Day, Hochevar ace second straight Manhattan Beach Open
More than 65,000 spectators attended the four-day AVP Manhattan Beach Open presented by Acer. Photo
Winning the Manhattan Beach Open is a dream of most every beach volleyball player in the United States. For Hermosa Beach residents Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar, the goal was duplicated Sunday afternoon.
Three days after the duo was honored at the Volleyball Walk of Fame for their 2016 MB Open title, Day and Hochevar earned a return trip to the ceremony on the Manhattan Beach Pier.
Brittany Hochevar, left, and Emily Day celebrate back-to-back Manhattan Beach Open titles in front of blue-clad Em’s Entourage, the support group of Day who was a standout indoor player at West Torrance High School and Loyola Marymount University. Photo by Ray Vid
Second seeded Day and Hochevar defeated the surprise team of the tournament — 15th-seeded Nicole Branagh and Brandie Wilkerson, who were playing together for the first time, in a hard-fought 21-18, 21-18 victory.
It marked the first time a team has won consecutive MB Open titles since the teams of Jenny Kropp/Whitney Pavlick and John Hyden/Sean Scott won the women’s and men’s titles in 2011-12.
“Reality has still not set in, knowing we will have our names on the pier in back-to-back years,” Day said. “It’s rewarding to know our hard work has paid off.”
Day and Hochevar had a good scouting report on 38-year-old veteran Branagh but 25-year-old Canadian Wilkerson was playing in only her third AVP event.
Branagh, who had been playing with Kerri Walsh Jennings in international competition, was forced to find a new partner after Walsh Jennings suffered a shoulder injury during an FIVB tournament in Poland.
Branagh and Walsh Jennings had qualified for the FIVB World Championships held July 28-Aug. 6 in Vienna, Austria so Branagh reached out to Day to be her partner for the tournament where they finished 17th.
Day and Hochevar had easily defeated Branagh and Wilkerson 21-17, 21-8 in the second round of Main Draw action, so the rematch in the finals came as a surprise.
In the semifinals, Day and Hochevar escaped with a thrilling 21-14, 18-21, 16-14 victory over young phenoms Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes while Branagh and Wilkerson upset top-seeds Lauren Fendrick and April Ross 16-21, 21-19, 15-10.
“We hadn’t played Claes and Hughes in a year and the match was a nail biter.” Day said. “We knew we’d be in for a battle in the finals. It’s hard to beat a team twice in the same tournament. We knew they weren’t playing their best when we faced them on Friday.”
Hochevar believes experience was a key to winning the crown.
“It felt great winning the MB Open twice in a row,” Hochevar said. “I hate losing more than I like winning. They (Branagh and Wilkerson) are great players but we know how to win.”
In 14 games played in the tournament, Day recorded 103 kills, 36 digs and 14 blocks while Hochevar served 19 aces to compliment her 80 kills and 60 digs.
Day feels the chemistry with her partner plays a large role in the team’s success and is proud that the duo won all three Southern California tournaments — Huntington Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach — in the same season.
“We balance each other very well,” Day said. “I’m more analytical while Brittany plays more by feeling. We’re great friends and hang out together off the court.”
After celebrating their back-to-back titles at Shellback Tavern and Shark’s Cove on Sunday, Day and Hochevar took a break to recover before hitting the sand courts again in preparation for the AVP tour finale, the last of the three Gold Series tournaments, in Chicago Aug. 31 — Sept 3.
“To win in Chicago and finish the (AVP) season 3-0 would be wonderful,” Hochevar said. “We need some recovery time and to do more before Chicago. I’ll be playing in front of friends and family so I’m very excited.”
Sean “Superman” Rosenthal, left, and Phil Dalhausser joust at the net during the championship match. Photo
The MB Open was the second of three Gold Series tournaments that include increased prize money and points accrued by players. Winning teams split $22,000 while earning 1,200 points on the tour.
On the men’s side, Phil Dalhausser won his sixth MB Open and partner Nick Lucena his second with a thrilling 25-23, 21-18, 15-10 win against local favorite Redondo Beach native Sean Rosenthal and up-and-coming star Trevor Crabb.
Dalhausser and Lucena were seeded 3rd in the Main Draw while Rosenthal and Crabb were ranked No. 4.
“This is just as sweet,” Dalhausser said after earning his sixth bronze plaque on the pier. “Hats off to Trevor and Rosie, they played great.”
Currently residing in Manhattan Beach, Dalhausser recorded 87 kills, 34 blocks and 14 aces in 14 games while Lucena added 93 kills and 80 digs en route to the championship.
Rosenthal finished the tournament with 73 digs, 22 kills and 14 aces while Crabb had 93 kills, 24 digs, 17 blocks and four aces.
Crabb, 27, lives in Redondo Beach with brother Taylor, 25, who won the Hermosa Beach Open with partner Jake Gibb and were the top-seeded team at the MB Open.
Competition began Thursday with Qualifying rounds that included many local players. The male bracket included 210 players and the female bracket consisted of 134 players, including 53 teenagers. The youngest was 13-year-old Savannah Standage of Redondo Beach.
Seeded No. 1 in the Qualifying bracket, the team of Lara Dykstra (Redondo Beach) and Jace Pardon (Manhattan Beach) breezed through to the Main Draw where they earned a No. 16 seed.
After a first-round victory, the duo lost to top-seeded Lauren Fendrick and April Ross 21-15, 21-12. Dykstra and Pardon won their first match in the Contender’s bracket but were eliminated by eventual third-place finishers Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes to finish 13th.
Manhattan Beach’s Corinne Quiggle and partner Brittany Howard, of Los Altos, were seeded ninth in the qualifier’s bracket and advanced to the Main Draw, where they were seeded No. 22. They dropped into the Contender’s bracket after dropping a second-round match to No. 6 Kim DiCello and Emily Stockman and were eliminated by the No. 20 team of Karissa Cook/Katie Spieler.
Former Mira Costa High School standout Ian Satterfield and partner Dave McKienzie (Hermosa Beach) earned the No. 3 seed in the men’s Qualifying bracket and No. 18 in the Main Draw where they lost their first match. The duo was eliminated in the second round in the Contender’s bracket.
For complete results visit avp.com.
