Sports
Sherman Oaks Guy Is 'King of the Beach'
Volleyball player John Hyden, a former Olympian and college All-American, nets another victory by winning the Manhattan Beach Open.
In the world of volleyball, John Hyden has accomplished almost everything: He was a two-time All American in college at San Diego State, a two-time indoor Olympian in 1996 and 2000, and a two-time King of the Beach winner on the AVP tour.
But the 38-year-old Sherman Oaks resident had never won a Manhattan Beach Open.
That all changed Sunday as Hyden and partner Sean Scott defeated Brad Keenan and Billy Allen in two games, 21-18, 21-14, in the Manhattan Beach Open-Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series, before a raucous standing-room-only crowd.
“It feels so good to finally come out on top,” Hyden said of winning the Open. “I had a lot of family and friends here, my trainers here, and I wanted to impress some people. So it feels fantastic to get a win at the biggest tournament in our sport.”
The pair has been unbeatable this summer, winning every tournament they've played in in the U.S. With Hyden able to run down virtually every ball, teammate Scott, of Redondo Beach, could concentrate on what he does best, blocking the ball.
“It’s funny because one of the DJs at one of the tournaments started to play ‘Iron Man,’ and that’s kind of how it is,” Hyden said of the duo's methodical approach toward opponents this season. “We come out, and if we take care of business on our side like we know we can, then we're going to win. And that’s what we did.”
Scott and Hyden disposed of Matt Prosser and John Mayer in the semifinal match to set up the final with Keenan/Allen, who had beaten Ryan Mariano and Ed Ratledge in the other semifinal.
“We knew that to make a living at this sport in a transition year that we needed to win every tournament,” Hyden said. “So we went into this year and said were going to prepare the same way we always do by preparing to beat the best. And that’s kind of what we have done by working hard.”
On the women's side, Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik continued their dominant weekend run by dispatching of Jennifer Fopma and Tracy Jones in two games, winning 21-13, 22-20.
The winning duos will have their names enshrined on a permanent plaque on the Manhattan Beach Pier’s “Volleyball Walk of Fame.”