Pro Volleyball returns to the South Bay
Sean Scott, of Redondo Beach, has enjoyed success in domestic tournaments this year. He and partner John Hyden won the first two events on the Corona Light Wide Open tour and the first tournament of the new National Volleyball League. The team has also competed in two Federation Internationale de Volleyball events. Photo
For many South Bay beach volleyball fans, something has been missing this summer. While the courts have been occupied with the usual grassroots tournaments, there have been no sightings of stadiums adjacent to local piers or Olympic hopefuls battling for substantial prize money.
After financial difficulties forced the Association of Volleyball Players (AVP) to cease operations just before the Manhattan Beach Open last year, most professional beach volleyball players were left wondering where they would be playing, if at all, in 2011.
However, three upcoming local tournaments will offer fans a chance to check out up and coming players as well as players competing for a berth in the 2012 London Olympics.
This coming weekend Karch Kiraly, who is widely recognized as the greatest beach volleyball player of all time, brings his Corona Light Wide Open (CLWO) to Hermosa Beach. Players will be competing for a $75,000 purse, to be awarded Sunday evening at an awards ceremony at Sangria on Pier Plaza.
Next weekend is the Manhattan Beach Open, the first of three tournaments in the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series. The series is backed by a powerhouse partnership between USA Volleyball, which selects the Olympic teams, and entertainment behemoth International Management Group (IMG).
Then, on the weekend of September 23, the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach volleyball Series returns to Hermosa Beach for the National Championships.
Unfortunately, many of the elite teams will be overseas competing on the FIVB Swatch World tour, gaining valuable experience against teams from other nations in their quest to represent the U.S. next summer in London.
Local Olympic hopefuls
Three men’s and three women’s teams from the U.S. are currently ranked in the top 10 in the world and with only two male and two female teams able to represent each country in the Olympics, it’s going to be a dogfight.
Defending gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers are second in the FIVB rankings. On August 7, the duo took bronze at the A1 Grand Slam in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Jake Gibb and former Redondo High athlete Sean Rosenthal are ranked No. 8, just ahead of Redondo Beach resident Matt Fuerbringer and his partner Nick Lucena, who currently hold down the No. 9 spot.
Also competing abroad are No. 29 Casey Jennings (Hermosa Beach)/Kevin Wong and No. 46 Brad Keenan/Casey Patterson. Although they have competed in only one FIVB tournament John Hyden and Sean Scott (Redondo Beach) are ranked No. 73.
On the women’s side, competing in their first full season together after a two-year hiatus, two-time gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (Hermosa Beach) are ranked 2nd in the world reaching the finals in five of ten events including three first-place finishes.
After winning the gold medal at the $600,000 A1 Grand Slam in Klagenfurt, Austria, May-Treanor and Walsh have jumped ahead of No. 3 Jen Kessy/April Ross in the total point standings. Redondo Beach resident Lauren Fendrick and partner Brooke Hanson are ranked tenth.
The South Bay duo of Angie Akers (Redondo Beach) and Nicole Branagh (Torrance) is ranked No. 16 while Hermosa Beach resident Brittany Hochevar and Lisa Rutledge are listed in the 47th position. Hochevar has also partnered with Walsh and Jennifer Fopma in international competition this season.
In London last week, three American women’s teams competed in the FIVB “Road to London” Visa International Test Event at the Horse Guards Parade in the heart of historic central London. The tournament was a test of the venue’s readiness for next summer’s Olympic competition.
The third seeded team of Kessy and Ross won the silver medal after being stunned in the gold-medal match by the 19th-ranked Brazilian team of Liliane Maestrini and Angela Vieria, who rebounded to defeat the Americans 10-21, 21-15, 15-13 in 49 minutes.
Brittany Hochevar has played in nine international tournaments this season. The Hermosa Beach resident teamed with Lisa Rutledge to win the women’s championship at Siesta Key, Fla., on the Corona Light Wide Open tour. Photo
The seventh-seeded team of Hochevar/Rutledge placed ninth and Tealle Hunkus (El Segundo)/Heather Lowe (Redondo Beach) finished 17th after entering the tournament as the 21st seed.
