Wacholder, Boss place at Manhattan Beach Open

It was a different feeling for Rachel Wacholder when she took the sand last weekend in Manhattan Beach.

For the first time in nearly two years, the former Laguna Beach High volleyball star would compete in an Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tournament without being teamed with Elaine Youngs.

The two, who had been a force on the women’s tour for the past 18 months, ended their playing relationship earlier this month. Wacholder said that personality differences played a role in their split, and “something” that happened in Paris during recent international tournament play also contributed to the decision.

The duo, which last won an AVP tournament on July 9 in Atlanta, had been the only women’s team other than No. 1-rated Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, to have won an AVP event in the last two years.

“We’re really different people with different personalities,” Wacholder said during a phone interview from LAX Tuesday, where she was about to board a flight for Cincinnati, where she was to do media work for the AVP. “It was an emotional thing, but we both agreed that it’d be better if we played with other people.”

And so Wacholder competed at last weekend’s Manhattan Beach Open — considered the granddaddy of all beach volleyball tournaments — with new partner, Jennifer Boss.

The tandem fared pretty well, too, winning their first two matches in both Winner’s Bracket and Contender’s Bracket play before they were eliminated by the No. 3-seeded team of Holly McPeak and Nicole Branagh in an intense, fifth-place match.

“There was a missed call in the match and it turned out to be a key call,” Wacholder said. “Still, I thought we played well overall for our first tournament as a team.”

Wacholder said that she and Boss, who were seeded fourth in the tournament, will continue to play together the remainder of the 2006 AVP Crocs Tour, which continues today through Sunday with the Brooklyn Open.

The 2006 tour ends with the Lake Tahoe Best of the Beach, Sept. 14 through 17.

“We’re going to continue to play together,” she said. “We’re working on trying to figure out the things we need to do in order to make us a good team in the long run.”

Youngs, meanwhile, and new partner, Nancy Mason — the former partner of Boss — reached the women’s final where the second-seeded pair fell to May-Treanor/Walsh, 21-13, 21-17.

May-Treanor/Walsh won their third Manhattan Open title in four years.

In men’s tournament action, Laguna Beach High alum Dain Blanton and teammate Matt Prosser, seeded No. 17, finished in 13th place.

After falling in Winner’s Bracket play to No. 16 Albert Hanneman/Scott Wong, Blanton and Prosser rebounded to eliminate No. 32 Peter Jordan/Chris Guigliano, then No. 15 Eric Fonoimoana/George Roumain in Contender’s Bracket play.

In the third round of Contender’s Bracket action, Blanton and Prosser were eliminated by No. 7 seed Karch Kiraly/Larry Witt.

The men’s title was won by No. 2 seed Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser who survived No. 1 Mike Lambert/Stein Metzger, 22-20, 21-23, 15-11, in the final.