Sean Scott, John Hyden finish strong to win Hermosa Beach Open
Sean Scott and John Hyden opened this year’s Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series with a win in its first event in May in Florida.
It wasn’t unusual. Scott and Hyden are one of the top U.S. duos in the sport. That win was their 14th together since 2009.
But after that event, Scott suffered a lower-back injury that kept their team from a podium finish in each of the next two Jose Cuervo events.
On Sunday, they made their return, winning the Hermosa Beach Open, where the top-seeded tandem took down the second-seeded pair of Brad Keenan and John Mayer, 21-19, 21-23, 15-9.
“We knew we wanted to come prove that we’re not on our way out,” Hyden said after he and Scott received the first-place check for $11,000.
Scott and Hyden played their best in the final set. They built an 11-8 lead and then outscored Keenan and Mayer 4-1 to secure their win.
Scott said that he’s still not 100% but that he’s getting there. As for the rhythm the two usually share on the court, he said that’s almost back too.
“At moments, I thought we played some really good ball,” Scott said. “I still feel there are some things we need to work on. The timing is still a little bit off, but it’s coming.”
Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik have steamrollered through the Jose Cuervo series this year, winning three straight events heading into Hermosa. The top-seeded women’s team rolled through this one too, winning its fourth consecutive event by beating the third-seeded duo of Jennifer Fopma and Brooke Sweat (21-15, 20-22, 17-15) in a heated final.
Kropp and Pavlik cruised through the first set, but Fopma and Sweat pushed the next two sets to be won on a tiebreaker. In the final set, Kropp picked up a kill at match point to secure the win for her and Pavlik.
“They brought it to us today,” Kropp said of Fopma and Sweat. “We had to work for it because they were not lying down.”
The duo won the $11,000 first-place prize and bounced back after a runner-up finish in Hermosa last year and a third-place finish here the year before that.
With their undefeated record in Jose Cuervo events this year, is it possible they could be bored?
“Oh, no, never,” Pavlik said, smiling. “It’s fun winning. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
The pair’s next event is a Jose Cuervo shootout in Milwaukee on Aug. 3-5.
twitter.com/BaxterHolmes
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