With the effects of air travel, a diet of foreign food and the physical demands of beach volleyball competition, it is doubtful the South Bay volleyball community with see all of the top USA teams compete domestically this summer, as they have in recent years.
Four domestic tours, all with strong backing and deep ties in beach volleyball, are presenting tournaments around the country this summer.
Corona Light Wide Open
Co-founded by legendary volleyball player Karch Kiraly, the Corona Light Wide Open (CLWO) makes its fourth tour stop of 2011 in Hermosa Beach Saturday and Sunday with a cash purse of $75,000.
Played on the north side of the Hermosa Beach Pier, the tournament begins at 9 a.m. each day. Saturday’s competition includes Men’s Open, AA, A, B, Novice and Women’s Open, AA, A and Novice divisions.
Sunday’s action features Men’s and Women’s Open semifinals and finals, Coed Open and Recreational along with Coed 4’s Open and Recreational competition.
The women’s open division final is expected to be played Sunday at approximately 3 p.m. followed by the men’s open division championship at approximately 4:30 p.m.
The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball to be held Sept. 2-4 at Hahana Beach in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Former Voice of the AVP Chris “Geeter” McGee, of Manhattan Beach, will be on hand to entertain the crowd. McGee has served as announcer for all CLWO events this season.
Cost of entry is $100/team in the Open and 4’s division; $60/team in all other divisions. Registration deadline is Friday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. Walk-ups will be accepted, subject to availability.
More than 50 men’s teams and 37 women’s teams have registered to compete in this weekend’s Corona Light Wide Open in Hermosa Beach with all being entered in the Main Draw. Play in the open division is expected to begin Saturday at 9 a.m.
The top six seeded men’s teams, in order, are: Steve VanderWerp/Kevin Wong, Sean Scott/John Hyden,Scott Lane (Redondo Beach)/Casey Jennings, Ty Loomis/Mark Williams, Brai dy Halverson (Redondo Beach)/Adam Roberts and John Mayer/Matt Prosser.
Top seeded women’s team are: Jenny Kropp (Manhattan Beach)/Whitney Pavlik, Hunkus/Lowe, Kristin Batt/Brooke Sweat, Tracy Jones/Jennifer Fopma, Emily Day (Torrance)/Heather Hughes and Erin Gray/Paige Jensen (Hermosa Beach).
Because of the NBA lockout, many players are looking for other venues to play – even if it’s on a sand instead of a hardwood court. Former University of Arizona basketball star and Houston Rockets player Chase Budinger will play in the CLWO this weekend partnering with Hermosa Beach’s Dane Jensen.
The 6-foot-7 Budinger was a two-sport standout at La Costa Canyon High School in Encinitas where he won the 2006 Mizuno National Player of the Year Award in volleyball.
“Volleyball has always been a passion of mine, and it has been great to get back out on the beach and train,” Budinger said in a statement. “I’m really excited about this opportunity and I’m looking forward to seeing how my skills match up against some of the top players.”
Kiraly said he is excited to hold a tournament in the South Bay.
“Hermosa Beach is dear to my heart,” the 50-year-old Kiraly said. “The first time I played in a championship match was at Hermosa.”
It was the weekend following Independence Day in 1978 when Kiraly and partner Marco Ortega rebounded from an early-tournament loss to upset Steve Obradovich and Gary Hooper in the semifinals before losing to Jim Menges and Greg Lee. Kiraly remembers the event vividly.
“Before the semis, I overheard an overconfident OB (Obradovich) say that our match with them should only take about 15 minutes. Well, it did, but we were the winners.”
Kiraly remembers celebrating his success with his first trip to a bar.
“I went into the Poopdeck for a sandwich and a Coke,” Kiraly recalled. “I didn’t have a beer because I had to drive home to Santa Barbara and tell my family the good news.”
