and Nicolette is on the right preparing for their first match. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @nicmartin_vb and @kerrischuh

The game of Betsi Flint and Emily Day taking on Chanti Holroyd and Jenna Beltron is next. The first set ended at 21-14 with Emily and Betsi taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Emily and Betsi taking that set as well and moving on in the winner's bracket.

Emily is on the left and Betsi is on the right. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @emday6 and @betsiflint

The next match is Irene Pollock and Kim Dicello against Carolyn Meister and Katie Lindelow. The first set ended at 21-18 with Kim and Irene taking that set while the second set ended at 21-14, with Kim and Irene taking that set as well and knocking Meister and Lindelow into the contender's bracket.



Kim is on the left and Irene is on the right. They played a killer game so make sure to follow them on Instagram: @irenepollock and @kimdicello

The next game was Ed Ratledge and Rafu Rodriguez against Eric Beraneck and Bill Kolinski. The first set ended at 21-16 with Ed and Rafu taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Ed and Rafu taking that set as well and putting Eric and Bill into the contender's bracket.

Rafu is on the left and Ed is on the right. They had a killer game so be sure to follow them on Instagram: @edratledge and @rafu93

The next match was Sheila Shaw and Kenzie Ponnet against Pricilla Piantadosi-Lima and Kim Smith. The first set ended at 21-9 with Sheila and Kenzie taking that set. The second set ended at 23-21 with Sheila and Kenzie taking that set as well and moving on in the winner's bracket.

Sheila is facing the camera while Kenzie has her back to it. Don't forget to follow the pair on Instagram: @sheilashaw17 and @kenzponnet03

The next match is Maddison and Riley Mckibbin taking on Martin Lorenz and Travis Schoonover. The first set ended at 21-16 with Riley and Maddison taking that set. The second set ended at 21-15 with Martin and Travis taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 15-8 with Riley and Maddison taking that set and winning the match.

Maddison is in the gray shirt and Riley is shirtless. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @Maddison.mckibbin and @riley_mack4

The next game is Brittany Howard an Molly Turner taking on Irene Pollock and Kim Dicello. The first set ended at 21-18 with Brittany and Molly taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Kim and Irene taking that set. The third set ended at 15-9 with Brittany and Molly taking that set and winning the game.

Brittany is wearing the gray hat while Molly has the black hat. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @britthow and @mollyturner22

The last match of the day was Geena Urango and Emily Hartong taking on Nicolette Martin and Kerri Schuh. The first set ended at 21-14 with Geena and Emily taking that set. The second set ended at 21-18 with Geena and Emily taking that set as well. By beating Nicolette and Kerri, Geena and Emily knocked them out of the tournament after only one day of play.

Emily is on the left and Geena is on the right. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @Urango and @emilyhartong

That concludes Day 1 of the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open. I know it's not the same as my previous ones but I hope y'all still like it. Stay tuned for next time when I cover Day 2 of the event. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2019 AVP Hawaii Open when it airs on Amazon Prime September 20-22, 2019. Until next time, Miller out.

~J. Miller

AVP Hermosa 2019: Semifinals/Finals

Dear Readers~


If you read my previous blogs talking about the men's and women's brackets of the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open, then you'll know of a few teams that played in the semifinals. The women's semifinals had #1 ranked Emily Day and Betsi Flint against #24 Zana Muno and Chrissy Jones while the other women's semifinal had #18 ranked Sheila Shaw and Kenzie Ponnet against #21 ranked Kathryn Hogan and Megan Rice. The men's two semifinals had #8 ranked David Lee and Sean Rosenthal taking on #10 ranked Ryan Doherty and Miles Evans while the other men's semifinal had #3 Casey Patterson and Chase Budinger taking on #5 ranked Ed Ratledge and Rafu Rodriguez.

The first women's semifinal was #1 against #24. The first set ended at 21-14 with Day and Flint taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Day and Flint taking that set as well and advancing to the finals.

The second women's semifinal was #21 against #18. The first set ended at 21-16 with Hogan and Rice taking that set. The second set ended at 21-18 with Shaw and Ponnet taking that set and causing third set to happen. That third set ended at 15-10 with Hogan and Rice winning that set and moving on to the finals to take on #1 ranked Day and Flint in the finals.

The first men's semifinal was #8 against #10. The first set ended 21-15 with Lee and Rosenthal taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Doherty and Evans taking that set to cause a third set. The third set ended at 16-14 with Doherty and Evans taking that set and advancing to the finals.

The second men's semifinal was #3 against #5. The first set ended at 21-15 with Patterson and Budinger taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Ratledge and Rodriguez taking that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended at 15-7 with Patterson and Budinger taking that set and advancing to the finals to take on Doherty and Evans.

