Players competing for $100,000 in prize money were energized by more than 50,000 fans congregated at the Hermosa Beach Open last weekend, making it the most attended Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series event ever.
The large crowd was not disappointed. Both top-seeded men’s and women’s teams overcame formidable opponents in Sunday’s finals. Jenny Kropp and partner Whitney Pavlik showed signs of replicating last year’s performance of the men’s champion team of Sean Scott and John Hyden, who dominated the 2011 domestic scene and were again the team to beat heading into Hermosa.
Kropp and Pavlik have won all four Cuervo events this season and appeared to be cruising to another title. Kropp, who finished the match with 22 kills and five blocks, was a dominant force at the net while leading her team to a 21-15 victory over Hermosa Beach resident Brooke Sweat and Jennifer Fopma.
But Sweat had other ideas.
Sweat took control of the second game, leading her team to a 22-20 win and forcing Kropp/Pavlik to play a third set for the first time in the tournament. Sweat finished with a match-high 23 kills before her team fell 17-15 in the final game.
“That was close. Jennifer and Brooke were not lying down today,” Kropp said. “They were bringing it and made us work for it. It definitely helps to play in front of a large crowd. We can feel the energy and it gives us an extra boost.”
“The crowd was just spectacular all weekend,” Pavlik added. “Our energy was high because their energy was up and we feed off of that. It was an exhilarating final to say the least.”
After a disappointing fifth-place finish the previous week in Chicago, capturing the men’s title at the Hermosa Beach Open was a great rebound for Scott and Hyden, who defeated second-seeded Brad Keenan and John Mayer 22-20, 21-23, 15-9 in a hard fought championship match giving the duo it first title since the opening of the Cuervo Series at Ft. Lauderdale in May.
The win was even more enjoyable for Scott, a resident of Redondo Beach who has been nursing a lower back injury but ecstatic to have performed so well in front of family and friends.
“Beach volleyball is back.” Scott declared. “This feels so special. I train in Hermosa and I have my entire family here so this feels so great to bring home this win.”
Scott recorded 17 kills and seven blocks while Hyden had 16 kills and five aces in the win. Keenan scored 18 kills and six blocks for the runners-up.
The Hermosa Beach Open also determined the final four spots in the Milwaukee Shoot Out on Aug. 3-5 where eight men’s and eight women’s teams will compete for $60,000 in prize money.
First place teams from the four tournaments earned spots in the Shoot Out and because Kropp/Pavlik, Scott/Hyden and Ryan Doherty/Casey Patterson have won multiple tournaments, runner-up teams from the Belmar Open, Chicago Open and Hermosa Beach Open automatically filled the remaining spots. Keenan/Mayer and Ty Tramblie/Avery Drost will round out the men’s field while Sweat/Fopma, Kristen Batt/Raquel Ferreira and Priscilla Lima (Redondo Beach)/Tyra Turner complete the women’s division.
For fans unable to attend the Hermosa Beach Open, the finals will be shown Sunday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
Along with attracting the most fans to a Cuervo Pro Series Beach Volleyball event, the Hermosa Beach Open featured its largest opening day on Friday, when 32 women’s teams and 41 men’s team competed in the qualifying rounds.
More than 75 local athletes, including 33 from Hermosa Beach, vied for nine open spots for the men’s Main Draw and eight spots in the women’s division.
Manhattan Beach native Jesse Rambis had the opportunity to partner with legendary beach volleyball player Mike Lambert, who was the AVP Rookie of the Year in 2002 and MVP in 2004.
The duo began play Saturday with a hard-fought match against the South Bay team of Joey Dykstra (Redondo Beach) and Andy McGuire (Manhattan Beach), winning in three sets 21-17, 18-21, 17-15. Seeded 19th, Rambis and Lambert proceeded to upset third-seeded Billy Allen and Matt Prosser but were eliminated with two losses to Stein Metzger (Manhattan Beach) and Mark Williams later in the day.
“Growing up in a small community like the South Bay, going to events like the Hermosa Beach Open and the Manhattan Beach Open was a way of life,” Rambis said. “To watch those guys as a kid was exciting and I wanted to be like those guys. Now, to be one of those guys and to play in it is surreal. It’s like a dream come true.”
Local men reaching the Main Draw were the Redondo Beach team of Kevin Beukema and Brad Torsone and Redondo Beach’s Raffe Paulis, who teamed with Nils Nielson to earn the 26th seed.
Teams with local players that qualified for the women’s Main Draw were Johanna Schatz (Redondo Beach)/Janelle Allen, Chelsea Rashoff (Hermosa Beach)/Aleksandra Wolak, Sara Fredrickson (Hermosa Beach)/Anne McArthur, Leah Hinkey (Redondo Beach)/Emily Stockman (Redondo Beach) and Lane Carico (Manhattan Beach)/Ashley Lee.
Friday ended with good news and bad news for Carico and Lee. The good news was that the team earned the 32nd – and final – spot in the Main Draw. The bad news was that they had to play Kropp and Pavlik in the first round.
Carico and Lee held their own in the first game, but eventually were defeated 21-17, 21-8 but not before earning the respect from the eventual champions.
“Lane and Ashley have a nice game and they definitely surprised Whitney and me with their defense,” Kropp said. “They actually had the toughest defense that we faced today (Saturday). It’s definitely a little more pressure that we put on ourselves to play in front of a hometown crowd. We want to win in front of them but it’s definitely more fun too.”
Produced by IMG Worldwide, Inc., each tournament of the Jose Cuervo Series is sanctioned by USA Volleyball (USAV) and free to the public. Following the Milwaukee Shootout, the tour returns to Southern California for the prestigious Manhattan Beach Open (Aug. 24-26) and the Huntington Beach National Championships (Sept. 21-23).
In 1979, Cuervo became beach volleyball’s first major sponsor with the Manhattan Beach ‘King of the Beach’ tournament and eventually held the Cuervo Gold Crown in 1988 which was considered the Triple Crown of beach volleyball and among the first televised events in the sport.
From 2006-08, Jose Cuervo resurrected the Cuervo Gold Crown series as part of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour. With the excitement surrounding this year’s Hermosa Beach Open, Cuervo has restored a jewel to its crown.
“Hermosa Beach is historically one of the largest beach volleyball communities in the nation,” said James Leitz, senior vice president for IMG and event producer of the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series. “This city is home not only to beach volleyball, but also to a large majority of our athletes and to our sanctioning body USA Volleyball. We always look forward to coming back to the South Bay and showcasing the sport’s elite talent in front of this incredibly large beach volleyball fan base.”
