Volleyball elite gather in H.B.
The top beach volleyball players have gathered in Huntington Beach for the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals AVP Championships at the Huntington Beach Pier.
The tournament, the final stop of a seven-city tour that began in June, started with qualifying tournament in both men’s and women’s play Thursday.
Main draw competition starts Friday and runs daily through Sunday morning. The competition concludes Sunday with the women’s final at 1 p.m. followed by the men’s final.
Whitney Pavlik of Laguna Beach is seeking the women’s title with teammate Heather Hughes (Redondo Beach). The pair is seeded sixth in the tournament and will open against the 11th-seeded team of Jess Gysin/Morgan Miller at 9:15 a.m. Friday on Court 3.
“I’m excited for this tournament,” Pavlik, 30, said. “Huntington Beach is always a fun one. I get to play in front of family and friends and it’s close to home. I didn’t get the opportunity to play here last year, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”
Shoulder surgery prevented Pavlik, who starred at Mater Dei High and who went on to play at both the University of Montana and UC Irvine, from playing at the AVP Championships in Huntington a year ago. Now, she and Hughes will be teamed up for their fifth tournament on the current AVP tour.
Pavlik started the tour playing with Jennifer Fopma (Costa Mesa). The two played in the first two tour stops of the year, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Open and Milwaukee Open, before an injury sidelined Fopma. They achieved their top finish, equal-third place, at the Milwaukee Open.
With Pavlik and Hughes teaming since then, the pair earned an equal-third place standing in their first tournament, the Salt Lake City Open in early August. They went on to finish 13th (Manhattan Beach Open), ninth (Cincinnati Open) and fifth (DO AC Pro Beach Volleyball Invitational).
Hughes, in her second full season on the AVP, didn’t play in the St. Petersburg Open but partnered with Kaitlin Nielsen for the Milwaukee Open, where they finished 13th.
“I think we are playing really well coming into Huntington,” Pavlik said. “We had to figure out a few things early on when we first teamed up, but our personalities fit well and we are balanced on the court.
“Heather brings fire to the game and she is one of the most positive people on the court. There’s great communication between us.”
Pavlik won a big AVP event last year with U.S. Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings. They captured the Manhattan Beach Open women’s tournament title last summer and, as tradition with all winners of the event, had their names added to the Manhattan Beach Pier.
To emerge victorious in Huntington, Pavlik knows the road to the title goes through Walsh Jennings (Manhattan Beach) and her playing partner, April Ross (Costa Mesa).
Walsh Jennings and Ross have been on a roll throughout the tour. The two have won each of the previous six women’s tournaments, are 31-0 in matches this season and have the potential to finish 36-0 if they get through Huntington unscathed.
Ross and Walsh Jennings have dropped only three sets in the first six tournaments. They have faced Brooke Sweat (Costa Mesa) and Lauren Fendrick (Hermosa Beach) in five of the six finals, with all three of their set losses coming to Sweat/Fendrick in finals play.
Teammates since last September, Ross and Walsh Jennings have won seven titles in eight tournament appearances.
“They are playing so well and at such a high level,” Pavlik said. “They have been pretty much flawless together. Their skill sets are incredible and they are tough to beat.”
On the men’s side, Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb, both of Huntington Beach, are looking to win their third consecutive and fourth tournament title on the tour at the Huntington Beach Open.
Patterson and Gibb, the latter a two-time U.S. Olympian, are the No. 1-seed in the men’s tournament.
A year ago, Patterson and Gibb won four straight tournaments (Cincinnati, Atlantic City, St. Petersburg and Santa Barbara). They reached the semifinals of the AVP Championships at the pier last year.
“I think we are playing well as we come back home to finish up the tour,” Patterson said. “I think the No. 1 thing about our success is that both of us bring the same, good, positive energy to the court whether or not we are playing well and poorly. That positive energy has allowed us to keep our focus.
“We didn’t have the results we had hoped to get earlier in the tour, but I think we’re going full throttle right now.”
General admission to the AVP Championships is free. VIP options also are available. Visit https://www.AVP.com for more information.
AVP Championships Schedule
Friday
10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Main draw matches
Saturday
9 a.m.-6 p.m.: Main draw matches
Sunday
1 p.m.: Women’s final
2 p.m.: Men’s final
(Finals televised live on CBS Sports Network)
Twitter: @MikeSciacca