Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar capture second straight Manhattan Beach Open title
Any fan of the Southern California lifestyle knows Manhattan Beach has it all: surf, sun and sand.
The weekend added something else to the mix — world-class beach volleyball.
The 58th AVP Manhattan Beach Open wrapped up Sunday afternoon, with Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar beating Nicole Branagh and Brandie Wilkerson 21-18, 21-18 to defend their women’s title. Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena won the men’s title with a 23-25, 21-18, 15-10 victory over Trevor Crabb and Seth Rosenthal.
In a women’s semifinal, Branagh and Wilkerson defeated Olympian April Ross and Lauren Fendrick 16-21,21-19,15-10. Branagh and Wilkerson, who were playing in their first tournament together at Manhattan Beach, took advantage of Wilkerson’s blocking ability to control the final two sets despite Ross’ strong serve, which produced six aces.
In a men’s semifinal, Dalhausser and Lucena beat Theo Brunner and Casey Patterson 15-21, 21-16, 15-11. Dalhausser had six blocks and two aces to help secure the victory.
Heading into the title match, the No. 2-seeded Day and Hochevar knew better than to underestimate their opponents, even if they were seeded No. 15.
“I mean, Nicole is Nicole. She’s an Olympian, she’s a winner, she’s a baller, she’s a warrior,” Hochevar said. “And Brandie is freaky athletic. I mean you saw her. Her block jump gets her chest above the net. She’s left handed, she puts a spin on the ball where even if I’m there, I was having difficulty controlling it. … So we knew, yeah, they might be a new team, there might be some communication breakdown on that part, but other than that … they’re gonna be a tough team to beat.”
Day and Hochevar became the first repeat champions since Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik in 2011 and 2012, and the victory gives them a sweep of the three major Southland tournaments after winning at Huntington Beach and Hermosa Beach.
The men’s final featured multiple spirited rallies and plenty of powerful kills. Crabb and Rosenthal did a decent job of avoiding Dalhausser’s lanky reach, poking several balls just above his outstretched arms as he tried to block shots. But in their 65th event together, Dalhausser and Lucena proved too much to handle.
Follow Tyler Blint-Welsh on Twitter @tylergabriel_
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