An Inside Look at AVP Hermosa Beach

AVP Hermosa Beach

• July 26-29, 2018
• Entry List

The AVP is set for its fifth stop of the season, taking Hermosa Beach, California, from July 26-29. It is the sixth AVP affiliated event of 2018 including a co-sponsored event with the FIVB in Huntington Beach in May.

The AVP Tour’s history in Hermosa Beach runs deep, dating to the league’s inaugural season in 1984.

• The first ever NBC telecast of beach volleyball came at the site in 1990.
• The AVP Tour stopped in Hermosa Beach every year from 1984 through 2010
• The event returned for the 2017 season

The Nitty Gritty

• 24 Main Draw Teams per Gender, including eight qualifiers
• Qualifying begins Thursday, July 26
• Champions will be crowned on Sunday with the finals airing on NBCSN from midnight to 1:30 a.m. ET.
• Action begins at 8 a.m. PT Thursday and starts at 9 a.m. PT Friday through Sunday.
• The AVP First National Championships youth tournament are set to take place on site from July 24-29.

The Field

• Women
  • The field will be missing the last two AVP Tour women’s winners – Betsi Flint/Emily Day, who will be competing at the FIVB Tokyo Three Star to build points toward the 2020 Olympics
  • AVP San Francisco runners up Geena Urango/Caitlin Ledoux are in the field as are third place winners Alix Klineman/April Ross and Brittany Howard/Kelly Reeves
  • Sara Hughes/Summer Ross, who won the AVP Gold New York title back on June 10, are the top overall seed
  • Klineman/Ross are the other only 2018 title winners in the field, having claimed the season-opening AVP Austin crown
  • After a month on the road with partner Kerri Walsh Jennings for FIVB matches, Nicole Branaugh is back on the AVP stage, this time competing with Allie Wheeler. Branaugh’s last AVP effort was at the AVP New York tournament, where she was runnerup with Brandie Wilkerson.
• Men
  • Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena look to pick up their third AVP crown of the year, following wins in Austin and New York. The top seeded pair missed the San Francisco stop while competing at the FIVB Gstaad Major in Switzerland (5th place).
  • Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb look to defend their Hermosa Beach title just one week after finishing fourth in Gstaad. Crabb/Gibb check in as the No. 3 seed behind Dalhausser/Lucena and Theo Brunner/John Hyden. The pair is looking for their second AVP title of the year, following a win in Seattle, June 24.
  • AVP San Francisco winners Ed Ratledge/Roberto Rodriguez are seeded sixth.

History of Champions

• 2017
  • Men: Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb def. Trevor Crabb/Sean Rosenthal for gold
  • Women: Emily Day/Brittany Hochevar def. Angela Bensend/Geena Urango for the title
• 2010
  • Men: Phil Dalhausser teamed up with Todd Rogers for the title back in 2010, the last AVP stop prior to its 2017 return. The pair defeated John Mayer/Matt Prosser for the $20,000 purse.
  • Women: April Ross and then partner Jennifer Kessy won the 20K prize, topping Rachel Scott/Elaine Youngs.
• Other Notables:
  • Karch Kiraly (1994, 1996 with Kent Steffes)
  • Casey Jennings (2005 with Matt Fuerbringer)
  • Phil Dalhausser (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 with Todd Rogers)
  • Holly McPeak (1994 with Cammy Ciarelli; 2001 with Lisa Arce; 2002, 2004 with Elaine Youngs);
  • Kerri Walsh Jennings (2003, 2005 , 2007, 2008 with Misty-May Treanor)
  • Nicole Branaugh (2009 with Elaine Youngs)