Win might come with a big bonus
It doesn’t happen often, but Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh will be underdogs when the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour’s Huntington Beach Open starts today.
Maybe not to win the title -- the 2004 Olympic gold medalists are the favorites to win just about every time they step on the sand. But they are on the outside looking in at the largest check ever presented at an AVP tournament, the $100,000 bonus given to the team with the most points through the first three tournaments.
Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh have reached the finals in the first two events and lead the standings with 684 points. Should they advance to the final this week, they would win the Cuervo Gold Triple Crown series no matter whether they win the tournament.
May-Treanor and Walsh have 630 points and can win the bonus only if they win the tournament and Youngs and Branagh finish third or lower.
“It’s nice to be in this position, considering Misty and Kerri ran away with everything last year,” Youngs said. “It’s nice to be able to compete and have it on our radar.”
Last year, May-Treanor and Walsh won all three Cuervo Series events, earning a $50,000 bonus for each victory plus a $50,000 prize as series champions. This year, they got behind when they lost to Youngs and Branagh, 21-19, 21-19, in the season opener at Miami.
“We have our work cut out for us, no doubt about it,” Walsh said. “That’s a huge number. It could be a big payday, but ultimately it’s about winning the tournament. The bonus is one of those secondary things that you think about after it’s over.”
Considering that first-place money for the tournament is $20,000, not thinking about the bonus is much more difficult than it sounds.
“You really try to put it in the back of your mind, but when friends, family and the media want to talk about it, it’s hard,” Youngs said. “That kind of money is hard to ignore.”
On the men’s side, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser have won the first two events and are in the driver’s seat for the $100,000 bonus with 720 points. A trip to the final this weekend would clinch it.
Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal have the best shot at catching the leaders. They were second in each of the first two events and have 648 points. They’d need to win the tournament and have Rogers and Dalhausser finish third or lower.
In the early to mid-1990s, several tournaments paid $100,000 to the winning men’s teams, but the check this week would top those because it will include the bonus.