Considered one of the major tournaments in the sport of beach volleyball, the Hermosa Beach Open continues it storied tradition this weekend marking the mid-way point of the AVP NIVEA Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
The Hermosa Beach Open began in 1969 with a women’s tournament won by Christine Hahn and Sandy Malpee before the men followed suit the following year with legendary player Ron Von Hagen and Henry Bergman taking top honors.
The local tournament has been a part of the Associated Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour since 1984 when current commissioner Mike Dodd teamed with Tim Hovland to knock off John Hanley and Jon Stevenson for the first AVP Hermosa Beach Open title.
“Growing up in the South Bay, there was never a big difference between the Manhattan and Hermosa tournaments even though Manhattan as been labeled the Wimbledon or Super Bowl of beach volleyball,” said Dodd, a native of Manhattan Beach. “The Hermosa Beach Open was always one you wanted to win. As a player, and now commissioner I feel the Hermosa Open is one of the biggest tournaments each year.”
While the party atmosphere and high caliber of play remains constant, the AVP brings a new look to the Hermosa Beach Open this year.
With NIVEA as the new title sponsor, the yellow-themed venue has been replaced with a sea of blue and Stadium Court has been moved closer to The Strand so those purchasing 12-person suites at the Beach House can overlook the 3-day tournament for the ultimate fan experience.
Many of the world’s top players will be competing in Hermosa, the sixth of 12 stops on the AVP NIVEA Tour, including Olympic Gold Medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers who are seeking an unprecedented fifth straight Hermosa Beach Open title.
Ranked No. 1 in the world, Dalhausser and Rogers have won every AVP event they have competed in this year with the exception of the Ft. Lauderdale Open when inclement weather forced the cancellation of the championship match.
The 6-foot-9 Dalhausser continues to be a dominant force on the tour. He is first in blocks per game (2.16), hitting percentage (0.533) and second in aces per game (1.24). Â He and Rogers have also won five gold medals (the latest in Gstaad, Switzerland last Sunday) and one bronze medal on the FIVB World Tour this year.
The other team to capture an AVP title this season is Redondo Beach resident Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena, who won the Virginia Beach Open when Dalhausser/Rogers were competing abroad. The Fuerbringer/Lucena team is expecting to move up in the tour standings with a strong performance in Hermosa after a 5th-place finish in Switzerland last weekend.
Sean Scott (Redondo Beach) and John Hyden are atop the AVP NIVEA Tour standings with 3,000 points followed closely by Dalhausser/Rogers (2,945), Fuerbringer/Lucena (2,415), Hermosa Beach’s Aaron Wachtfogel and Will Strickland (2,350) and Casey Patterson/Kevin Wong (2.090).
Fred Souza, who will be playing with new partner Ty Tramblie, leads the men with 1.28 aces per game while Hermosa Beach’s Casey Jennings has averaged the most digs with 5.95 per game. Jennings and Brad Keenan are ranked 11th in the world and look to be in the mix for the Hermosa title.
Now living in Corona Del Mar, Redondo Beach native Sean Rosenthal returns home and, with the support of his contingency of Rosie’s Raiders, will go for his first ever Hermosa Beach Open championship.
Ranked twelfth in the world, Rosenthal and partner Jake Gibb have finished as high as second and third in four AVP events this season and are coming off a strong 5th-place finish in Switzerland.
It’s not uncommon for players to switch partners in mid-season and this year is not exception. Hermosa Beach native and former Redondo Union High School standout Joey Dykstra, who is 4th on the tour in blocks per game, has split with Adam Roberts and will join forces with Mike Placek. Roberts will team with Redondo Beach resident Scott Lane, who is third on the men’s side in aces per game.
Lane’s former partner, Hermosa Beach resident and former North Torrance High School star Albert Hannemann will join Seth Burnham. Hannemann is second on the tour averaging 5.82 digs per game.
On the women’s side, former USC standouts Jennifer Kessy and April Ross enter the weekend as the top-seeded team after winning three straight tournaments this season. Ranked No. 2 in the world, the team has won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze in international competition this year but has yet to capture a Hermosa Beach Open crown since the partnership began in 2007.
Ross is tops on the AVP NIVEA Tour in hitting percentage (0.524) and second in aces per game (1.16).
Kessy/Ross lead the AVP NIVEA tour standings with three wins and 3,240 points followed by Torrance resident Nicole Branagh and the winningest female in history – Misty May-Treanor who have 3,110 points.
