Teams earn spot in Huntington Beach Open
Mike Sciacca
Two semipro teams earned an automatic seeding in the upcoming
Huntington Beach Open following strong performances at the California
Beach Volleyball Assn.’s Bud Light Six Pack Open men’s and women’s
tournaments last weekend at the Huntington Beach Pier.
The tandem of Ryan Cronin and Anthony Mihalic qualified in the
Men’s Open Division. In the Women’s Open Division, Mary Baily of
Calabasas and Arcadia Berjonneau of Hermosa Beach were the qualifying
team.
The victories reserved a spot for the teams in the Huntington
Beach Open, which is part of the 2003 Assn. of Volleyball
Professionals tour.
The Huntington Beach Open will be held Aug. 14 through 17 at the
Huntington Beach Pier.
Cronin and Mihalic, both of Hermosa Beach, are ranked 35th in the
latest CBVA rankings.
Mihalic currently is ranked 18th in the national semi-pro men’s
rankings and Cronin is 35th.
Huntington Beach’s Chris Kosty and teammate Mark Paaluhi of
Redondo Beach finished seventh in the men’s event won by the team of
Katsuhiro Shiratori and Satoshi Watamabe.
The Bud Light Six Pack Open is one of 15 open tournaments on the
2003 CBVA schedule.
The semi-pro event is sanctioned by the AVP and is considered part
of the AVPNext Semi-pro Circuit.
“This past weekend saw over 130 male and female teams compete at
the Huntington Beach Pier,” said Phil Stutzel, CBVA tournament
director. “If not for the cooperation of the city and support of our
sponsors, none of this would be possible.
“The CBVA is proud of its affiliation with the AVPNext Semipro
Circuit and honored to offer the opportunity of providing players a
shot to compete on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.”
To gain entry into an AVP event like the Huntington Beach Open,
semi-pro players must compete in tournaments such as the Bud Light
Six Pack Open in order to earn automatic qualification to select AVP
Open tournaments.
Huntington Beach is the seventh stop on the 10-city 2003 AVP tour.
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