AVP Hawaii 2019: Women's Tournament

Dear Readers~


From September 20-22, 2019 was the last stop of the 2019 AVP season taking place on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. In the previous blog, the men's side of the bracket was covered so it's time for the women's side of the bracket to be covered. The two teams I chose was the #3 team of Melissa Humana-Paredes with Sarah Pavan and the #9 ranked team of Caitlin Ledoux with Maria Salgado. Up first is Melissa and Sarah.

Melissa and Sarah played against the #14 ranked team of Kenzie Ponnet and Sheila Shaw to start their first Match in Hawaii. The first set ended at 21-16 with Melissa and Sarah taking that set. The second set ended at 21-13 with Melissa and Sarah taking that set as well and knocking Sheila and Kenzie into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #6 ranked team Karissa Cook and Jace Pardon. The first set ended at 21-12 with Melissa and Sarah taking that set. The second set ended at 21-12 as well with Melissa and Sarah taking that set as well and knocking another team into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #2 ranked team of Emily Day and Betsi Flint. The first set ended at 21-10 with Melissa and Sarah taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Melissa and Sarah taking that set as well and knocking another team into the contender's bracket. Their next game was against the #4 ranked team of Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil. This game was a semifinal match so because of that, this match will be covered in the blog covering the semifinal and final games.

This is Sarah Pavan (left) and Melissa Humana-Paredes (right) holding up their plaques after winnng the 2019 AVP Manhattan Beach Open (that helped get them to Hawaii) Don't forget to follow the pair on Instagram: @sarah_pavan and @melissahumanaparedes

The other women's team I covred is the #9 ranked team of Caitlin and Maria. Their first match was against the #8 ranked team of Kelly Reeves and Terese Cannon. The first set ended at 22-20 with Terese and Kelly take that set. The second set ended at 21-15 with Caitlin and Maria taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 15-6 with Kelly and Terese taking that set and knocking Caitlin and Maria into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #16 ranked team of Emily Hartong and Geena Urango. The first set ended at 21-19 with Emily and Geena taking that set. The second set ended at 21-16 with Geena and Emily taking that set and knocking Caitlin and Maria out of the tournament after only two games.

This is Maria (left) and Caitlin (right) after their time playing the previous AVP stop in Chicago. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @Caitlin_ledoux and @mariaclarasalgado

Stay tuned for my next blog covering the semifinals and finals of the 2019 AVP Hawaii Open as well as it being the last blog of the 2019 AVP Season so make sure to check that out. Until next time, Miller out.

For those wondering why I chose to have the #9 ranked team covered after only playing 2 games is because of some news that Caitlin shared on her Instagram. It's some news that no athlete likes to make and no fan wants to hear. The news is that AVP Hawaii was Caitlin's last professional beach volleyball tournament because she retired back in late September, a few days after the Hawaii stop. I sent her a message over on Instagram not long after seeing that post to see how true it was and it turns out that she is retired and no longer plays on the AVP or professional beach volleyball. If you'd like to see what her post beach volleyball life is like, give her a follow over on Instagram: @Caitlin_Ledoux

This was the instagram post with the sad news so check it out to get the full story

I hope you enjoyed the second to last post covering the 2019 AVP season. There's only 1 more blog until the end so be sure to check that out when it comes out next. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller

AVP Hawaii 2019: Men's Tournament

Dear Readers~


From September 20-22, 2019 the AVP had their last tournament of 2019. This one was on the beaches of Waikiki in Hawaii. The two men's teams I'll be covering are #10 ranked Avery Drost with Chase Frishman and #4 ranked Jeremy Casebeer with Chaim Schalk. Jeremy and Chaim will be first followed by Chase and Avery.

Jeremy and Chaim's first match was against the #13 ranked team of Sean Rosenthal and Brian Cook, husband of Olympic bronze medalist Kelsey Robinson. The first set endd at 21-17 with Casebeer and Chalk taking that set. The second set ended at 21-16 with Casebeer and Schalk taking that set and knocking Cook and Rosenthal into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #5 ranked team of Tim Bomgren and Troy Field. The first set ended at 21-17 with Jeremy and Chaim taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Jeremy and Chaim taking that set as well and knocking Tim and Troy into the contender's bracket. The pair's third game was against the #1 team of Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena. The first set ended at 21-18 with Jeremy and Chaim taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Jeremy and Chaim taking that set as well and putting another team into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #2 ranked team of Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb. Since this game was the semifinals, it will be covered in a later blog. Now it's time to see how Avery and Chase did in Hawaii.

 

Jeremy is on the right and Chaim is on the left. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @shakesbeer and @chaimer

Chase and Avery's first game was against the #7 ranked team of Miles Evans and Ryan Doherty. The first set ended at 21-14 with Doherty and Evans taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Chase and Avery pushing a third set. The third set ended at 15-9 with Doherty and Evans taking that set and moving on while Chase and Avery were put in the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #15 ranked team of Miles Partain and Lev Priima. The first set ended at 21-13 with Chase and Avery taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Chase and Avery taking that set as well and knocking Partain and Priima out of the tournament. Their next match was against the #5 ranked team of Tim Bomgren and Troy Field. The first set ended at 21-18 with Tim and Troy taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Tim and Troy taking that set as well and knocking Chase and Avery out of the tournament.

