Californians dominated the championships in the amateur divisions at the 2008 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball on Saturday at East Beach in Santa Barbara.
Play continues Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. with the conclusion of the men’s and women’s Open Divisions, which features the top players in the tournament. The women’s Open Division championship is expected to start at 2 p.m. with the men’s Open Division finale played at approximately 3 p.m. Action also will be held Sunday in three different levels of the Co-ed Division. The finals of the co-ed Open Division will get under way at 4 p.m.
Beach volleyball players from across the nation came to East Beach to compete in the second annual event. The tournament is sanctioned by USA Volleyball and hosted by volleyball legend and Santa Barbara native Karch Kiraly.
The winners in the amateur divisions on Saturday were:
Men’s AA: Trevor Jones (San Diego, Calif.) and Tomo Sakigawa (San Diego, Calif.)
Men’s A: John Caroompas (Laguna Nigel, Calif.) and Taylor Sander (Norco, Calif.)
Men’s BB: Marcos Plovarcsik (San Louis Obispo, Calif.) and Scott Saley (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Men’s B: Tigre Vega (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Billy Ames (Buellton, Calif.)
Women’s AA: Alyson Wightman (Ventura, Calif.) and Caitlin Adair (Ventura, Calif.)
Women’s A: Melanie Seibold (Green Bay, Wis.) and Krista Heath (Green Bay, Wis.)
Women’s B: Maren Mochizuki (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Thoi Vo (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Men’s Masters (37 and over): Marc Rodriguez (Pismo Beach, Calif.) and Adam Phillips (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Men’s Masters (45 and over): Dan LaFontaine (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Tom Witt (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Women’s Masters (37 and over): Ilga Celmins (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and Jackie Campbell (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
Women’s Masters (45 and over): Therese Butler (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Margie Wiher (Irvine, Calif.)
For more information on the 2008 US Open of Beach Volleyball, presented by Corona Extra, please visit www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com.
