A reunion of former teammates helped ease the pain of not qualifying for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games when Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar won their first AVP Manhattan Beach Open title Sunday in dramatic fashion.
Seeded sixth, Day and Hochevar upset top seeds Lane Carico and Summer Ross 21-16, 19-21, 19-17 in a classic match that had 11 ties in the third set.
“Winning the Manhattan Beach Open has always been a goal of mine so this is the highlight of my career so far,” Day said. “It’s an amazing feeling to be with all of the other elite players,. I’m very honored..”
The Manhattan Beach Open celebrated its 57th year and the crowd in the packed stadium erupted on nearly every point with Torrance native Day (West High) and Manhattan Beach’s Carico (Mira Costa) each having numerous friends and family members in attendance.
Day said her group of supporters, known as Em’s Entourage, totalled at least 45 people including family and friends from middle school and high school.
“It was so much fun celebrating with them at Shellback Tavern after the match,” Day said. “It was special being at the Championship Table.”
Day and Hochevar got off to a quick start in their first-set win and was two points away from a sweep when Carico and Ross mounted a comeback sending the match to a third game. The duo staved off three match points before Hochevar sealed the victory.
For Day and Hochevar, the win marked their first AVP title together after teaming for a few tournaments in the past, but the championship did not come easy.
The pair had to fight their way out of the Contender’s Bracket after losing to Olympians and third-seeds Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat. Day and Hochevar knocked off second-seeded Kim DiCello and Kendra Van Zwieten 21-15, 21-19 in the semifinals.
Day finished with 21 kills and three blocks, Hochevar recorded 17 kills and Carico had a match-high 23 kills along with 18 digs and two aces.
After Day and partner Jennifer Kessy failed to make the Olympic team, the two disbanded and Day, 28, reunited with the veteran Hochevar, 35, at the end of June.
“We have been friends for a long time and I approached Brit about playing at the AVP tournament in San Francisco,” Day said. “It was exciting winning our first Manhattan Beach Open together. Rio was my ultimate goal but Manhattan Beach was second on the list. Now I have four years to prepare for the next Olympics.”
Hochevar was also in the hunt for the second women’s Olympic team with Jennifer Fopma, who has joined forces with Kessy finishing seventh in Manhattan Beach after earning the No. 4 seed.
After a third-place finish at the 2015 Manhattan Beach Open, the young team of Carico (28) and Ross (23) continues to rise through the ranks. The duo gained valuable international experience in their quest for an Olympic spot and have their sights set on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
In a semifinal showdown between the two men’s teams representing the U.S. in the Olympics, Phil Dalhausser re-injured a calf he had hurt earlier in the season during international competition.
With the Rio Games only three weeks away, he and partner Nick Lucena felt it better to be safe than sorry and decided to forfeit the match to Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson.
Gibb and Patterson advanced to the finals defeating third-seeded Tri Bourne and John Hyden 17-21, 21-18, 16-14 to claim the men’s championship.
Bourne, a Redondo Beach resident, was seeking his first Manhattan Beach Open title win while Hyden, the oldest player on the AVP tour at the age of 43, was aiming for his third championship of the tournament.
The victory marked the third Manhattan Beach Open title for Gibb but first for Patterson who, after scoring the winning point, immediately ran into the front row of seats to join beach volleyball legends such as Tim Hovland, Jim Menges, Steve O’Bradovich and Randy Stoklos, indicating that his name will be placed on the pier among the greats of the game.
Between the men’s and women’s finals, Todd Rogers was honored as the 42-year-old known as “The Professor” had announced his retirement prior to the tournament. He and partner Stafford Slick finished seventh at this year’s Manhattan Beach Open.
Rogers won 80 career championships, 52 coming in AVP tournaments, and an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. He is now the head coach of the women’s beach volleyball team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Former teammates Phil Dalhausser and Dax Holdren were on hand to congratulate Rogers who also thanked Rosie’s Raiders, the vocal entourage of Redondo Beach native Sean Rosenthal, for motivating him during his career.
Tournament action began Thursday with the Qualifying rounds where 68 men’s teams and 60 women’s teams battled for eight spots into the Main Draw. Two players from Redondo Beach, Lara Dykstra and Matt Prosser (Redondo Beach) advanced to the Main Draw.
Dykstra and partner Kelly Schumacher earned the 23rd seed but finished the tournament in 13th place.
Prosser teamed with Gregg Weaver and was seeded 27th in the men’s Main Draw. The duo finished in 17th place.
For complete results, visit avp.com.