Branagh/May-Treanor are ranked sixth in the world and, after winning the opening tournament on the AVP tour, have two second and two third-place finishes.
The ageless wonder Elaine Youngs reunited with Rachel (Wacholder) Scott this season and is coming off a second-place finish at Belmar, placing the team third in points with 2,710. The 40-year-old Youngs is seeking her sixth Hermosa title.
Redondo Beach resident Angie Akers and Tyra Turner are fourth with 2,500 points followed by Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan (2,470), who have the other tournament win this season capturing the Santa Barbara Open.
Erin Gray leads the women with 1.42 aces per game, Lisa Rutledge is averaging 1.6 blocks per game and Brooke Hanson leads the field with 7.32 digs per game.
Despite their impressive stats, Hanson and Rutledge have decided to part ways after two 9th– and three 7th-places finishes. The two are flip-flopping partners with Hanson joining Redondo Beach’s Lauren Fendrick (9th in blocks) and Rutledge pairing with Ashley Ivy, of Hermosa Beach, who is 8th in aces per game. Fendrick and Ivy, who also have been competing internationally since 2008, finished 17th last weekend in Switzlerand.
If both new teams win their first-round matches Saturday in Hermosa, they’ll face each other in the second round.
Another local player with a new partner will be Hermosa Beach’s Paige Jensen (formerly Davis) who will team with Diane Pascua. Jensen is 7th on the tour averaging 5.91 digs per game.
Among the 198 teams competing at Hermosa, two earned automatics berths in the main draw by winning the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) qualifier tournament in Santa Barbara. Curt Toppel and Dave McKienzie won the men’s title and Erin Gray and Kathryn Babcock took the women’s division.
The CBVA qualifier tournaments are part of the AVP’s outreach program of interacting with the grassroots level of beach volleyball. The next qualifier is in Malibu on July 24-25, and will be handing out berths to the AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Visit www.cbva.com to register.
For players under the age of 26, registration is available for the July 17-18 Hermosa Beach Developmental Tour stop. The top team from each gender at the end of the season will receive four automatic berths in the 2011 AVP Main Draws. Â
Men’s and women’s qualifying rounds begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. Saturday’s action begins with main draw competition at 9 a.m. The day’s action will also include a “Spike for HOPE” celebrity beach volleyball match to raise money for children with cancer.
In 2007, PADRES National Spokesperson Eva Longoria Parker helped PADRES kick off the “Spike for HOPE” Celebrity Beach Volleyball Match at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open. As a result of the success of that match and each match since then, the AVP has continued to name PADRES its Charity Partner for the Hermosa Beach event.
On Sunday, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh returns to competition for the first time this year after giving birth to her and husband (and AVP star) Casey Jennings’ second son in May.
Walsh, who has been providing her expertise in the broadcast booth, will compete in the AVP NIVEA 4-Woman Series presented by NIKE.
 The AVP and NIKE have teamed up with NIVEA, Paul Mitchell, Malibu Rum and Bud Light Lime for the launch of the series of two 4-Woman events that will take place in conjunction with two Southern California AVP NIVEA Tour stops this season, starting Sunday at 10 a.m. in Hermosa Beach.
“The AVP is quite excited to work with NIKE to create this special onsite addition to our weekend,” said Jason Hodell, AVP CEO. “This series adds terrific entertainment value to our packed So Cal events and allows the AVP to feature a world-class brand in NIKE alongside our current sponsors.”
The events will feature four sponsored teams of four women competing on Sundays in three best-of-three matches with the finals taking place on Feature Court 1.
Current and former AVP athletes who play in each 4-Woman event will compete for $10,000 in prize money.
Team captains of the 4-Woman teams will be Gabrielle Reece (Team NIKE), Leanne McSorley (Team Bud Light Lime and Team Malibu Rum), Nancy (Mason) Reynolds (Team Paul Mitchell) and Mira Costa girls volleyball coach Lisa Zimmerman (Team NIVEA).
Sunday’s semifinals will be played at 10 a.m., with a final following at noon. The 4-Woman Series will also take place at the AVP NIVEA Tour Long Beach Open presented by Malibu Rum on Sunday, July 25.
Main draw competition for the Hermosa Beach Open continues on Sunday at 8 a.m. The men’s championship contest is scheduled to 2:30 p.m. followed by the women’s title match at 4: 30 p.m.
For more information including ticket prices, visit www.avp.com. ER
