The cloud that hovered over the beach volleyball community for a week ended up having a silver lining – at least for four players – who took advantage of the window of opportunity to have their names etched in history.
When the AVP was forced to cancel its tour due to financial difficulties, the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) was chosen to host the event and, against the advice of CBVA President Chris Brown, the Manhattan Beach City Council was convinced by tournament director J. Parker Saikley to play the event in its original format which included larger courts, side-out scoring where a team can only earn a point when serving, and the use of an all-leather Wilson ball. Unlike previous AVP-run events there were no bleachers or television coverage.
“Being that this was the 50th anniversary of the tournament, it was the perfect situation to go back to origins of the game,” said Saikley, whose father Charlie ran the tournament for many years and became known as the “Godfather of Beach Volleyball.”
Although the change in the game kept many of the sport’s top players from competing, it opened the door for many who ordinarily would have difficulty reaching the championship match, giving them a better chance to have their names placed on the pier amid legends such as Karch Kiraly, Sinjin Smith Mike Dodd, Kerri Walsh and Misty May Treanor.
The exception was Sean Rosenthal, who successfully defended his title after he and Jake Gibb split the $17,000 winner’s check by defeating Matt Olson and Kevin Wong in 2009.
Gibb opted not to play this year giving Rosenthal the opportunity to partner with longtime friend and fellow Redondo Union High School Sea Hawk Aaron Wachtfogel. The duo throttled Billy Strickland and Dana Camacho 15-4 to earn their plaque on the pier and the winner’s share of $4,375.
Prior to the men’s final, local women Tealle Hunkus (El Segundo) and Heather Lowe (Redondo Beach) recorded their first major title defeating Erin Gray and Kathryn Babcock in a hard-fought 15-11 battle.
Hunkus and Lowe had played together in four AVP events this year twice splitting $350 for 17th-place finishes. The pair split the $4,375 winners share on Sunday. Third-place finishers split $1,650.
The bulk of the prize money was supplied by sponsors 12th + Highland, Waboba and Nectar Accessories.
Registration was lower than anticipated, forcing the cancellation of Friday’s qualifying rounds. Only 40 teams competed in the women’s division and the 11 lowest ranked men’s teams played single elimination games to get into the main draw of 64 teams.
Saikley estimated 3,000-5,000 spectators lined the courts to watch the two-day tournament.
“It was hectic to organize the tournament in a week’s time, but overall it was a huge success,” Saikley said. “We received a lot of positive feedback from the community. I think the fans really enjoyed being so close to the players.” ER
