Briefs: Men’s Laguna Open starts June 4

Main Beach in Laguna Beach will be the site for the 61st annual Men’s Laguna Open beach volleyball tournament June 4-5.

The two-day, double-elimination tournament is a match-play format with a prize purse now at $5,000. The top 28 teams overall (by rating), and top four Laguna Beach teams (by rating), are guaranteed a spot in the main draw on June 4.

Tournament sponsorships are available and volunteers are being sought to help with both the women’s and men’s tournaments.

For all tournament information, email tournament director Kirk Morgan and kirkmorgan@cox.net.

—

The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Pro Beach Volleyball Tour hit Surf City last weekend for the AVP Huntington Beach Open.

In the two championship finals Sunday at the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier, the top-seeded team of April Ross (Costa Mesa) and teammate Kerri Walsh Jennings (Manhattan Beach) turned back the challenge of the No. 5-seeded team, Geena Urango (Los Alamitos) and Angela Bensend (Plano, Texas) in the women’s title match, 21-13, 21-16. In a scintillating and grueling men’s final, the No. 2 team of Huntington Jake Gibb (Huntington Beach) and Casey Patterson (Huntington Beach) withstood a serious challenge from brothers Trevor and Taylor Crabb (Honolulu) and held on for a 21-19, 23-21 win.

Whitney Pavlik of Laguna Beach and Sheila Shaw (Redondo Beach), the No. 6-seeded team, reached the women’s quarterfinal round and finished in equal-fifth place. Ty Loomis of Laguna Beach and Ed Ratledge (Huntington Beach) finished in equal-17th place in the men’s tournament.

Pavlik and Shaw finished equal-ninth and Loomis and Ratledge equal-13th at the first AVP tour stop of the season, last month’s New Orleans Open.

—

The USA Water Polo Men’s and Women’s Senior National Teams will play against international competition beginning May 20 when they host Australia for a series of games.

Both U.S. teams have qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games which start in August in Brazil.

The U.S. Men’s National Team won its second-straight game at the FINA Intercontinental Tournament by outscoring Japan Wednesday, 17-14, at Yokohama, Japan. The U.S. defeated Australia in a tournament opener Tuesday, 8-6.

Upcoming USA National Team Competition

May 20 : USA Men vs. Australia (Pomona Pitzer College, 7 p.m.)

May 22: USA Men/Women vs. Australia (USC Aquatic Center, 1 p.m.)

May 24: USA Women vs. Australia (Fresno St., 6 p.m.)

May 26: USA Women vs. Australia (Beckman High, 7 p.m.)

June 27: USA Women vs. Hungary (Miami, FL.,)

June 29: USA Women vs. Hungary (Greenwich, CT.)

July 2: USA Women vs. Hungary (Fordham University, N.Y.)

— From staff reports