Defending champions look for smoother sailing – Orange County Register

Last year at the Manhattan Beach Open, Julia Scoles and her partner Betsi Flint made history. The pair entered as the top seed, but fell to the No. 32 seed early in the tournament. After that setback, they went on a dramatic run in the contenders draw and became the first No. 1 seed to lose their opening match and then win the historic event.

“I’m a firm believer that anyone can win at any time,” Scoles said. “There’s so much depth of talent in the United States, so you’re not going to get any games handed to you.”

As part of the AVP Heritage Series, the Manhattan Beach Open will return for its 64th year this Friday and Sunday. Pairs compete in the Heritage Series to earn a spot in the new AVP League, which begins in September. Other Heritage Series venues include Huntington Beach, Chicago, Virginia Beach and other iconic locations in the U.S. beach volleyball world.

The men’s and women’s matches in the double-elimination event begin at 8 a.m. Friday. Sunday’s finals will be televised on ION. If a team falls in the winner’s bracket, it moves on to the contender’s bracket. The team that wins the contender’s bracket will move on to the winner’s bracket semifinals.

Scoles and Flint wouldn’t mind taking a more direct route at the event this year. They’re the No. 3 seeds this time around, with the Olympic duos of Taryn Kloth and Kristin Nuss, and Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.

In the men’s draw, Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner are the No. 1 seeds, defending champions Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander are the No. 2 seeds, and Olympic quarterfinalists Miles Partain and Andy Benesh are the No. 3 seeds.

On Thursday, Scoles and Flint placed their names on the Manhattan Beach Pier to commemorate their 2023 victory.

“It’s a great honor and privilege to have your name on the pier,” Scoles said. “This area is known for beach volleyball, so the community really gets involved and you can feel the energy throughout the South Bay.”

Scoles started out as an indoor volleyball player in North Carolina. However, she was always interested in beach volleyball. She says watching Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings play in the Olympics was her inspiration, but because she grew up in North Carolina, she didn’t have the opportunity to pursue beach volleyball.

When Scoles was a sophomore at North Carolina, she suffered multiple concussions, forcing her to reconsider her future with indoor volleyball. She decided to switch to beach volleyball, and in 2018, transferred to the University of Hawaii with the intention of playing a new sport. At Hawaii, she was named to the All-Big West first team.

He completed the final two years of his career as a graduate student at USC, where he helped the Trojans win two NCAA championships before turning pro in 2023.

Scoles enters the world of beach volleyball at a time of great growth. With the start of the AVP League next month, players from the United States will have a national circuit to play on.

“I thought (the league) was a super unique idea,” Scoles said. “I’m really excited to see how it all plays out. I think that’s how professional sports have been going and the trajectory continues in that direction as far as franchises and teams go.”

Scoles says the most important thing is that athletes can have the opportunity to “make a living from sport and have more stability.”

In the Heritage Series, Scoles and Flint finished third at the Huntington Beach Open, so both will look to repeat their success from last season in Manhattan Beach for a chance at the AVP League.