AVP Beach Volleyball The second stop of the 2017 AVP Pro Tour: Austin Open concluded four days of fierce competition. Stakes were high as the remaining teams battled for the title and prize money in front of a maximum capacity stadium of enthusiastic fans at Krieg Fields. Spirited crowds arrived with Austin flair in themed costumes, showcasing homemade signs and danced in support of their favorite athletes as each fought a hard-earned victory to the finish.

The day belonged to champions Phil Dalhausser (Ventura, Calif.) with partner Nick Lucena (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) on the men’s side, and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Whitney Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.) on the women’s side.

A bit of a team homecoming, No. 1 ranked Dalhausser and Lucena first won as a team back at the 2005 Austin Open at the inception of their career. The Men’s Final featured the No. 2 seeded team of Trevor Crabb (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) vs. Dalhausser and Lucena who sealed their victory in two passionate sets to win in a final, intense match point that had the crowd on their feet.

"Anytime you can win a tournament, it’s awesome,” Lucena said. “To come back to Austin where we played 12 years ago and won it is pretty special. The crowd was great - the people here in Texas really appreciate beach volleyball, so I had a blast playing. There was some pressure on us to try and repeat so to be able to do it is pretty cool.”

The Women’s Final featured No. 2 Ross and Pavlik against No. 3 ranked Kim DiCello (San Diego, Calif.) and Emily Stockman (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Ross and Pavlik captured the win in dramatic fashion with a focused, competitive edge over DiCello and Stockman in three sets: 14-21, 21-16, 15-11.

“This one ranks really high up there. It’s been a couple tough weeks partner-wise so I feel like I’m out here with something to prove, and I want to win every tournament,” said Ross. “The set up looks amazing and people here in Austin know how to do beach volleyball. They hang here all day with their coolers, bring their own seats, and bring the fire traveling between the action in the outer courts and Stadium Courts.”

Stop No. 3 of the 2017 AVP Pro Tour will continue to New York from June 8-11 at Hudson River Park’s Pier 26/25 and onto additional stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Chicago.

AVPFirst, in conjunction with the AVP Pro Tour hosted a group of 30 young indoor players from TCS club volleyball team in Austin, Texas today as part of the AVPFirst Community Corner Program. This initiative is designed to engage and introduce the sport of beach volleyball to underserved communities across the country. AVP players Kim Smith and Karri Schuh led a series of drills and activities over the two-hour event.

Established in 1983 and currently headquartered in Southern California, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) is the world's premier beach volleyball organization. The AVP today is comprised of four divisions: AVP Academy, AVPNext, the AVP Pro Tour and their non-profit 501(c)3 organization, AVPFirst. A 34-year rich history in creating, staging and marketing some of the most innovative and engaging sporting events in North America, the AVP has successfully developed an annual circuit that is not just a sporting event, but a lifestyle as well. The AVP has been the home of some of the most respected athletes in professional sports, including gold medalists Karch Kiraly, Kent Steffes, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh-Jennings, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser. For more information, visit www.avp.com.

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