Having problems with message search?
Hyden captures AVP Tour event title
SlideShow: http://www.azcentral.com/commphotos/azcentral/8060/1/37Las Vegas' loss was the Valley's gain, at least for this year.
Las Vegas usually hosts the final beach volleyball tournament of the AVP Tour's season, but that site is being renovated this year, so the Best of the Beach Invitational was moved to Glendale this year. The Valley usually hosts one of the firsts AVP events during the 18-tournament season.
The season-ending move to the Valley allowed local beach volleyball fans to see three of this year's Olympic gold medalists: Kerri Walsh, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. Fans got their final glimpse of the three Saturday at Westgate City Center during the Sanderson Ford Best of the Beach Invitational.
While the Olympians were the featured athletes during the tournament, Saturday's spotlight belonged to Jake Gibb, John Hyden, Nicole Branagh and Jennifer Boss, the finalists of Saturday's individual AVP tournaments. Two Olympians, however, got to end their season on a winning note.
Hyden picked Dalhausser for the men's final, which Hyden and Dalhausser won after beating Gibb and Stein Metzger 21-17, 21-18. Walsh capped a great season by collecting the final kill of this AVP season in a match that ended at 11:37 p.m. on Saturday.
Boss picked up her first career AVP victory, as she and Walsh beat Branagh and Tyra Turner 17-21, 21-19, 15-10. Walsh and Boss were the top individual seeds in the tournament.
The finalists picked their partners for the finals, but they weren't allowed to choose their regular-season partners. Gibb went with ex-teammate, Metzger - who actually dumped Gibb after the 2005 season, when Gibb and Metzger were voted the AVP Team of the Year, earned $217,900 in prize money and Gibb earned AVP MVP honors.
Metzger decided to team up with childhood friend Mike Lambert in 2006, and Gibb then picked his current partner, Sean Rosenthal. Last year's defending Best of the Beach men's champion, Hyden, picked Dalhausser for Saturday's final.
"The hardest part is getting to the final," Hyden said. "Once you get Phil it's all downhill from there."
Hyden took home a $27,750 check for winning the title, becoming the first men's player to win two consecutive Best of the Beach tournaments since Karch Kiraly accomplished the feat when Kiraly won three in a row from 1991-93. Boss went home with $25,750 check.
It was the first time that Hyden and Dalhausser teamed up for a match.
Hyden advanced to the final after he and Nick Lucena beat Rogers and Sean Rosenthal 22-20, 21-15 in the semifinals, and Gibb advanced to the final after he and Sean Scott defeated Dalhausser and Brad Keenan 21-18, 21-19 in the semifinals.
Hyden, the 10th seed in the tournament, won his third AVP tournament. Gibb, the No. 5 seed, and Hyden each went 6-0 during pool play to advance to Saturday's men's final.
"I'll enjoy it in 10 minutes," said Gibb when asked about his tournament run.
Las Vegas usually hosts the final beach volleyball tournament of the AVP Tour's season, but that site is being renovated this year, so the Best of the Beach Invitational was moved to Glendale this year. The Valley usually hosts one of the firsts AVP events during the 18-tournament season.
The season-ending move to the Valley allowed local beach volleyball fans to see three of this year's Olympic gold medalists: Kerri Walsh, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. Fans got their final glimpse of the three Saturday at Westgate City Center during the Sanderson Ford Best of the Beach Invitational.
While the Olympians were the featured athletes during the tournament, Saturday's spotlight belonged to Jake Gibb, John Hyden, Nicole Branagh and Jennifer Boss, the finalists of Saturday's individual AVP tournaments. Two Olympians, however, got to end their season on a winning note.
Hyden picked Dalhausser for the men's final, which Hyden and Dalhausser won after beating Gibb and Stein Metzger 21-17, 21-18. Walsh capped a great season by collecting the final kill of this AVP season in a match that ended at 11:37 p.m. on Saturday.
Boss picked up her first career AVP victory, as she and Walsh beat Branagh and Tyra Turner 17-21, 21-19, 15-10. Walsh and Boss were the top individual seeds in the tournament.
The finalists picked their partners for the finals, but they weren't allowed to choose their regular-season partners. Gibb went with ex-teammate, Metzger - who actually dumped Gibb after the 2005 season, when Gibb and Metzger were voted the AVP Team of the Year, earned $217,900 in prize money and Gibb earned AVP MVP honors.
Metzger decided to team up with childhood friend Mike Lambert in 2006, and Gibb then picked his current partner, Sean Rosenthal. Last year's defending Best of the Beach men's champion, Hyden, picked Dalhausser for Saturday's final.
"The hardest part is getting to the final," Hyden said. "Once you get Phil it's all downhill from there."
Hyden took home a $27,750 check for winning the title, becoming the first men's player to win two consecutive Best of the Beach tournaments since Karch Kiraly accomplished the feat when Kiraly won three in a row from 1991-93. Boss went home with $25,750 check.
It was the first time that Hyden and Dalhausser teamed up for a match.
Hyden advanced to the final after he and Nick Lucena beat Rogers and Sean Rosenthal 22-20, 21-15 in the semifinals, and Gibb advanced to the final after he and Sean Scott defeated Dalhausser and Brad Keenan 21-18, 21-19 in the semifinals.
Hyden, the 10th seed in the tournament, won his third AVP tournament. Gibb, the No. 5 seed, and Hyden each went 6-0 during pool play to advance to Saturday's men's final.
"I'll enjoy it in 10 minutes," said Gibb when asked about his tournament run.
---
Volleyball World Wide
http://Volleyball.ORG/
Since 1994, the oldest, and largest, internet site dedicated to the sport of volleyball.
Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. Learn Now
Offline 
Send Email