The women's finals had #1 against #21. The first set ended at 21-14 with Day and Flint taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Day and Flint taking that set as well and becoming the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open champions after being unable to win the Seattle stop in back to back years.

 

Emily (left) and Betsi (right) smile big wit their trophies for winning the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open and yes the trophies are skateboards. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @betsiflint and @emday6

The men's final had #3 against #10. The first set ended at 25-23 with Patterson and Budinger taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Evans and Doherty taking that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended at 15-7 with Budinger and Patterson taking that set and winning the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open on the men's side.

 

Casey (left) and Chase (right) smile big with their 'medals' for winning the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @caseypatt and @budinger10

That concludes the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open semifinals and finals blog. Stay tuned when I cover the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open next and don't forget to mark your calendar for the 2019 AVP Hawaii Open from September 20-22, 2019. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

AVP Hermosa 2019: Women's Tournament

Dear Readers~


For those that saw my previous blog covering the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open, you'll know that the event happened from July 26-28, 2019 in Hermosa Beach, California. In my previous blog I covered the men's side of the bracket which included the #1 ranked team of Tim Bomgren and Troy Field, as well as the #10 ranked team of Ryan Doherty and Miles Evans. This blog will cover the women's side of the bracket. The two teams I chose were #19 ranked Audrey and Nicole Nourse as well as #22 ranked Delaynie Maple and Megan Kraft.

The first team I'll be covering is Audrey and Nicole. Their first game was against #14 ranked Kerri Schuh and Nicolette Martin. That first set ended 21-16 with Audrey and Nicole taking that set. The second set ended at 21-8 with Nicolette and Kerri taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 15-13 with Audrey and Nicole taking that set and knocking Nicolette and Kerri into the contender's bracket. Their next game was against the #3 ranked team of Amanda Dowdy and Corinne Quiggle. The first set ended at 21-19 with Dowdy and Quiggle taking that set. The second set ended at 21-13 with Dowdy and Quiggle taking that set as well and knocking Audrey and Anna into the contender's bracket. Their next game was against the  #20 ranked team of Lauren De Turk and Sasha Karelou. The first set ended at 21-17 with Lauren and Sasha taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Lauren and Sasha taking that set as well and knocking Audrey and Nicole out of the tournament.

Here are Audrey and Nicole Nourse celebrating after a nice play. Give them a follow on Instagram: @audreynourse and @nicolenourse as well as their team Instagram account: @beachvolleyballtwins

The other women's team I'll be covering is Maple and Kraft. They made it into the Hermosa Open ranked #22, not far behind Audrey and Nicole. Maple and Kraft's first match was against the #11 ranked team of Geena Urango and Emily Hartong. The first set ended at 21-17 with Maple and Kraft taking that set. The second set ended at 21-18 with Urango and Hartong taking that set and causing a third set to happen. That third set ended at 15-6 with Kraft and Maple taking that third set and knocking Urango and Hartong into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #6 ranked team of Brittany Howard and Alexa Strange. The first set ended at 21-12 with Kraft and Maple taking that set. The second set ended at 21-13 with Kraft and Maple taking that set as well and knocking the #6 ranked team into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #3 ranked team of Dowdy and Quiggle. The first set ended at 21-18 with Kraft and Maple taking that set. The second set ended at 21-11 with Kraft and Maple taking that set and knocking another team into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against #18 ranked team of Sheila Shaw and Kenzie Ponnet. The first set ended at 22-20 with Sheila and Kenzie taking that set. The second set ended at 23-21 with Maple and Kraft taking that set, and leading to a third set. The third set ended at 15-11 with Shaw and Ponnet taking that set and knocking Maple and Kraft into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against #24 ranked Zana Muno and Crissy Jones. The first set ended at 21-17 with Kraft and Maple taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Muno and Jones taking that set, and causing a third set. The third set ended at 16-14 with Muno and Jones taking that set and moving on. Kraft and Maple would leave the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open with a 5th place, up from the 13th place they received just a few months ago at the 2019 AVP Huntington Beach Open. Keep in mind that these two are still in high school and have many more years of playing to compete in.

 Megan (left) and Delaynie (right) are smiling after a victory in Hermosa. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram as they progress on their beach volleyball careers: @delayniemaple and @megan_kraft

That concludes the women's bracket from the 2019 AVP Hermosa Beach Open. Stay tuned for next time when I cover the finals and semifinals of the men and women. If you know how the AVP works then you'll know that had Maple and Kraft won they would be playing in the semifinals but with Jones and Muno beating them, the teenagers won't be in the next blog. Don't forget to mark your calendar for September 20-22, 2019 when the AVP makes it's final stop in Hawaii for the 2019 AVP Hawaii Open. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller