Anxious fans swarmed center court Sunday afternoon for the conclusion to the Bud Light Premier Tour Men and Women’s Open at East Beach. The tournament returned this year as part of the 2009 Semana Nautica Sports Festival held each summer in Santa Barbara.
Since 1950, the Semana Nautica Open has been one of the major tournaments on the California volleyball circuit with legendary names such as Karch Kiraly, Sinjin Smith, and Randy Stoklos on the list of past winners. This year two more winners joined the legends as Semana Nautica Champions.
The Men’s Open kicked off the afternoon with two former Santa Barbara Dons — Will Montgomery and Jeremy Casebeer — squaring off against San Diego natives Dana “Macho” Camacho and Leonardo Morales. The two teams fought through rough conditions with the wind gusts surpassing 20 mph, exemplifying outstanding ball control. Despite the valiant effort from Montgomery/Casebeer, the number one seed Camacho/Morales cruised to a 21-18, 21-16 victory to claim the championship.
In game one, Camacho/Morales got off to a quick start leading Montgomery/Casebeer 8-4 as a result of Camacho’s signature sky ball serve. The young guns regained their composure to tie the score at 8-8 as the match turned into a major sideout battle with a high level of defense and controlled shots expertly placed out of the opposition’s reach.
At 16-16, a game-changing rally ended on a hitting error by Casebeer led to a three-point ensemble by Camacho/Morales and final control over the first game.
Game two began as a dogfight with the teams trading the lead five times before a controversial lift call on Morales at 11-10. After going ballistic, smashing two volleyballs into the sand followed by several choice words, Camacho/Morales had a fire ignite inside and took the former Dons by storm. With two blocks, an ace, and an earth-shaking spike Camacho/Morales extended their lead to 16-12. From there it was too much for Montgomery/Casebeer to regain enough momentum to challenge their opponent as Camacho ended the game with a left-handed kill on the back line.
Local teams competing in this year’s men’s open were former AVP pros Matt Riley/Chris Galliano in 3rd place as well as SBCC assistant coach Marcelo Duarte/Tim Nestlerode and Dillan Bennett/Nick Scheftic finishing in 5th place.
The Women’s final was equally exciting, as Ventura’s Jennifer Corral and Elena Salvador played against AVP veteran Carrie Wright and partner Kelly Rowe. After a 55-minute match, Wright/Rowe left the beach with a 28-25 victory, joining legends such as Kathy Gregory, Nina Mathies, and Kathy Hanley as Semana Nautica champions.
Local women competing in the tournament include Shayna Gugliano/Courtney Kidd and Andrea Sanchez/Christie Earls finished in a tie for 5th.
The CBVA returns to Santa Barbara next weekend for the Masters tournament, which will attract players from all over the west coast to compete in the 37+, 45+, and 50+ age divisions for both men and women.
East Beach will also host five youth tournaments beginning July 21st for boys and girls ages 12 to 18.
For a complete schedule, visit cbva.com.
