Many of the future female beach volleyball stars will showcase their talents Saturday when the Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) Southern Pacific Volleyball Committee hosts the Tachikara Classic at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa Del Rey.
With the sport of women’s sand volleyball continuing to grow among colleges across the country, many stars of the future will be competing in 18U/16U/14U/12U/10U divisions with action beginning at 9 a.m.
Open to AAU members, the cost of the tournament in $63.99 per player. The tournament is also a qualifying event for the West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games to be held in Hermosa Beach July 27-30.
In only its second season, the 2013 Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League increased from eight to 30 teams comprised of high school girls from four counties. On the collegiate level, the number of schools fielding women’s sand volleyball teams doubled this season in only the second year of competition.
“We have seen increases in AAU beach volleyball nationwide in areas where there was little activity before,” said Gino Grajeda, President and Tour Director of the Southern Pacific Volleyball Committee. “In Southern California, the participating numbers of girls has also increased evident by the rise in beach clubs, tournaments and interest in the IBVL.”
While beach volleyball has made great strides for females, competition among the boys is as demanding as ever with the AAU hosting numerous local tournaments, the most recent being the southern Pacific Championships in Hermosa Beach.
Local boys dominated the action in Hermosa Beach with Cameron Stern (Hermosa Beach) and Gavin Fure (Redondo Beach) defeating the Manhattan Beach duo of Jacob Hoffman and Trevor Mahoney for the gold in the 14U division.
In the 12U division, Manhattan Beach’s William Bond and Lauch Farris beat Redondo Beach’s Duncan Fure and Cruz Marin in the gold-medal match. Taking home bronze medals were the Manhattan Beach teams of Luke Snyder/Thomas Kretschmer and Henry Wedbush/Michael Zucker.
In girls competition, Katrina Kernochan (Manhattan Beach) and Lorna Brandt (Rancho Palos Verdes) won silver in the 18U division.
The Manhattan Beach team of Lindsay Chalmers and Katie Rethmeyer won bronze in the 16U age group and it was an all-Manhattan Beach final in the 12U division with Kristen Cordero/Natalie Berty defeating Ivy Santamaria/Emma Padgett.
In the girls 10U division, Mele Corral-Blagojevich (Lawndale) and Savannah Standage (San Pedro) defeated Maddie Phillips (Hermosa Beach) and Kiana Yuhl (Manhattan Beach) for the gold medal. Winning bronze were Kate Phillips (Hermosa Beach) and Jillian Tanori (Redondo Beach).
Local athletes have also excelled in earlier tournaments, including a sweep in the boys 14U division at the Isidore B. Dockweiler Open.
In an all-Manhattan Beach gold-medal match, Max Cajuste and Matthew Johnson defeated Brady Wedbush and Alec Lopez. Luke Hardesty (Redondo Beach) and Matthew DeVito (Playa del Rey) won bronze.
Henry Wedbush (Manhattan Beach) and Eric Yeich (Palos Verdes Estates) took home silver in the boys 12U division.
In boys 16U competition, the Manhattan Beach duo of Casey McGarry and Roy McFarland defeated the Hermosa Beach team of Tanner Smith and Barron Mainz in the gold-medal match. Rob Mullahey (Manhattan Beach) and Will Bantle (Pacific Palisades) placed third.
In girls competition, dual threats Abril Bustamante (Redondo Beach) and Natalie Anselmo captured gold in the 18U and 16U divisions.
Caitlyn Kyle (Hermosa Beach) and Sydeny Miyasaki (Manhattan Beach) won bronze in the 12U division.
At the Los Angeles Open played at Dockweiler State Beach, local boys dominated competition. In the 16U division, Mullahey and Bantle won gold with a victory over Carter Kimble (Hermosa Beach) and Teddy Karrer (El Segundo). Bronze medals went to McGarry and partner Luke Nassif, of Palos Verdes.
In the boys 14U competition, Cajuste and Luke Grafton (Hermosa Beach) defeated the Manhattan Beach duo of Niko Forbes and Jack McGrail to win gold.
In the boys 12U division, Shane Selznick (El Segundo) and Trey White (Pacific Palisades) beat the Palos Verdes team of Yeich and Andres Lawrence in the championship match.
Medaling in girls competition were Hayes Honea (Redondo Beach)/Sophia Gayton (Palos Verdes) who won silver in the 16U age group; Presley Forbes (Manhattan Beach)/Cami Sanchez (Huntington Beach) who won gold be defeating Ryan D’Angelo (Manhattan Beach)/Chloe Newton (Hermosa Beach); and Riley Hazelrigg (Hermosa Beach)/Taryn Gurbach (Manhattan Beach) who were silver medalists in the 12U division.
In the first local AAU tournament of the season, Katie Rotondo (Redondo Beach)/Annie Hale (Los Alamitos) won bronze in the girls 18U division; Forbes teamed with Kamden Maas (Carlsbad) to win silver in the girls 16U competiton; and Sebastian Rodriguez (Hermosa Beach)/Johnny Anselmo (Thousand Oaks) took home silver in the boys 12U division.
For more information, visit aaubeach.org or contact Gino Grajeda, spvcvolleyball@hotmail.com.
