HUNTINGTON BEACH, California — Within the moments after Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander closed one of the dominant AVP performances in current reminiscence, profitable 5 straight matches in 10 straight units whereas hardly breaking a sweat en path to an AVP Huntington Seashore Open title, Crabb and Sander had been requested about their friends absent in Huntington, those nonetheless chasing an Olympic berth.
“They’re most likely jealous proper now,” Sander mentioned, referencing Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner, and Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, all of whom are in Portugal for this upcoming week’s Espinho Elite16.
“We’re out right here in stunning Huntington Seashore, they’re grinding in Portugal.”
“They’re most likely crying of their lodge rooms,” Crabb mentioned with a wink and amusing — whereas he was profitable in entrance of a house crowd, bringing in additional prize cash in a single occasion ($15,000) than any of his friends this yr. Which made the subsequent query a simple one for Crabb and Sander to reply: Have they got any plans of resuming play on the Seashore Professional Tour after the Olympics?
A shared look. An unequivocal embracing of the second because it was: The perfect volleyball they’ve performed up to now, even higher than the scintillating run they placed on throughout their maiden Manhattan Seashore Open win in 2023, in entrance of an impressive, sold-out crowd that packed the stands and stuffed the Pier.
“It’s all concerning the AVP League,” Crabb mentioned. “Sorry.”
“Take a look at this ambiance,” Sander added. “I used to be taking it in through the Nationwide Anthem. The Pier is filled with folks, the stands are filled with folks cheering. We’ve completed a number of worldwide stuff and also you don’t get this. We’re so fortunate to have the seashore volleyball followers that we do right here. It’s so good to come back again and be at probably the greatest seashores on the earth.”
Whereas this has been one of many longest off-seasons — and perhaps the longest low season — of both Sander or Crabb’s seashore profession, their season was mechanically prolonged into November. Their win in Huntington Seashore clinched one of many eight slots within the fall’s AVP League, an all-new idea that provides incentive and stress to every of the three AVP Heritage Collection occasions this season.
“Throughout our Friday matches, we had been nervous,” Crabb mentioned. “Each match means one thing. It’s good to get that below our belt and have some enjoyable.”
If enjoyable wasn’t had throughout Huntington, it’s tough to think about what would possibly suffice as an excellent time. Crabb and Sander’s 21-15, 21-15 sweep over Seain Prepare dinner and Cody Caldwell within the finals was the exclamation level on a weekend wherein not a single staff got here inside two factors and so they outscored opponents by 46 whole.
“We did our factor,” mentioned Sander, the 2023 Server of the 12 months who completed tied for third with eight aces. “We confirmed up right here. Now we have to indicate up and play and win. I’m happy with us that we did that. It doesn’t matter if these groups aren’t right here. Any time we play, we need to win and we need to get higher and we did that and I’m happy with that.
“We performed our sport, to be trustworthy. We performed our sport and our sport was ok.”
Adequate, too, for Prepare dinner and Caldwell, who made their first profession finals. Their solely losses, the truth is, had been each to Crabb and Sander, the primary within the quarterfinals, the second within the finals. They made their method again to the finals with wins over Evan Cory and Alison Cerutti (23-21, 21-12) and Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk (16-21, 21-15, 18-16).
Melissa Humana-Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson attain new degree in APV Huntington win
The ladies’s winners, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, needed to transcend their already-world class sport in claiming their first AVP win because the season-opening Miami Open of 2023. A quarterfinal loss to Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth (21-17, 19-21, 12-15) that was as streaky because it was sensible sentenced them to the contender’s bracket and three matches on Sunday. Wins had been required over Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft (21-12, 21-19) within the quarterfinals and World Champs Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes (21-19, 21-16) within the semifinals to earn a rematch with Nuss and Kloth.
After which that rematch started to indicate so many shades of the primary. A primary set win preceded a late second-set benefit, one which was wiped by Nuss and Kloth and flipped right into a 21-18 loss. As they did within the quarterfinals, they went to a few, a state of affairs wherein that they had break up the earlier six matches that went three units.
However in that third set, Humana-Paredes sustained an otherworldly defensive efficiency, tacking on 5 extra digs to deliver her whole for the match to 30, and whole for the match to 98 — 27 greater than No. 2 Megan Kraft. In truth, her 30 digs for the match would rank her at No. 10 for all the match by itself.
“We’ve been wanting this win for fairly some time,” Wilkerson mentioned after the eventual 23-21, 18-21, 15-13 win over Nuss and Kloth within the finals. “We by no means gave up and it confirmed.”
“We’re all simply preventing for it,” Humana-Paredes mentioned, “At this degree within the ladies’s sport, the momentum switches forwards and backwards on a regular basis. “It’s at all times nice to play at that degree, it’s at all times nice to play one of the best groups on the earth. Realizing that every one three of us have a shot to make a splash in Paris is admittedly particular. We’re continuously bettering and having fun with the second.
“You’ve simply obtained to stay regular and be constant. Additionally, I really feel you’ve obtained to take some dangers. You’ve obtained to place your self on the market and I feel the courageous ones will prevail.”
As Crabb and Sander did, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson clinched a berth within the fall league, leaving seven remaining spots for his or her friends to assert in Manhattan Seashore in August and Chicago in September.
“It’s unimaginable. We’ve been so enthusiastic about this league,” mentioned Wilkerson, who led the match in blocks with 23. “We love all the pieces the AVP is doing and this has been a tremendous begin and we will’t wait.”
Of their fifteenth AVP occasion collectively, Kloth and Nuss, the previous LSU seashore stars, had been searching for their seventh win. As achieved as they’re, there’s nonetheless one factor lacking.
“We battle with them each single time,” Nuss mentioned. “Sadly we had a few factors that didn’t go our method however they performed a hell of a match so kudos to them. It will have meant quite a bit.
“We haven’t gained a California match, it’s positively one thing we’d have appreciated to have modified however we’re simply proud, we had enjoyable and the gang has been superior.”
Phil Collin contributed to this story.
We could have an AVP Huntington Seashore Open photograph gallery Tuesday with photographs from Mark Rigney, Will Chu, Rick Atwood, Jim Wolf and Allen Szto.
