There are bigger tournaments with more at stake.
But nothing compares to the Manhattan Beach Open that begins with a qualifier Thursday.
It concludes with one of the great sporting traditions in America, the winners’ respective victories commemorated in the form of a volleyball-shaped plaque embedded in the nearby Manhattan Beach Pier.
From the AVP itself:
Established in 1960, there is one event that has become synonymous with “iconic”: The AVP Gold Series, Manhattan Beach Open. Reigning as the epicenter of our sport, the granddaddy of them all returns to its throne with the biggest prize purse and Main Draw of the season. This momentous event is unlike any other as its champions will be cemented into the fabled Walk of Fame and into the history of the sport itself. Packed with rising stars and former event champions, this is guaranteed to be an unforgettable event for fans and athletes alike.
And if the history of this unpredictable 2022 AVP season holds form, the titles are completely up for grabs. Truly, this has been a season in which any team can win on any given weekend.
The top seed on the men’s side is the pair of Theo Brunner and Chaim Schalk, who are coming off second-place finishes in Fort Lauderdale and at the Atlanta Open and have one AVP title this summer to their credit, the Hermosa Beach Open.
The No. 2 seed is last year’s MBO champions, Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb. But after they won in Fort Lauderdale three weeks ago, they finished ninth in Atlanta.
The third seed belongs to Atlanta champions Paul Lotman and Miles Partain. They were first-time AVP winners after finishing third on three previous occasions this season.
The next few seeds are certainly capable of upsetting the bracket. At No. 4 is Troy Field and Chase Budinger. The sixth seed is Team Taylor, Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander, and they’ve been so close, losing in the finals of New Orleans and Hermosa Beach and taking third in Fort Lauderdale.
They’re followed by veteran Casey Patterson, who is playing with David Lee. Patterson won in New Orleans with Phil Dalhausser and finished third with him in Hermosa Beach and in Atlanta. Lee, the three-time USA indoor Olympian, got his first AVP gold in Atlantic City with Cody Caldwell.
Andy Benesh, who has two AVP titles this season, winning with Dalhausser to open the season in Austin and then in Denver…
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