2017 Association Of Volleyball Professionals Tour

Most Intriguing Pairs Competing In The AVP Huntington Beach Open

Most Intriguing Pairs Competing In The AVP Huntington Beach Open

With many beach volleyball players competing for the first time this season at the 2017 AVP Huntington Beach Open, there are a number of new and interesting teams you're going to want to keep an eye on.

May 2, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
Most Intriguing Pairs Competing In The AVP Huntington Beach Open
The first event of the AVP's 2017 season has brought with it plenty of intrigue amid rule changes, player contract disputes, and Kerri Walsh Jennings suing the tour, but the real drama won't begin until the players take the sand for the Huntington Beach Open qualifier on Thursday, May 4, and the start of the main draw on Friday, May 5.

With many players competing for the first time this season, there are plenty of new and interesting partnerships and pairings to keep an eye on. Here are the ones we are most excited about.

In The Qualifier:


Reid Priddy/Chaim Schalk

After leading the U.S. men's national team to a bronze medal in Rio, Reid Priddy declared his intention to pursue a career on the beach. The Huntington Beach Open will mark the 39-year-old's return to the beach for the first time since 2009. Priddy will play with Team Canada's Chaim Schalk, who boasts a silver medal and four bronze medals on the FIVB tour and is married to American pro Lane Carico.

Sarah Pavan/Maria Clara Salgado

Perhaps the most dangerous team in the women's qualifier field is this pair of international athletes. Canadian Olympian Sarah Pavan and Brazilian two-time FIVB gold medalist Maria Clara Salgado are both playing in their first AVP tournaments EVER this week, and with zero points, they're the very last seed in the qualifier.

Paul Lotman/Alejandro Parra

Indoor Olympian Paul Lotman will make his AVP debut in Huntington Beach. The 31-year-old will partner with Alejandro Parra, a 34-year-old native of Columbia who boasts a career-best seventh on the AVP tour. At 6-foot-7 and 6-6, respectively, the Lotman-Parra team will certainly be one of the tallest on the beach.

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Alix Klineman/Jace Pardon

The 2017 HBO will mark professional indoor player and former Stanford All-American Alix Klineman's fifth AVP tournament. In 2016, she played the Manhattan Beach Open with fellow women's national team member Kristin Hildebrand, but this week, Klineman is pairing with Florida State beach volleyball alum Jace Pardon. The former Seminole scored a fifth-, a seventh-, and two ninth-place finishes on tour in 2016, alongside Brittany Tiegs, and could be just the partner Klineman needs to make a splash on the beach.

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Aurora Davis/Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima

Brazil native and University of Louisiana-Lafayette alum Priscilla Piantadosi-Lima hasn't played on the AVP since 2013. In the meantime, however, she's dominated the NVL tour, winning eight titles and making to the final a total of 12 times over three seasons. For her AVP return, Piantadosi-Lima has picked up Aurora Davis, an alum of the Florida State beach volleyball program who played with Traci Weamer and Bree Scarbrough on tour in 2016, finishing 13th three times.

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Branagan Fuller/Brandie Wilkerson

Team Canada athlete Brandie Wilkerson, who will play with Heather Bansley on the FIVB tour this year, is taking advantage of her dual Canadian-American citizenship to play on the AVP. Her partner in Huntington Beach, Branagan Fuller, has played consistently on tour since 2014, posting a career-high finish of fifth.

Michael Brunsting/Chase Frishman

Last year, this pair of young bucks battled through the qualifier to earn a ninth in Huntington Beach, a seventh in New York City, and a 13th in San Francisco--performances which earned the duo a spot in the main draw of the Manhattan Beach Open and the Chicago Open. To kick off 2017, Brunsting, 24, and Frishman, 25, are back in the qualifier, but with the No. 2 seed, they have a good chance of advancing into the main draw.

In The Main Draw


Ryan Doherty/John Hyden

With Tri Bourne taking time away from beach volleyball to deal with some health issues, John Hyden has picked up 7-foot blocker Ryan Doherty. Hyden and Doherty first played together at the 2017 FIVB Fort Lauderdale Major, where they finished fourth. Hyden will be looking for his 26th AVP title in Huntington Beach--a victory would mark the third AVP title for Doherty.

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Jeremy Casebeer/John Mayer

John Mayer was paired with Ryan Doherty until John Hyden came calling. Now, Mayer, who has three AVP titles on his resume, has picked up Jeremy Casebeer. Paired with Sean Rosenthal, Casebeer earned a second-place finish, the highest of his career, at the 2016 New York City Open, and this might just be his time to break through to a title. He played on the Brazilian domestic tour during the offseason, so while Huntington Beach may be the first tournament of the year for many teams, Casebeer is in midseason form.

April Ross/Whitney Pavlik

Kerri Walsh Jennings is suing the AVP and hasn't signed a new player contract, so April Ross will take on the Huntington Beach Open with Whitney Pavlik by her side. Ross and Pavlik, who earned the No. 2 seed in the main draw this week, have played together twice before, both on the FIVB tour. Their best performance as a team was at the 2013 Stare Jablonki Grand Slam, where they lost in the bronze medal match to finish fourth.

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Lane Carico/Lauren Fendrick

The No. 4 seed in Huntington Beach will be Lane Carico and Lauren Fendrick. Fendrick ended her partnership with Brooke Sweat after the 2016 Rio Olympics, and Lane Carico finished a two-year partnership with Summer Ross around the same time. Ross and Sweat have formed a partnership, so perhaps it was only natural that Carico and Fendrick give it a go. With four AVP titles between them, this team definitely has the ingredients for success, it will just be a matter of waiting to see how the chemistry develops between them.

Nicole Branagh/Xi Zhang

Two-time Chinese Olympian Xi Zhang made her AVP debut at the 2016 Manhattan Beach Open, where she finished 25th partnering with Jess Clausen. Zhang earned 17th while playing with Caitlin Ledoux at the 2016 Chicago Open. In her third AVP event, Zhang will take the sand with 17-time AVP champion Nicole Branagh, who took the 2016 season off to have her second child. We're expecting the elite competitor to come out fired up to win some games.

Karolina Marciniak/Kendra VanZwieten

Karolina Marciniak played for Poland on the FIVB tour before coming to the United States. She participated in one AVP tournament in 2012 before committing to the NVL tour for the next four years. While competing on the NVL, Marciniak won 12 titles and appeared in the final 17 total times. In her first AVP main draw, Marciniak will team up with tour veteran Kendra VanZwieten, who had standout seasons on the AVP in 2015 and 2016, earning her first title at the 2016 New Orleans Open.

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