Beach volleyball duos have their memories in sand

It was an afternoon of goodbyes on the sand.

Of course, they weren’t long goodbyes on Sunday in Huntington Beach because beach volleyball remains a wonderfully efficient sport. If you blink, you might miss a turning point.

In short, one team finished the domestic beach volleyball season with another victory, capping off a nearly flawless run on the Jose Cuervo tour. Two men put an indelible stamp of ownership on Southern California beachfront, a hat trick of wins this summer: Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and now Huntington Beach.

And, lastly, another duo crafted the closing chapter of a long and successful partnership.

The Huntington Beach final was it for Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, who were together for seven years, including two Olympic appearances. Sean Scott and John Hyden beat Gibb and Rosenthal, 21-15, 21-12, in the Jose Cuervo National Championships.

Earlier, Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik defeated Rachel Scott and Lauren Fendrick, 21-14, 21-18, in the women’s final. This was their sixth title on the tour this season; their only loss was at the Milwaukee Shootout in early August, but that does not factor in the series standings.

“Finishing it off here in Huntington Beach — I grew up in Laguna Beach — so I have so many of my friends and family here,” Pavlik said. “I have family and friends that traveled from different states to be here to watch. It was great doing it in front of them, and now they get to be a part of this with me.”

In the men’s final, Scott and Hyden had one ace each and combined for 22 kills. They also tinkered with their game plan, which led to a well-rounded performance.

“Usually we come out ripping our serves,” Hyden said. “I decided, ‘Hey, I’m going to try this.’ And Sean was going to hit his serves, too, and that way I keep mine in a lot more and he just goes after it.”

There will be no rest for some of the tired athletes. Scott is planning to go to Japan, and Kropp and Pavlik are headed to an event in Thailand. Scott spoke about the effort of his wife, Rachel, who had their second child last year.

“It’s been a long season and trying to come back, find a partner, get in shape and balance taking care of the kids, because she does the lion’s share so I can focus more on training,” he said. “To see her come out and get to a final, I was really, really happy for her.”

Hyden joked about the challenge ahead for him.

“I turn 40 in two weeks, so I’m going to try to get through that,” he said, smiling.

Rosenthal will be starting a partnership with Phil Dalhausser, and Gibb is in the selection process.

“It was nice to finish up here and play well and put ourselves in position to win a tournament,” Rosenthal said. “We ran into Sean and John when they were playing one of their best games. They deserved this one.

“It’s been a great seven years with Jake.”

Said Gibb: “We reached the million-dollar winnings mark this weekend, so that was special to run that with him. Amazing. We accomplished more than I would have ever guessed when we first got together.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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