Local beach volleyball tournaments are key to Olympic hopes
Last November, Emily Day received a phone call that could make her dream become reality.
The former West Torrance High School and Loyola Marymount University indoor volleyball star — now an up-and-coming beach volleyball player — was looking for a new partner for the beach circuit.
Day and Summer Ross had decided to go their separate ways despite enjoying some success since their partnership began in 2012 when the team won the World University Games and the NORCECA event.
In 2013, Day and Ross won their first AVP title, battling out of the qualifiers bracket to win the Cincinnati Open, defeating Olympic gold medalist and Manhattan Beach resident Kerri Walsh Jennings and Whitney Pavlik twice to claim the crown.
Over the last two seasons, Day finished in the top three in nine of the 13 AVP tournaments she played.
Day wanted to improve her game on the international level with hopes of playing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Jennifer Kessy, who won the silver medal with April Ross at the 2012 London Olympic Games, had taken 2014 off to have her first baby and was looking to return to the sand courts but only compete in domestic events.
“I had heard Jen was coming back but only wanted to play on the AVP tour,” Day said. “She reached out to me and we discussed things over the phone. She eventually said ‘Let’s go to Rio.’”
Kessy has won 29 championships worldwide and brings a wealth of knowledge to the new partnership. With no team solidifying itself as the United States’ No. 2 team behind Walsh Jennings and Kessy’s former partner April Ross, the opportunity to compete at another Olympic Games was too much to pass up.
“I’m a sponge absorbing everything I can,” Day explained. “Every time we step on the court, she opens my eyes to something new. She sees how a game is going and how to make the necessary adjustments. Jen knows what it takes to reach the Olympics – the dedication and qualification process – and is committed to Rio.”
Day and Kessy begin their journey for Olympic qualification at the AVP New Orleans tournament on May 22. The duo will have little time to rest before traveling to Russia to compete in the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Moscow Grand Slam on May 26.
“Although the AVP is getting stronger, there are no easy matches on the FIVB tour,” Day said. “International competition is more strategic plus we use a different ball.”
The AVP uses a Wilson ball while Mikasa is the official ball of the FIVB. Day said Mikasa is a lighter ball, making it tougher to pass but easier to score on serves.
Day, who resides in Hermosa Beach, said she and Kessy practice twice a week in Hermosa Beach and three times weekly in Corona del Mar, near Kessy’s home.
“We want to establish ourselves as one of the dominant teams,” Day said. “Being a new team, everyone will be testing us. We have goals this season, including winning the World Championships in the Netherlands in July and, of course the Manhattan Beach Open. Manhattan Beach has the deepest sand of any beach I’ve played at in the world.”
Day and Summer Ross finished third in last year’s Manhattan Beach Open losing to eventual championship Walsh Jennings and April Ross (no relation) in the semifinals.
Redondo Beach native Sean Rosenthal and Phil Dalhausser will try to defend their men’s title when the AVP Manhattan Beach Open takes place Aug. 14-16.
Since its inception in 1960, the Manhattan Beach Open has grown to become the most prestigious beach volleyball tournament in the world. Winners of the event are memorialized with bronze plaques in the “Volleyball Walk of Fame” on the Manhattan Beach Pier.
The following week, many of the world’s best teams will be in Long Beach for the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball (WSOBV), which includes the FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam.
The WSOBV returns for its third year Aug. 16-23. Founder and CEO Leonard Armato, of Manhattan Beach, created the week-long event, which celebrates “all things beach,” including sports, music, culture and community. In addition to the pro competition, co-ed and single gender 4’s and 6-man, youth, and collegiate tournaments are held throughout the week.
The 2015 event will be the final Olympic qualifier in the USA for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Rosenthal/Dalhausser and Walsh/Jennings/Ross are defending champions.
The National Volleyball League, founded by former professional beach volleyball standout Albert Hannemann, of Hermosa Beach, will hold its sixth tour stop in Hermosa Beach Aug. 6-8.
The eight-event tour has a purse of $500,000 and integrates world-class competition with a festive, family-friendly atmosphere.
