Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/13059
T he Hermosa Beach Pier- north side- is a beach volleyball hotbed unlike any other. Whether it's a Tuesday in March or a Saturday in July, the thudding sound of ball against hand, beats morning to night on the packed courts beneath the pier. And while it's a way of life in Hermosa, when the AVP comes to town, as it will this July 16-18, Hermosa explodes into one of the biggest beach volleyball tournaments in the world. The AVP Nivea Tour Hermosa Beach Open, which consistently receives the players' unofficial vote as Most Significant Tour Victory, draws tens of thousands of spectators for the weekend tournament. This year's Hermosa Beach Open arrives at a crucial moment in the season for both the men and women. The top women's team of Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh have faced some stiff competition in recent tournaments, mainly from the team that sits just beneath them in the AVP standings, Jennifer Kessy and April Ross. Going back to the Huntington Beach Open on June 6, Kessy and Ross bested the top seeded May-Treanor and Branagh in a match where the top seed led deep into the decisive third set. However, poor service and careless passing—a rare occurrence for May-Treanor and Branagh—cost them the final set and the match. Kessy and Ross continued their dominant run at the following tour stop, The Virginia Beach Open, where they faced May-Treanor and Branagh once again in the Finals. And, again, they came out victorious against the top seed. May-Treanor and Branagh showed signs of miscommunication on defense throughout the match, but the overriding theme of the women's finals was top-notch service from Kessy and Ross. That victory ran Kessy and Ross' record against May-Treanor and Branagh to 5-0 on the year. They sit a scant 50 AVP points behind May-Treanor and Branagh in the standings, and a solid showing in Hermosa could be the overture Kessy and Ross need to upset the standings and take over the number one seed. In the men's draw, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers hold a slight lead in the AVP standings over John Hyden and Sean Scott, a team they defeated convincingly at the Huntington Beach Open. However, with Dalhauser and Rogers out of the competition, Hyden and Scott entered the Virginia Beach Open as the top seed and advanced to the finals where they faced off against the tournament two seed and AVP fourth place team, Sean Rosenthal and Matt Fuerbringer. The win would give Hyden and Scott a boost in the rankings with Dalhausser and Rogers idle for the east coast tournament, but the day and the entire tournament went the way of Fuerbringer and Rosenthal who played a stellar final match and won the tournament without dropping a set. No team has proven consistently competitive against the 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists, Dalhausser and Rogers, but the Hermosa Beach Open will be a good indicator of which other men's teams have a chance of closing the gap against the AVP top team. Hermosa Beach has been home to the AVP since 1984, a year after the association's inception, and every year it shows why that strip of beach is home to so many world- class beach volleyball players. Many claim that it has something to do with the sand—the fineness of the grain, the depth, the temperature—while others chalk it up to the diehard volleyball fans whose knowledge of the game and support for the players are unparalleled on Tour. Regardless of origin, the effect is decisive. Sitting in the tightly packed center court bleachers and listening to the thump of the ball as it whistles off Phil Dalhausser's palm, is instantly satisfying. The game is fast, calculated, and efficient, a fan's dream. And Hermosa, with its world- class draw of players and perfect conditions is just the place to catch it at its best. THE AVP AT HERMOSA July 16-18, 2010 By: Tyler Andrews LIVEMAGS.NET JULY>>10 41