 

Chase is facing the camera with Avery having his back to the camera. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @averydrost and @chase_frish

That concludes two teams from the men's bracket. Stay tuned for next time when I cover two teams from the women's bracket. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

AVP Chicago 2019: Semifinals and Finals

Dear Readers~


I hoped you liked my blog covering the teams of Bill Kolinske and Eric Beranek along with the team of Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman. This blog covers how the semifinals and finals of each bracket did. The semifinalists for the men were Casey Patterson and Chase Budinger taking on Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb along with Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena taking on Jeremy Casebeer and Chaim Schalk while the women's semifinals had Alix Klineman and April Ross taking on Sarah Hughes and Brandi Wilkerson along with Emily Day and Betsi Flint taking on Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes.

Up first on the women's side is April and Alix against Sarah Hughes and Brandie Wilkerson. The first set ended at 21-15 with April and Alix taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with April and Alix taking that set as well and moving on to the finals.

Next up was Emily Day and Betsi Flint against Kelly Claes and Sara Sponcil. The first set ended at 22-20 with Kelly and Sara taking that set. The second set ended at 21-17 with Emily and Betsi taking that set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 15-7 with Emily and Betsi taking that set and moving to face April and Alix in the finals.

Up first on the men's side is Casey and Chase against Jake and Taylor. The first set ended at 22-20 with Taylor and Jake taking that set. The second set ended at 21-15 with Taylor and Jake taking that set as well and moving on to the finals.

Next up was Phil and Nick against Jeremy and Chaim. The first set ended at 21-15 with Jeremy and Chaim taking that set. The second set ended at 21-15 as well with Phil and Nick taking that set and causing a third set to happen. That third set ended at 16-14 with Phil and Nick taking that set and moving on to face Taylor and Jake in the finals.

In the women's finals it was April and Alix against Emily and Betsi. The first set ended at 21-12 with April and Alix taking that set. The second set ended at 21-15 with April and Alix taking that set as well and becoming the 2019 AVP Chicago Open Champions on the women's side.

 

April Ross (left) and Alix Klineman (right) hold up the trophies they just won at the event. Don't forget to follow the pair on Instagram: @aprilrossbeach and @alixklineman

The final match of the tournament was the men's final of Phil and Nick against Jake and Taylor. The first set ended at 21-19 with Jake and Taylor taking that set. The second set ended at 21-10 with Jake and Taylor taking that set as well and becoming the 2019 AVP Chicago Open champions on the men's side.

 

The men's champions celebrating after the victory. Taylor is in the middle and Jake is in the hat while their coach and Olympic gold medalist, Rich Lambourne, is on the left. Don't forget to follow the three over on Instagram: @tcrabbs, @jakesgibb, and @richyusa

That concludes the blog covering the semifinals and finals of the 2019 AVP Chicago Open. Tune in next week for the blog covering the men's tournament of the 2019 AVP Hawaii Open. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

AVP Chicago 2019: Teams 4 & 13

Dear Readers~


So in my last blog I covered the top teams of Chicago. They were April Ross with Alix Klineman and Casey Patterson with Chase Budinger. This blog will cover #4 on the women's side, Emily Stockman and Kelley Larsen along with #13 on the men's side, Eric Berenak and Bill Kolinske. So in the last blog I also said I would explain why the blogs on Chicago are split up like this, and I will cover that, but first let's see how these two teams did.

Up first is Kelley and Emily. Their first match was against the #20 team of Carly Wopat and Traci Callahan. The first set ended at 21-10 with Emily and Kelley taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 with Kelley and Emily taking that set as well and knocking Carly and Traci into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil. The first set ended at 21-18 with Kelly and Sarah taking that set. The second set ended at 21-13 with Sarah and Kelly taking that set as well and knocking Emily and Kelley into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #9 ranked team of Kim Hildreth and Sarah Scharmerhorn. The first set ended at 21-14 with Kelley and Emily taking that set. The second set ended at 21-10 with Kelley and Emily taking that set and knocking Sarah and Kim out of the tournament. Their next match was against the #8 team of Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes. The first set ended at 21-19 with Melissa nad Sarah taking that set. The second set ended at 25-23 with Sarah and Melissa taking that set as well and knocking Kelley and Emily out of the tournament. The pair left Chicago with a 7th place finish after having to miss the Manhattan Beach Open for an FIVB event.

Emily (left) and Kelley (right) working on a game plan. If you follow them on Instagram (@kelleylarsen and @estock2) you can find this picture and see what the real caption is. It's totally worth it.

