Upsets Highlight AVP Tournament

Through 19 matches, it was a quiet first day of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Tour’s $50,000 U.S. Championships at Hermosa Beach on Friday.

Then Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana ran into Stein Metzger and Eduardo Bacil in the second round.

Blanton and Fonoimoana, seeded No. 4 in the tournament, struggled with their passes and service returns and lost to the No. 13 seed, 15-10.

“The key was serving for both teams,” Metzger said. “They couldn’t handle our aces and they didn’t pass well.”

Passing was also a problem for the winners, Metzger admitted. But he said an improvement around the nets helped earn the victory.

“For the last month, we haven’t passed or set well,” he said. “Today we set ourselves well.

“I have to make good sets because [Bacil] is so short.”

Bacil is six-feet tall.

While Blanton and Fonoimoana were being knocked into the losers’ bracket, the same thing was happening to No. 6 seeded Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers, last year’s co-rookies of the year.

They lost to the No. 11 team of Brent Frohoff and Rob Heidger, 15-3.

The top two seeds, No. 1 Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson, and No. 2 Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego easily advanced into today’s quarterfinals.

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The Facts

* WHAT: $50,000 Assn. of Volleyball Professionals U.S Championships.

* WHEN: Today, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (24 matches); Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (six matches, championship at 2 p.m.).

* WHERE: Hermosa Beach Pier.

* PRICE: General admission, free both days; reserved end zone seating, $15 today, $20 Sunday; reserved sideline seating, $20 today, $25 Sunday.