Ross places second; Gibb-Rosey in hunt

MARIEHAMN, Finland — Newport Harbor High product April Ross and partner Jen Kessy were defeated in the title match to place second at the Federation International de Volleyball PAF Open women’s event Saturday.

Ross and Kessy, the No. 2-seeded duo, fell, 21-15, 28-26, in a 46-minute final to top-seeded Brazilians Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca.

Ross and Kessy split $21,000 after reaching the final for the eighth time in their last 11 FIVB tournaments. They have four victories during that stretch, including a win over the aforementioned Brazilian tandem in the World Championships in July.

Meanwhile, in the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tournament in Muskegon, Ill. Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and partner Sean Rosenthal of Corona del Mar, are among the final six men’s teams heading into today’s final day. The No. 3-seeded pair will face No. 4-seeded Brad Keenan and Nick Lucena for the right to face No. 2-seeded John Hyden and Sean Scott in one semifinal.

In the AVP women’s tournament, also in Muskegon, UC Irvine product Whitney Pavlik earned the highest finish among locals, sharing 13th with partner Nancy Mason.

Hans Stolfus (Newport Coast) and Ty Loomis (CdM via UCI) finished seventh and ninth in the men’s event.