Sports
AVP Returns to Hermosa with Hometown Flair
Dalhausser and Rogers look for their fifth straight championship while Olympian Walsh returns to the sand at the Hermosa Beach Open.
Although the AVP Hermosa Beach Open's main competition doesn't begin until 9 a.m. Saturday, locals were turning out in waves Friday to watch athletes vie for a chance to qualify for the main draw match-ups.
The rest of the weekend will be just as action-packed as the Friday qualifier with the finals scheduled for Sunday.
Volleyball fans are anxious to see Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh compete Sunday in the AVP Nivea 4s Series, a mini-tournament with four teams of four women competing in three best-of-three matches.
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On the men's side, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers are looking to win an unprecedented fifth straight championship in Hermosa. They would be the first team in AVP history to win an event five years in a row. In a sport where partners flip-flop all the time, it's rare to even see a team in this position.
The Hermosa Beach Open, which is one of the biggest and most anticipated events of the AVP tour, draws well because local teams get a chance to play in front of friends and family. Hermosa Beach resident and AVP qualifier Cayley Thurlby said that it's great to be able to play in an event so close to home.
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"It's so nice only having to travel two miles," she said. "This is the perfect place for a volleyball tournament."
There are 67 women's teams and 88 men's teams entered in the qualifier, and only eight teams will advance. This year the open is only a three-day tournament, with Friday as the qualifying day, and Saturday and Sunday the main draw. In past years, the tournament was held Thursday through Sunday and main draw play began on Friday.
AVP Tournament director Matt Gage said that the AVP elected to move the tournament to a three-day format for financial reasons.
"It's been a tough few years economically," he said. "We felt the tour was better served by moving to a three-day format."
Gage said it can be more difficult on the main draw athletes, particularly ones playing on Saturday, because they will be playing more games than usual.
Schedule:
Saturday July 17, 2010- Main Draw
Gates: 8 a.m.
First match: 9 a.m.
Sunday, July 18, 2010 - Main Draw
Gates: 7 a.m.
First match: 8 a.m.
Men's final: 2:30 p.m.
Women's Final: 4:30 p.m.
