The pro beach volleyball teams of Sean Scott and John Hyden and Jen Kessy and April Ross lead the 12-team fields for this weekend?s AVP Championships at West Beach.
Kessy-Ross, the silver medalists at the London Olympics, and Scott-Hyden won titles at the AVP Cincinnati Open on Sunday. Kessy-Ross defeated Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and her new partner Nicole Branagh (21-11, 21-16) in the women?s final, while Scott-Hyden won the men?s title over Matt Fuerbringer-Nick Lucena (21-17, 21-16).
The top 12 teams in Cincinnati (first through ninth place) qualified for the $225,000 AVP Championships, which will be held Friday through Sunday.
The local team and 2008 Olympic gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser will be playing on the home sand for the first time since 2010. Rogers-Dalhausser finished tied for third at Cincinnati, falling to Scott-Hyden in the semifinals (21-15, 22-20).
The men?s qualifiers, listed by their finish in Cincinnati, are:
Sean Scott-John Hyden
Matt Fuerbringer-Nick Lucena
Todd Rogers-Phil Dalhausser
Brad Keenan-John Mayer
Jake Gibb-Sean Rosenthal
Ryan Doherty-Casey Patterson
Braidy Halverson-Ty Loomis
Ryan Mariano-Ed Ratledge
Stein Metzger-Mark Williams
Billy Allen-Matt Prosser
Paul Baxter-Pedro Brazao
Kevin McColloch-Mike Placek
Former UCSB star Brooke Niles is among the 12 women?s teams coming to Santa Barbara. She plays with Tyra Turner.
Here is the list of the women?s teams that qualified in Cincinnati:
Jennifer Kesey-April Ross
Nicole Branagh-Kerri Walsh
Jenny Kropp-Whitney Pavlik
Jennifer Fopma-Brooke Sweat
Christal Engle-Tealle Hunkus
Brooke Niles-Tyra Turner
Angie Akers-Brittany Hochevar
Kristen Batt-Raquel Ferreira
Lauren Fendrick-Rachel Scott
Morgan Beck-Priscilla Lima
Olava Paso-Kendra Van Zwieten
Erin Gray-Traci Weamer
The tournament format is two rounds of pool play on Friday, the third round of pool play and the semifinals on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. Each day begins at 10 a.m.
Admission is free. Fans can purchase courtside seats for $35 and seats in an elevated, shaded box lounge for $50. Advance tickets can be ordered at theavp.eventbrite.com.
