The most prestigious beach volleyball tournament in the United States continues its tradition this week when the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, presented by Acer, includes four days of festivities including featuring matches showcasing the next generation of stars, current top players and legends of the past.
Action at the 56th Manhattan Beach Open begins Thursday, Aug. 13 at 8 a.m. on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier with men’s and women’s qualifying matches. Eight teams per gender will advance to Main Draw competition. Earning automatic berths to the Main Draw are teams emerging as champions from AVPNext developmental series tournaments held in eight different regions across the United States.
General admission is free and, for the first time in the history of the tournament, the AVP will offer an elevated experience in its premiere VIP Skybox offering panoramic views of the shoreline, pier and center court. The Skybox seating area includes full hospitality, access to a beer and wine bar, and lounge style seating. Courtside Box Seats will be available for fans who want to enjoy the tournament up close. Fans interested in purchasing VIP ticket packages may register at avp.com.
Also on Thursday, last year’s winners will have bronze plaques bearing their names added to the Walk of Fame during a ceremony on the Manhattan Beach Pier from 3 – 4 p.m. Honored will be Kerri Walsh-Jennings (the all-time record holder with seven Manhattan Beach Open titles) and April Ross (who won her first Manhattan Beach Open in 2014), along with defending men’s champions Phil Dalhausser (a four-time champion) and Redondo Beach native Sean Rosenthal (a two-time champion). This ceremony is free to attend and will be followed by a ticketed VIP reception in which attendees can mingle with the Manhattan Beach Open Champions of past and present as well as AVP Tour stars.
Unfortunately, fans will not have the opportunity to watch three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Walsh-Jennings in action. The Manhattan Beach resident is recovering after dislocating her shoulder twice in two months. With the 13-month Olympic qualifying process underway, Walsh-Jennings plans to return to the court at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach on Aug. 19.
Meanwhile, Walsh-Jennings’ partner, April Ross, is partnering with Jennifer Fopma and will be the top seeded team in the 32-team Main Draw tournament that begins Friday at 8 a.m.
Ross, who has won nine of the last 10 AVP tournaments, and Fopma won the Kingston Seattle Open Sunday with a hard-fought 21-18, 15-21, 15-13 victory over the third-seeded team of former Mira Costa High School star Lane Carico and Summer Ross.
Third-place finishes went to Kim DiCello and Kendra Van Zwieten and Brittany Hochevar and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor who came out of retirement for the weekend.
In the men’s championship match, fourth-seeded Ryan Doherty and John Mayer defeated second-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena 20-22, 21-17, 15-13. It was the first AVP tournament victory for Doherty, a 7-foot-1 former minor-league pitcher who won 13 games in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system from 2005-07.
Sean Rosenthal and new partner Theo Brunner finished third along with the top-seeded team of Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson.
Following Friday’s competition at the Manhattan Beach Open, the AVP has partnered with the City of Manhattan Beach to host a free movie night movie night from 6-9 p.m. The event includes a kid’s clinic, the movie “Frozen” shown on the big screen at stadium court, and a parents’ happy hour hosted in the VIP Skybox area (tickets for the happy hour can be purchased online at www.avp.com).
Main Draw competition continues Saturday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and will determine which teams advance to the semifinals that begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Following the semifinals will be the Manhattan Beach Open Legends match, featuring some of the greatest professional players to ever compete in the legendary Manhattan Beach Open tournament.
Championship matches will be held Sunday from 1:30 – 4 p.m. and be broadcast live on NBC Sports Group. Additional coverage of the tournament is available by logging on to avp.com.
The Manhattan Beach Open is the fourth of eight AVP tour stops. The tour concludes with a return to Southern California when the AVP Championships are held in Huntington Beach Sept. 11-13.