Kiraly is pleased with not only how well the CLWO is running, but the opportunities the tour is providing for athletes of all skill levels.
“It’s going wonderfully,” Kiraly said. “After the AVP situation, people looked to us to offer more prize money and opportunities to compete. It has brought more attention to our tour. In fact, for the first time ever we had to cut off entries in the men’s division at Chicago.”
Hyden and Scott won the first two men’s championships on this year’s tour. The duo defeated the team of Kevin McColloch/Matt Olson at the Siesta Key, Fla., tournament and Mayer/Prosser at Seaside Heights, N.J.
Hochevar and Rutledge won the first women’s championship defeating Kropp and Pavlik.
Kropp and Pavlik captured the title at Seaside Heights with a win over Batt and Sweat.
Laryssa Mereszczak, of El Segundo, and Curt Toppel (Pacific Palisades) won the Coed Open at Siesta Key.
In Chicago during the final weekend of July, Hyden and Scott won their third consecutive CLWO title with a 21-16, 22-20 victory over Mayer and Prosser.
Kropp and Pavlik captured their second straight tournament defeating Jennifer Fopma and Tracy Jones 21-11, 21-16.
Carlos Araujo (Redondo Beach) and Juan Silva (Huntington Beach) won the Men’s B championship.
The CLWO season concludes in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball where 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams will vie for a $150,000 purse, a $100,000 increase from last year’s U.S. Open held in Manhattan Beach.
Kiraly explained why the U.S. Open was moved to the Midwest this year.
“Because the tour is played coast-to-coast and it truly is a U.S. Open, we wanted the tournament to be centrally located, giving as many players as possible the opportunity to compete. Cincinnati tournaments have always been one of the better promoted events outside of California. The crowds have been incredibly fervent.”
The Redondo Beach natives Sean Rosenthal and Aaron Wachtfogel won the men’s championship at the 2010 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball defeating Prosser and Josh Binstock 15-12.
Hochevar and Dianne DeNecochea captured the women’s crown with a 15-6 win over Sweat and Tara Kuk.
The 2010 event was played with “Old School” rules that included a larger court and sideout scoring in a single game where points are only awarded to serving teams.
This year’s tour is being played under international rules with rally scoring, where a point is awarded after every serve in a best 2-out-of-3 game format.
The U.S. Open began in 2007 as a joint effort between Kiraly, The Elevation Group, USA Volleyball and Brand X Marketing. They are joined this year by ReachUSA to aid in the event’s expansion over the next three years.
Players may qualify to compete in the 2011 US Open of Beach Volleyball in the following ways:
1. Win either of the first two tournaments. 2. Place in the top four in the Chicago or Hermosa tournaments. 3. Win this year’s Manhattan Beach Open. 4. Be ranked in the top 3 in the FIVB rankings as of August 25. 5. Through the Cincinnati Qualifier on Thursday, Sept. 1 prior to the main draw.
If a top-four finisher at Chicago and Hermosa has previously qualified, spots will be awarded to those with the highest CLWO point rankings.
Men’s teams already qualifying for the U.S. Open are: Scott/Hyden, Mayer/Prosser, Loomis/Williams, Halverson/Roberts, Adrian Carambula/Steve Grotowski and Fred Souza/Rodrigo Monteiro.
Already qualifying in women’s competition are Hochevar/Rutledge, Kropp/Pavlik, Fopma/Jones, Gray/Olayo Pazo, Day/Hughes and Hunkus/Lowe.
For more information, visit www.coronalightwideopen.com.
Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series
After one year of “old school” beach volleyball, the Manhattan Beach Open will have a familiar look when beach volleyball’s most prestigious event is held the weekend of Aug. 26-28.
The South Bay team of Angie Akers, of Redondo Beach, (shown above) and Torrance resident Nicole Branagh is ranked No. 16 on the FIVB Swatch World Tour.
The three-day, double elimination tournament will include live televised coverage of the finals on VERSUS (formerly Outdoors). Qualifying rounds will be held on Thursday, August 25. Sixty four teams in each gender will vie for $200,000, the largest domestic prize purse of 2011.
