Volleyball execs Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, each Orange County natives, took dwelling the massive AVP Professional Sequence Huntington Seaside Open, an occasion held on the famed pier for the primary time since 2019.
Cheng, of Placentia, and Hughes, from Costa Mesa, misplaced only one set in 5 matches on their journey to nab the distinguished girls’s title. Palos Verdes native Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, from Pacific Palisades, dominated amongst higher-seeded groups to win the lads’s championship.
“It is a dream come true profitable in Huntington,” Hughes stated. “I realized the best way to play after I was 8 years outdated on a courtroom proper there.”
Gamers from throughout the nation confirmed as much as compete on the sandy, oceanfront courts through the AVP Professional Sequence Huntington Seaside Open, the primary California occasion of the season and a kickoff to the fortieth anniversary tour celebration for the Affiliation of Volleyball Professionals. The AVP was began in Southern California in 1983.
The motion began Thursday, Might 18, with a handful of gamers advancing from trials into the primary occasion that launched Friday with 32 women and men opponents battling it out for the $125,000 prize purse.
Spectators all through the three days watched the motion from the bleachers and the close by pier, getting an up-close have a look at among the world’s greatest opponents, together with some who might be on the hunt for gold on the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 12-stop AVP tour began in March in Miami and can head to the South Bay later this summer season.
Cheng and Hughes are former USC teammates and two-time nationwide champions who’ve now claimed all three AVP occasions they’ve entered since reuniting final fall. They’ve additionally secured 4 worldwide victories within the final six months.
Hughes now owns seven profession AVP titles, together with one in any respect three main Southern California tour stops, and Cheng has 5 on her resume.
Partain, who performed for UCLA’s indoor group till earlier this 12 months, stated it was nice to be enjoying near dwelling.
“It was nice to generate this momentum proper right here in entrance of our dwelling crowd,” he stated.
The Surfrider Basis will companion to host a seashore cleanup at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Might 23, with greater than 25 individuals anticipated to attend to assist depart the seashore even cleaner than it was earlier than the weekend’s occasions.
For full outcomes, go to: avp.com.