Now it's time to see how the #13 ranked team of Bill and Eric did. Their first match was against the #20 team of Paul Lotman and Miles Partain. The first set eneded at 23-21 with Lotman and Partain taking that set. The second set ended at 21-18 with Kolinske and Beranek taking that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended at 15-13 with Lotman and Partain taking that set and knocking Beranek and Kolinske into the contender's bracket after only one match. Their next match was against the #14 ranked team of Riley and Maddison Mckibbin. The first set ended at 23-21 with Riley and Maddison taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Riley and Maddison taking that set as well. After only playing two matches, Bill and Eric got knocked out of the tournament. The pair left Chicago with a 17th place, after making it all the way to the semifinals in Manhattan Beach.

Bill (left) and Eric (right) ready for Chicago. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @billkolinske and @ericberanek_beachvolley

Now you're still probably wondering why I have the #4 team on the women's side and the #13 team on the men's side in the same blog. For those that follow any of these four players, or the AVP, over on isntagram, you'll know the reason. The reason is because Bill and Kelley are dating and at the Chicago Open, Bill got Kelley on the sands of stadium court and he proposed to her and she said yes! That is the reason as to why the Chicago blogs are split up the way they are.

This was the big moment on stadium court. If you follow these two, or the AVP, on Instagram, you've seen this pic before. Bill is right with Kelley on the left. Don't forget to follow the pair on Instagram: @kelleylarsen and @billkolinske

That concludes the latest blog covering the 2019 AVP Chicago Open. Stay tuned for next time when I cover the semifinals and finals of the 2019 AVP Chicago Open. Until next time, Miller out.

~J. Miller

AVP Chicago 2019: #1 Teams

Dear Readers~

From August 30, 2019 to September 1, 2019 the second to last stop of the 2019 AVP season happened in Chicago, Illinois. The blogs covering this stop will be a little different because this blog will have the #1 ranked teams of each gender while the next blog will have the other men's and women's teams I'm covering for this AVP stop. The #1 ranked teams are Casey Patterson and Chase Budinger for the men along with April Ross and Alix Klineman for the women. The first team I'll cover will be Chase and Casey so let's get into this blog for Chicago.

Chase and Casey's first match was aginst #16 ranked Mark Burick and Piotr Marciniak. The first set ended at 21-15 with Chase and Casey taking that set. The second set ended at 21-15 as well with Burick and Marciniak taking that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended at 15-9 with Chase and Casey taking that set as well and moving on in the winner's bracket. Their next game was against Casey's partner for the 2018 season, Stafford Slick, and his current partner, Billy Allen. With Casey and Chase ranked #1 while Billy and Stafford were ranked #8, it was an intense match. The first set ended close at 23-21 with Casey and Chase taking that set. The second set ended at 21-14 with Casey and Chase taking that set and knocking Stafford and Billy into the contender's bracket. Casey and Chase's third match of the tournament was against the #20 ranked team of Paul Lotman and Miles Partain. With the winner of this match advancing to the semifinals, the game was itnese. The first set ended at 21-19 with Casey and Chase taking that set. The second set was just as close, ending at 23-21 with Casey and Chase taking that set as well and knocking Lotman and Partain into the contender's bracket. Casey and Chase's next match was against the #2 team of Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb. With this match being the semifinals, you'll have to wait for the blog covering the semifinals and finals to see who won that match.

Chase (left) and Casey (right) high five between points during their match against Stafford and Billy. Don't forget to follow the pair on Instagram: @caseypatt and @budinger10

Next up is the #1 team on the women's side, April Ross and Alix Klineman. Their first match was against the #16 team of Zana Muno and Chrissy Jones. The first set ended at 21-8 with April and Alix taking that set. The second set ended at 22-20 with April and Alix taking that set as well and knocking Zana and Chrissy into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #8 team of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan. With Sarah and Melissa beating April and Alix for the Manhattan Beach Championship, April and Alix really wanted revenge. the first set ended at 21-8 with April and Alix taking that set. The second set ended at 21-19 in favor of April and Alix. That means that the pair knocked the winners of the previous stop into the contender's bracket. Their next match was against the #5 team of Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil. with the winner automatically moving on to the semifinals, the pressure was on for both teams. The first set ended at 21-10 with April and Alix taking that set. The second set ended at 21-16 with April and Alix taking that set as well and moving on to the semifinals. April and Alix took on Sarah Hughes and Brandie Wilkerson in the semifinals so that game will be in a later blog covering the semifinals and finals of Chicago.

April (left) and Alix (right) celebrate after getting the point to win a match. Don't forget to follow the pair, as well as their coach Jennifer Kessy, on Instagram: @aprilrossbeach, @alixklineman, and @jenniferkessy

Stay tuned for my next blog covering #4 on the women's side, Emily Stockman and Kelley Larsen, as well as #13 on the men's side, Bill Kolinske and Eric Beranek. For those still wondering about why I didn't split the Chicago blogs into Men's and Women's like earlier in the season, you'll have to check out the next blog explaining that. Until next time, Miller out.


~J. Miller

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