The New York Nitro (7-1) and Miami Mayhem (5-3) are nicely positioned to qualify for the AVP League playoffs. The Palm Seaside Ardour (3-5) and Brooklyn Blaze (2-6) have catching as much as do.
The revolutionary League collection strikes into the second half of its regular-season schedule and again outside in Week 5, taking part in within the 8,200-seat Delray Seaside Tennis Heart in South Florida. Doubleheaders are on the docket for Saturday night time and Sunday afternoon and Sunday’s late sport between the Mayhem and Ardour is scheduled to air stay on CBS Sports activities Community from 3 p.m. to five p.m. Japanese.
After constructing attendance momentum throughout indoor occasions in San Diego and Austin, Texas, within the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which swept throughout the Florida peninsula in mid-week, the AVP anticipates smaller turnouts in Delray Seaside, situated in southern Palm Seaside County on the Atlantic Coast.
The climate image for Saturday night time is encouraging, with little likelihood of rain. The forecast for Sunday in the course of the day is extra problematic, with doable thunderstorms and an 80% risk of rain. The AVP indicated that competitors can be held as scheduled and that the tennis stadium was undamaged in the course of the storm.
The video games in Week 5 loom as pivotal for the entire groups. Right here’s why:
- With a two-game benefit within the standings, the first-place Nitro seem locked in to one of many 4 spots within the postseason and one other robust effort would improve their probabilities of incomes the highest seed.
- The Mayhem technically stand second, with tiebreaker factors giving them an edge over the Austin Aces and Dallas Dream, are also 5-3, who’re idle this week. The difference-maker for the Mayhem figures to be their sport on Saturday night time in opposition to the Nitro. Extra on that later.
- Deadlocked in fifth with the idle LA Launch, the “hometown” Ardour possible have to go no less than 3-1 to have a practical shot at moving into the playoffs. That doesn’t appear to be a bridge too far, with a sport in opposition to the Blaze and a rematch from Week 2 with the Mayhem. Olympic silver medalists Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson have cut up their matches in every of their first two League stops and a 2-0 effort right here would hardly be a shock.
- The Blaze discover themselves in a make-or-break situation. One other sub-.500 weekend would guarantee a dropping file and for all functions eradicate the Blaze from postseason competition. They’re seventh within the League standings, with a one-point edge in tiebreaker factors over the idle San Diego Smash. However Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon supplied them with a ray of hope final week once they knocked off USA Olympians Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss of the Dream in straight units.
The sport between the Nitro and the Mayhem not solely carries important implications within the standings, however intriguing matchups as nicely.
On the boys’s aspect, the charismatic Crabb brothers renew their rivalry, which has gone on by quite a few companion modifications by each since older sibling Trevor and Taylor cut up as a pair in 2016. Their wildly entertaining “Crabb boils” usually stoke the aggressive juices of each brothers.
Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander of the Nitro have gained three of their 4 matches within the League, falling solely to USA OIympians Miles Partain and Andy Benesh (the one undefeated duo on the boys’s aspect) in a sweep. Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner likewise are 3-1, their lone loss coming in a three-setter in opposition to Partain-Benesh. These pairs have met one different time in 2024, when Trevor and Theo gained in three within the Manhattan Seaside Open semifinals on their technique to placing their names on the pier. By any metric, the “Crabb boil” on Saturday is a toss-up.
The Nitro’s Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, the reigning World Champions, are the lone 4-0 duo among the many eight girls’s pairs. The USA Olympians have gained each match in straight units. However their opposition on Saturday, April Ross and Alix Klineman, sport gaudy resumes of their very own that embody the Olympic gold medal within the 2021 Tokyo Video games.
Returning to aggressive seaside volleyball after prolonged pregnancy-related absences, the 42-year-old Ross and Klineman, 34, have gone 2-2 within the League. Their most noteworthy victory is critical, nevertheless, coming in opposition to Canada’s Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson.
Regardless of the historic success of each pairs worldwide, this marks the primary assembly all-time between Cheng-Hughes and Ross-Klineman.
“Oh, wow, for Kelly and I taking part in as companions, yeah, I assume so,” Hughes instructed us, delving deep into her reminiscence financial institution. “We apply in opposition to (Ross and Klineman) and we’ve seen them earlier than many occasions, so I’m trying ahead to the possibility to compete in opposition to them.