“We’re excited to make our official debut at the most respected volleyball tournament of the year and one of the most notable in the pro beach volleyball world,” said James Leitz, senior VP of IMG. “We’d like to thank the city of Manhattan Beach for their tremendous support and for welcoming IMG, USA Volleyball and Jose Cuervo into their hometown.”
After the demise of the AVP last year, local associations joined the Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation and the California Beach Volleyball Association to keep the Manhattan Beach Open afloat.
Access was free and many fans reveled in the nostalgic format of the tournament, which returned to sideout scoring and a larger court size.
Rosenthal and Wachtfogel won the men’s title at the 2010 Manhattan Beach Open while Hunkus and Lowe captured the women’s crown.
While this year’s Manhattan Beach Open will revert to international rules, one factor will remain intact from last year – free admission. The longstanding tradition of each winner being commemorated with a plaque on the Manhattan Beach pier trophy will also be observed.
On July 26 in New York City’s Times Square, a beach volleyball court was constructed with representatives from Jose Cuervo and tour organizer IMG joining players Sean Scott and John Hyden to sign a proclamation that states Jose Cuervo intends to always keep players on the court and fans in the stands.
It was also announced that there would be free admission to every event in the 2011 Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series, which features a $500,000 cumulative prize purse, the richest of all domestic tours this year.
Joining Hyden and Scott at the event was NBA All-Star Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the NBA in a lockout situation, the 6-foot-10, 260-pound former UCLA Bruin announced that he would be competing in the Manhattan Beach Open.
“More than anything, I’m just going to be having fun with it, playing as much as I can up to that point and just working on my craft,” Love told the Associated Press. “I have always been a fan of beach volleyball and when I received the opportunity to play in the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I’m tall, I’m quick, I can jump, and I’ve spent some time playing beach volleyball during my time in Los Angeles. Now that I have to start thinking about a backup plan with the basketball lockout, I thought why not?”
Love will be teamed with a “seeded” partner.
“Kevin Love has natural talent,” said Dave Williams, USAV managing director of beach programs. “A number of players could pair with him to create a formidable team.”
In 1979, Jose Cuervo became beach volleyball’s first major sponsor with the Manhattan Beach ‘King of the Beach’ Tournament and played a significant role in the sport through the ‘80s, leading to the Cuervo Gold Crown in 1988, considered the Triple Crown of beach volleyball. The Gold Crown events were among the first televised in the sport and helped pave the way for pro beach volleyball to become an Olympic sport. From 2006-08, Jose Cuervo resurrected the Cuervo Gold Crown series as part of the AVP tour.
“Jose Cuervo has a deep history in professional beach volleyball so returning with the most epic tournament of the year is exciting for us,” said Brian Radics, Brand Director, Jose Cuervo. “We look forward to bringing the notorious Cuervo atmosphere to Manhattan Beach to provide fans a weekend of fun, responsible celebration and most importantly, legendary competition.”
After the Miami Beach Pro event Sept. 16-18, the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series returns to the South Bay for the National Championships in Hermosa Beach Sept. 23-25.
“It’s going to be a good end of the season for many players,” Williams said. “Hopefully some of the players who have been playing FIVB won’t be too exhausted and will compete in the Hermosa tournament.”
For more information, visit www.usavolleyball.org.
National Volleyball League
The National Volleyball League was the brainchild of Hermosa Beach resident Albert “Al-B” Hannemann, who cut short his 18-year playing career to oversee the new league. The former AVP star said he began thinking about starting the new league in July 2010 when he saw the financial situation of the AVP deteriorating.
Redondo Beach resident Braidy Halverson attempts to block Ty Tramblie’s shot during the finals of the Malibu Open. Halverson and partner Adam Roberts won the championship at the National Volleyball League event. Photo by Frank Goroszko
“So far it’s been amazing,” Hannemann said. “The players have been very supportive and every event has been player and fan friendly. We’re growing at a comfortable rate.”
