At first, Melissa Humana-Paredes couldn’t get the cork off the festive champagne bottle. Now she is learning to aim her shot.
In the aftermath of a thrilling three-set victory in the final of the AVP Huntington Beach Open on Sunday, the Canadian defender sprayed champagne directly into partner Brandie Wilkerson’s eyes, briefly interrupting the euphoric celebration as Wilkerson asked for a water bottle asked to rinse her eyes and wiped her face with a towel. Wilkerson blinked away the sting and smiled effortlessly with a Huntington Beach Open trophy surfboard in hand.
“Me and Champagne, we just don’t get along,” said Humana-Paredes, who previously needed help wrestling the cork off a bottle. viral video from 2023. “We are doing better and better. I need to practice more.”
This weekend’s Huntington Beach Open was a warm-up event in more ways than one, as it provided crucial preparation for Olympic hopefuls and set the tone for a new AVP competition format.
In Sunday’s final, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes upset top-ranked Americans Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss 23-21, 18-21, 15-13 in a potential Olympic preview.
The stacked women’s field included three of the top five pairs in the world, all of whom secured their spots at the Paris Games. On the men’s side, Taylor Sander and Taylor Crabb dominated without either of the top Olympic contenders. As U.S. Olympic hopefuls Miles Partain and Andy Benesh, Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, and Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner prepare for an Olympic qualifying event in Portugal, Sander and Crabb raced through the bracket. The old partners didn’t drop a set in Huntington Beach, winning 21-15, 21-15 in the final against fifth-seeded Seain Cook and Cody Caldwell.
“It doesn’t matter if those teams aren’t there,” Sander said. “Every tournament we participate in, we want to win and get better. We did that and I am proud of that.”
Huntington Beach’s winning pairs have cemented their spot in the inaugural AVP League, a new league format featuring 16 pairs – eight women’s and eight men’s teams – in a regular season that begins in September, followed by a playoff tournament and championship game in November. The Huntington Beach Open was the first event in a shortened AVP season sandwiched around the Olympics. With the two events, beach volleyball is looking for a big spotlight in a busy sports landscape.
“I think it’s perfect that the League comes right after the Olympics,” said Crabb, who has retired from playing international tournaments with Sander. “For us it is now ‘do or die’.”
Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes also defeated the other U.S. Olympic team, Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng, in straight sets on Sunday. The pairs are tied for fourth in the FIVB rankings and have consolidated their place in Paris, along with Kloth and Nuss, who are ranked second in the world.
After giving up an early 6-2 lead in the third set of the final, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes closed the match with four straight points, including an ace from Humana-Paredes that netted a championship point, to boost the team’s momentum and to give confidence. on his way to his first Olympic Games.
“Everything we do will be preparation for the Olympics, but especially with these girls here,” Wilkerson said. “We expect to play them in the Olympics, so I think we’re all fighting for it.”
The Canadians have been dropped from the contenders after losing in three sets to Kloth and Nuss in the quarterfinals on Saturday. They played three matches on Sunday compared to the top-ranked Americans, who entered the final with extra rest after their semi-final ended prematurely as Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint fell behind 9-2 in the first set.
Scoles, six months removed from two knee surgeries to correct a patellar tendon that was peeling from her bone, was forced to retire from competition. The Huntington Beach Open was her first tournament since being cleared for activity two and a half weeks ago. While going through five games in the first two days with Flint, Scoles strained an abdominal muscle. As injuries piled up for the two-time USC national champion, she was forced to withdraw. But she still had a busy schedule for the day.
Her wedding was scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m.
“Today’s plan was called ‘Operation Be Late To My Own Wedding,’” joked Scoles, who rushed to a small ceremony with immediate family on Sunday evening and is planning a larger party later.
Despite the early forfeit, Scoles and Flint still earned a valuable semifinal that could help them qualify for the AVP League, which pitted each pair’s top two finishes in three Heritage events – Huntington Beach, Manhattan Beach and Chicago – during the qualification process are considered.
The 32-year-old Taylors have decided to forgo international tournaments in favor of major domestic events. As he looked around at the packed stands, the crowded VIP section and the Huntington Beach Pier filled with three rows of fans, Sander couldn’t think of a reason to ever leave.
“Not in the AVP League, honey,” Crabb said with a big grin. “It’s all about the AVP League.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
