Day One: AVP Austin Open upsets throw winner’s brackets upside down. Austin qualifiers crash party as 16th seeds drop top seeds into contender’s bracket; Austin duo Dickson and Lindelow, Texans Mannari and Nyquist triumph.
Unexpected results and spirited crowds were the norm at the AVP Austin Open on Friday at Krieg Fields. On a day of non-stop action under partly cloudy skies, it was the qualifiers from Thursday’s competition, including the local Austin duo of No. 16-seeded Lauren Dickson and Katie Lindelow and the 15th-seeded pair Taylor Nyquist (Dallas, Texas) and Meghan Mannari (Frisco, Texas), who battled their way into the Main Draw, then took the spotlight again today. On the men’s side, No. 16 seed, Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.) and Gabriel Ospina (Armenia, Colombia), were up to the task, winning their first round match against the No. 1 seed, on a historic day of action.
For the first time under the current AVP format that began in 2013, both the men’s and women’s No. 16 seeds toppled their No. 1-seeded opponents on the first day of Main Draw tournament play.
“You never know what will happen at an AVP event and the unprecedented upsets at today’s Austin Open are proof of that,” said Donald Sun, AVP managing partner. “Fans cheered on some fantastic matches and it was great to see the crowds getting behind Texas teams that have showed their strength so far.”Women's
With five of the eight first round matches going to the lower seeded teams, including four double digit seeds, the winner’s bracket took on a surprisingly different look. First Dickson and Lindelow upended No. 1 seed Emily Day (Torrance, Calif.) and Betsi Flint (Phoenix, Ariz.), 14-21, 21-17, 15-12 with a strong contingent of area fans screaming in support. Then Mannari and Nyquist topped No. 2 seed Caitlin Ledoux (Phelan, Calif.) and Geena Urango (Los Alamitos, Calif.), 21-19, 12-21, 16-14. The No. 14 duo of Kimberly Hildreth (Novi, Mich.) and Sarah Schermerhorn (Colfax, N.C.) followed the upset trend by beating No. 3 seed Brittany Howard (Los Altos, Calif.) and Kelly Reeves (San Diego, Calif.), 21-19, 21-17.
Both Hildreth/Schermerhorn and Mannari/Nyquist kept the magic going with a Round 2 victory, joining No. 5 seed Terese Cannon (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Irene Pollock (Fort Worth, Texas) and No. 9 seed Janelle Allen (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) and Kerri Schuh (Appleton, Wis.) as second-round winners.
“The support from the fans here was awesome,” said Nyquist after the Stadium Court win in Round 2. “Texans have a lot of pride in their state, and they were amazing out here. We were thinking we’d just be happy to qualify and we were a little nervous being on Stadium Court, but it helped having the fans behind us.”
In a contender’s bracket that looked more like a winner’s bracket, Day and Flint advanced with a 21-17, 21-14 victory over No. 8 Delaney Knudsen (Valencia, Calif.) and Allie Wheeler (Saratoga, Calif.).
Men's
The men’s bracket held more to form, with the standout exception of Lotman and Ospina fending off a second-set match point and rallying for an 18-21, 23-21, 15-13 win over No. 1 seed Taylor Crabb (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Jake Gibb (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Two-time defending AVP Austin champions, No. 2 seed Phil Dalhausser (Orlando, Fla.) and Nick Lucena (Davie, Fla.), No. 3 seed Ed Ratledge (Fountain Valley, Calif.) and Roberto Rodriguez (Guaynabo, P.R.), and No. 4 seed Jeremy Casebeer (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Chaim Schalk (Red Deer, Alberta, Canada) also won, setting up exciting second round matchups.
Dalhausser/Lucena, Ratledge/Rodriguez, and Casebeer/Schalk joined No. 9 seed Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Ricardo Santos (Salvador, Brazil), who won their match against Lotman and Ospina, as unbeaten teams heading into Saturday’s action. Ta. Crabb and Gibb stayed alive with a contender’s bracket win.
About AVP
Established in 1983 and headquartered in Southern California, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) is the world's premier beach volleyball organization. The AVP today is comprised of five divisions: AVP Academy, AVPNext, the AVP Pro Tour, AVP America, and their non-profit 501(c)3 organization, AVPFirst. With a 36-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, Dain Blanton and Phil Dalhausser. For more information, please visit AVP.com.
AVP Pro Beach Volleyball
web | facebook | twitter | instagram
Photos by Ralph Arvesen
web | facebook | twitter | instagram
