Top-seeded teams come out on top at Hermosa Beach Open volleyball

Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser beat John Mayer and Mike Prosser for their fifth straight title at event, while April Ross and Jen Kessy beat Rachel Scott and Elaine Youngs for their first title at Hermosa Beach.

Two top-seeded teams took two titles at the Hermosa Beach Open on Sunday, but the wins had very different meanings.

For Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, their 21-14, 21-11 victory over No. 13-seeded John Mayer and Mike Prosser was their fifth straight title at Hermosa.

But April Ross and Jen Kessy had never won at Hermosa despite years of success on the AVP tour; their 21-17, 21-14 sweep of No. 3-seeded Rachel Scott and Elaine Youngs was their first title at that event.

“You always hope this is the year,” Kessy said.

Rogers and Dalhausser played Mayer and Prosser in both teams’ first match of the day Sunday, winning, 21-17, 21-19. The final wasn’t nearly as close.

“For whatever reason we do play at a higher level in the finals,” Rogers said. “He serves and blocks better, I side out better.”

Mayer and Prosser were the only finalists to come from the contenders bracket. They defeated the No. 2-seed team of John Hyden and Sean Scott as well as the No. 4-seeded duo of Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb on their way to the finals.

“It wasn’t in the plan,” Mayer said. “As a 13-seed you don’t expect to go to the final. But at the same time, you get there, you plan on winning.”

But Rogers and Dalhausser were just too good. The two teams played evenly to 7-7 in the second game before Rogers and Dalhausser scored six straight to pull away.

“That was a pretty errorless effort by them,” Prosser said. “They made maybe one or two errors. When they play that good of volleyball it’s obviously extremely difficult, no matter who you are: the 13-seed in the AVP or the 2-seed in the FIVB or the best team in Brazil.”

Kessy and Ross were the finals’ fresh faces compared to Scott and Youngs; at least one of those players has appeared in 10 of the last 11 finals at Hermosa. Youngs has won the event five times.

Scott and Youngs took an early 9-5 lead in the first game, but Kessy and Ross tied it at 10-10 with a 5-1 run before taking the lead for good. In the second game, Kessy and Ross led from the beginning.

Scott, who returned to beach volleyball this season after sitting out 2009 because of the birth of her son, Koa, was disappointed after the match.

“We had chances today in the final and just gave up too many points,” she said.

The top-seeded team started out slowly, losing its first game Saturday to No. 32-seeded Diane Copenhagen and Jaimi Gregory. They came back to win the match, however, and did not need a third game again for the rest of the tournament.

“If you lose the first game you don’t lose the match,” Ross said. “You always have an opportunity to win.”

After beginning the season with a fifth-place and third-place finish, the duo has won the last four AVP events.

“It’s one at a time,” Ross said. “But you know, I want five. I want five, I want six, I want seven. I know it’s very greedy, but we’re going to keep playing as hard as we can.”

laura.myers@latimes.com