Organizers in Cincinnati put together what from all accounts was a great pro beach volleyball event without the help of the AVP this past weekend. Eight men's and eight women's pairs took to the court at Hahana Beach and played it out for a $10,000 first place prize.
For the first time all season long here in the States, Todd and Phil did not come out on top. They lost in two sets (21-15, 24-22) to Sean Rosenthal and John Hyden, who have tried unsuccessfully to unseat the reigning best team for months. Though they had good success against Todd and Phil last year, they were not able to best them until this week.
It has been a long, emotionally draining season for all the AVP players, but for Todd and Phil in particular. They've been traveling non-stop back and forth between AVP and FIVB events. They won every U.S. event minus a rained out final early on and took gold at nine FIVB events, making them the international and domestic champs. An uncharacteristic loss is a tough way to end a fantastic season for those two, but congrats to Sean and John for taking it to the top dogs.
On the women's side, Jen Kessy and April Ross took down Jenny Johnson-Jordan and Annette Davis in two sets , 21-18, 21-12. May-Treanor/Branagh and Akers/Turner tied for third. Kerri Walsh returned with partner Brooke Hanson, but the two lost both their matches and ended up seventh. Not the triumphant return Kerri was hoping for. We'll have to wait and see if Kerri and Misty rejoin forces for events next season. With the Olympics inching ever closer, they'll need to focus on qualifying very soon.
Cincinnati got a great show and may just set the stage for the new pro beach volleyball model in the future that could feature events planned by local organizers and not by the professional league. Judging by the success of this event, it could happen.
As of now, Todd, Phil and the rest of the AVP players will get some much needed time off and regroup for what will likely be a brand new and possibly completely re-tooled pro beach volleyball tour next summer.
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