“Alix and April are veterans who don’t make a complete lot of errors. They’re very constant,” added Sara, whose per-set common of 5.0 digs is tops on the ladies’s aspect. “We’ve to be aggressive with our serving and have a superb sport plan with our block. Alix (at 6-foot-5) is without doubt one of the tallest blockers on tour, so we have now to verify we do a superb job in transferring her block round.”
Their rematch from Week 1 on Sunday in opposition to Kraft and Cannon shouldn’t be seen as a “gimme” for Cheng and Hughes. Up-and-comers Megan and Terese pushed Kelly and Sara to 16-14, 15-13 scores within the first assembly they usually possible gained an enormous confidence enhance with the gorgeous sweep of TKN.
“We’ve performed that workforce loads,” Hughes famous. “With Terese and Meg, they’ll come out firing actually quick, and are a extremely good serving workforce. Once more, (the 6-foot-3 Cannon is) one other large blocker. The large factor for us in opposition to them is sticking to our sport plan and making an attempt to (decrease) errors. Tall blocker, tall defender (Kraft stands 6-foot) and each bodily. We’ve to push them fairly exhausting as a result of we are able to’t afford any letup in opposition to a workforce like that.”
The Taylors outscored the Blaze’s pair of Cody Caldwell and Seain Prepare dinner by a mixed 30-21 rating within the League’s “velocity units” to fifteen of their first assembly.
“We actually take pleasure in being partnered up with the Taylors,” Hughes mentioned. “They’re a fairly calm, chill sort of workforce. We attempt to hearth them up somewhat. In the end, they’re such a dynamic pair and superior to look at. The chemistry we have now between our two groups is basically enjoyable.”
In the meantime, Caldwell and Prepare dinner will attempt to bounce again from a disastrous 0-2 weekend in Austin. Their different match comes on Saturday in opposition to the Ardour’s Phil Dalhausser and Avery Drost, who are also 1-3 general after selecting up their first victory final week in a tense three-setter (16-14 within the tiebreaker) over the Launch’s Tim Bomgren and Troy Discipline. That “W” appeared to raise the spirits of Drost, who has been relentlessly focused by opponents, having taken 106 complete swings to Dalhausser’s 36.
Phil and Avery draw a frightening job Sunday on nationwide TV, squaring off in opposition to the Mayhem’s Trevor Crabb and Brunner. After assembly Kraft-Cannon on Saturday, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson have a high-profile encounter in opposition to Ross and Klineman to open the CBSSN telecast.
On the decision within the sales space from South Florida can be Camryn Irwin, Wealthy Lambourne and Casey Patterson. The weekend streaming/TV schedule has the 2 video games on Saturday night time and the primary sport on Sunday streamed stay on the free Bally Reside app and ballylive.com. These six matches can be archived on the AVP’s free YouTube channel shortly after completion. The second sport on Sunday can be telecast solely on the CBS Sports activities Community cable channel.
Listed here are the lineups on the Delray Seaside Tennis Heart for the fifth of eight regular-season AVP League weekends:
Saturday
New York Nitro (7-1) vs. Miami Mayhem (5-3)
Ladies (6 p.m. Japanese): Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes (Nitro, 4-0) vs. April Ross and Alix Klineman (Mayhem, 2-2).
Males (7 p.m.): Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander (Nitro, 3-1) vs. Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner (Mayhem, 3-1).
Brooklyn Blaze (2-6) vs. Palm Seaside Ardour (3-5)
Ladies (8 p.m.): Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon (Blaze, 1-3) vs. Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (Ardour, 2-2).
Males (9 p.m.): Cody Caldwell and Seain Prepare dinner (Blaze, 1-3) vs. Phil Dalhausser and Avery Drost (Ardour, 1-3).
Sunday
New York Nitro vs. Brooklyn Blaze
Ladies (1 p.m. Japanese): Cheng-Hughes (Nitro) vs. Kraft-Cannon (Blaze).
Males (2 p.m.): Taylor Crabb-Sander (Nitro) vs. Caldwell-Prepare dinner (Blaze).
Miami Mayhem vs. Palm Seaside Ardour
Ladies (3 p.m.): Ross-Klineman (Mayhem) vs. Humana-Paredes-Wilkerson (Ardour).
Males (4 p.m.): Trevor Crabb-Brunner (Mayhem) vs. Dalhausser-Drost (Ardour).
The outcomes from every match within the collection will rely towards figuring out the 4 qualifiers for the bracket-style championship rounds on Nov. 9 and 10 on the Dignity Well being Sports activities Park in Carson, California. Every workforce will play 4 regular-season video games. The primary criterion for advancing to the playoffs is workforce profitable share.
