Wide Open Brings Show to Huntington Beach

Media Contact: Tip Nunn
Phone: 303-526-0994
E-mail: TipNunn@comcast.net

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (June 27, 2010) – Matt Motter and Mike Placek lost a match early Saturday at the Corona Light Wide Open in Huntington Beach, but battled back through the contenders’ bracket, earned a spot in Sunday’s Men’s Open Division final and then defeated the San Diego-based team of Jose Pepe Delahoz and Jeff Carlucci, 15-6.

Motter, from Encinitas, and Placek, from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, earned $5,000 and an automatic berth into September’s U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball.

In the Women’s Open Division final, Traci Morin, of Bay City, Mich., and Katherine Winkler, of Huntington Beach, worked their way back through the contenders’ bracket to take the title, posting a 15-9 win over the previously undefeated team of Nancy Reynolds and Leanne McSorley, both of Manhattan Beach.

Play in the Co-ed Open and Co-ed A divisions was still under way late Sunday.

Late finishing matches on Saturday saw the Venice, Calif., team of Dane Pearson and Kyle Denitz take top honors in the Men’s AA division and Viv Caravia of Santa Monica, and Rolando Villanueva from Long Beach, win the Men’s A division.  

The Men’s B division winners were the Santa Monica team of Bobby Jones and Juan Barbeiri.

Eight of the winning teams in Huntington Beach earned an automatic berth into the 2010 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball, which will be played this September in Manhattan Beach.

This weekend’s Corona Light Wide Open stop in Huntington Beach is the first of two consecutive tour events in California. Next month the tour returns to the state with a stop in Santa Cruz before moving on to Chicago, Ill., Breckenridge, Colo., Long Island, N.Y. and Point Pleasant, N. J.  Earlier this year the tour opened in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and held events in Galveston, Texas, and Siesta Key, Fla., before heading west.

For more information on the Corona Light Wide Open, visit www.coronalightwideopen.com.

Winners from Corona Light Wide Open on June 26-27, 2010 in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Men’s Open – Matt Motter, Encinitas, Calif. and Mike Placek, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif.
Women’s Open – Traci Morin, Bay City, Mich. and Katherine Winkler, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Co-Ed Open – TBD
Men’s AA – Dane Pearson, Venice, Calif. and Kyle Denitz, Venice, Calif.
Women’s AA – Kaui Salzman, San Diego, Calif. and Jaclyne Jallos, San Diego, Calif.
Men’s A – Viv Caravia, Santa Monica, Calif. and Rolando Villanueva, Long Beach, Calif.
Women’s A – Lucy Han, Playa Del Ray, and Helen Reale, Los Angeles, Calif.
Co-ed A – TBD
Men’s B – Bobby Jones, Santa Monica, Calif. and Juan Barbeiri, Santa Monica, Calif.
Men’s Novice – John Shi, Santa Barbara, Calif. and Frederick Blumenthal, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Women’s Novice – Nicole Ventura, Santa Monica, Calif. and Betina Dawson, West Los Angeles, Calif.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball, Wide Open