Current Events
2012 marked the return of the AVP tour including two stops, the AVP Open in Cincinnati, Ohio over Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30 - Sept. 2) and the AVP Championships in Santa Barbara, Calif. held Sept. 7 - 9. The AVP returned to Cincinnati for the first time since 1998, where 56 teams for the men's side and 34 teams for the women's side competed in the open tournament format. John Hyden and Sean Scott prevailed in a two-set victory over Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena (21-17, 21-16) to take home the title and $20,000, capping off a dominating performance in which they defeated London 2012 Olympians Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers in the semi-finals. It was the 8th tour win for Hyden and 10th for Scott. On the women's side, fresh off a silver medal performance in the London 2012 Olympics, Jen Kessy and April Ross defeated gold-medalist Kerri Walsh and new partner Nicole Branagh in the title game, going undefeated in the tournament and also giving them $20,000 in prize money.
Following the Open, the top 12 teams from the men's and women's side were invited to play in the AVP Championships, hosted at West Beach in Santa Barbara, Calif. Rebounding from a sixth place finish in Cincinnati, it was Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal taking home first place and their cut of a record $250,000 in prize money. Gibb/Rosenthal took down Braidy Halverson/Ty Loomis and Billy Allen/Matt Prosser in pool play before falling to Hyden and Scott. Gibb and Rosie then squeaked past Dalhauser and Rogers in a thrilling three set match to garner a rematch with Hyden/Scott in the semifinals. After dropping the first set, 19-21, Gibb and Rosie fought back, taking the next two sets 21-18, 15-13, setting them up for a showdown with Brad Keenan and John Mayer in the championship. In the best of five sets, Gibb/Rosenthal dominated, winning 21-16, 21-16, 21-17, earning them the title of 2012 AVP Champions and $45,000 in prize money.
For the women, Kessy and Ross continued their dominating performance on the sand, taking down Olaya Pazo/Kendra Van Zwieten, Angie Akers/Brittany Hochevar and Brooke Niles/Tyra Turner in pool play. Kessy and Ross then proceeded to cruise past Jenny Kropp and Whiteney Pavlik, 21-14, 21-12, in the semifinals, setting up a rematch of the Cincinnati Open championship match with Kerri Walsh and Nicole Branagh. It was the same result with Kessy/Ross coming out on top, 21-19, 21-16. By going undefeated in the tournament, Kessy and Ross took home the maximum amount of prize money available of $47,500. Over their careers, Jen Kessy has won 12 AVP tournaments, while Ross has won 10.
The 2013 season will look to build on the success of the 2012 tournaments and also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the AVP with four to six tour stops across the United States. Complete details regarding locations and dates can be found at www.avp.com when they have become finalized.
Read more about this topic: Association Of Volleyball Professionals
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