COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The top two USA Olympic ranked teams took week off from FIVB World Tour and brought home the AVP Huntington Beach Open titles.
Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson avenged their season opener AVP loss with the top prize at the illustrious Huntington Beach Open, beating Trevor and Taylor Crabb in the finale. April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings made their first AVP appearance together by sweeping all five of their matches on the way to the title.
In New Orleans on April 17, Gibb and Patterson made their way to the final after a semifinal forfeit gave them breathing room before the title matchup. This time around, the pair played to 14-7 against Billy Allen and Theo Brunner before their opponent retired, allowing the second seeded Gibb/Patterson to advance to the final against the four seeded Crabb brothers.
In the final, Gibb and Patterson edged past the Crabbs, 21-19, 23-21. The brothers reached the first-place match by beating top ranked John Mayer and Ryan Doherty, 21-13, 26-24 in the semifinal.
For Ross and Walsh Jennings, it’s their second first-place finish in two years, having last played an AVP event at the 2015 New Orleans Open. It’s the pair’s 10th first-place finish on the AVP Tour, and second at Huntington Beach, previously winning the tournament in 2014.
As the No. 1 seeded team, the two blew through the bracket, not dropping a set all week. In the semifinal, Ross/Walsh Jennings upended New Orleans winners Kimberly Dicello/Kendra Vanzwieten, 21-18, 21-12. In the final they remained steady and defeated Angela Bensend/Geena Urango.
Bensend and Urango made the final after eliminating Lane Carico/Summer Ross 25-23, 21-16 in the semis. Prior to that, the pair were knocked into the loser’s bracket after losing to Ross/Walsh Jennings in the third round, 21-14, 21-14.
The AVP will host the FIVB Cincinnati Open, May 17-21 in Mason, Ohio.
RESULTS
Women | Huntington Beach | May 5-8
1. April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings
2. Angela Bensend/Geena Urango
3. Kendra Vanzwieten/Kimberly DiCello
3. Lane Carico/Summer Ross
Men | Huntington Beach | May 5-8
1. Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson
2. Taylor Crabb/Trevor Crabb
3. Ryan Doherty/John Mayer
3. Billy Allen/Theo Brunner