The league scheduled six tournaments its inaugural season, coinciding with events that already had a large draw of spectators. Hannemann said he plans to increase the number of tour stops in 2012, including the addition of tournaments in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
The NVL tour began May 20-21 at the Preakness in Baltimore, MD, where the South Bay had a strong presence with 12 men and 10 women competing in the field of 64.
The top seeded men’s team of Hyden and Scott swept fourth-seeded Billy Allen and Prosser to split $10,000 for their championship win.
In women’s competition, the tenth-seeded team of Hunkus/Lowe upset top-seeded Annett Davis and Rutledge in the first women’s championship.
The NVL’s second event of the season was held at Zuma Beach during the Malibu Surf and Sports Festival July 18-24. With a purse of $75,000, the tournament provided new champions with ninth-seeded Halverson and Roberts defeating Ty Tramblie and Joaquin Acosta 14-21, 21-14, 15-13 to take the men’s title.
Following a third-place finish in Baltimore, top seeds Kropp and Pavlik had little trouble beating Olayo Pazo and Kendra Van Zwieten 21-15, 21-16 for the women’s crown.
Hannemann is discovering that running a professional sports league is not as easy as he though it would be.
“After playing 18 years as a professional and seeing first hand the ups and downs of the AVP, I thought I knew everything,” the former North Torrance High standout related. “But there’s a lot more to it. Fortunately, I have an amazing team to work with. I’m pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for so many players to compete. The downside is the politics of the game.”
As the new kid on the block, Hannemann feels the NVL has been dealt a bad hand by USA Volleyball (USAV), the governing body of the sport in the United States.
In November 2010, USAV and IMG announced a partnership that they would hold 4 to 6 top-level events in 2011 under the name “Beach Championship Series.”
According to Hannemann, representatives from the NVL met with USAV officials in January with the NVL presenting its proposed schedule of six events in an effort to avoid conflicting tournament dates.
It wasn’t until July 6 that IMG and USAV announced the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series. Two of the three events fell on the same weekends of already scheduled NVL tournaments.
The Cuervo event in Miami was later moved back one week but its Hermosa Beach tournament remained slated for the same weekend as the NVL’s final tour stop in nearby Long Beach.
Despite having commitments from many of the top American players who have been playing in the FIVB Swatch World Tour, on July 28 Hannemann sent an e-mail to players informing them that the Long Beach event would be postponed until next year.
“I wanted to do what’s right for the sport,” Hannemann said. “We’re (the NVL) not in competition with USAV. I’ve been friends with Dave Williams for over 15 years. We’re looking forward to 2012 and expanding the tour that will include events back in Hermosa or Manhattan, if not both.”
Williams can empathize with Hannemann’s plight.
“I know how Albert feels,” Williams said. “Many times the FIVB has rearranged its schedule to where numerous events coincided with ours.”
Williams said the USAV will work together with the NVL to create a successful 2012 season for all involved.
The final three stops on the NVL 2011 season will be the East Coast Surfing Championships at Virginia Beach, Va. (Aug. 26-28), the Motherlode Classic and Volleyball Vacation in Aspen, Colo. (Sept. 1-4) and the Models, Music and Fashion Festival in Miami, Fla. (Sept. 9-11). Every event is streamed on www.thenvl.com.
Return of the AVP
Flying under the radar has been the restart of the AVP. Silent for nine months, the AVP was reinstated in mid-May under the guidance of former player Hans Stolfus and owner Nick Lewin.
The AVP has planned a single tournament titled the AVP Championship to be held Saturday, Oct. 1 in Huntington Beach where four teams per gender will compete.
Using a new Unified Ranking System that takes into account all cash-prize tournaments worldwide (including FIVB, CLWO, NVL and USAV/IMG events), teams who have competed in at least eight tournaments will be considered in the qualification process for the AVP Championship.
According to the AVP website, the annual season-ending event will have a Mediterranean-style festival atmosphere with live beach-themed music all day while offering the largest winner’s prize purse in the sport.