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B.J. Hoeptner Evans
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228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org
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 Jenny Kropp (left) and Jennifer Fopma (right) battle at the net on July 22 in Hermosa Beach |
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (July 22, 2012) – The No. 1 seeded women’s beach team of Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik won its fourth straight Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Series event on Sunday at the Hermosa Beach Open.
The No. 1 seeded men’s team of John Hyden (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Sean Scott (Kailua, Hawaii) won its second Pro Beach Tour event of the season, and the first since the pair won the opening tournament on May 25-27 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Kropp (Holly Glen, Calif.) and Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.) have won all four of the Pro Beach Tour events in which they’ve competed this season. The pair defeated Jennifer Fopma (Bellflower) and Brooke Sweat (Hermosa Beach) in Sunday’s women’s final, 21-15, 20-22, 17-15.
“That was close. Jennifer and Brooke were not laying down today. They were bringing it and made us work for it,” Kropp said. “It definitely helps to play in front of a large crowd. We can feel the energy and it gives us an extra boost.”
Pavlik added, “The crowd was just spectacular all weekend. Our energy was high because their energy was up and we feed off of that. It was an exhilarating finals to say the least!”
Hyden and Scott took home the men’s title when they prevailed over Brad Keenan (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and John Mayer (Culver City, Calif.), 22-20, 21-23, 15-9.
More than 50,000 fans attended over the three days, making the Hermosa Beach Open the most attended Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series event ever.
“Beach volleyball is back!” Scott said. “This feels so special. I train in Hermosa and I have my entire family here so this feels so great to bring home this win.”
The winning men’s and women’s teams from every Pro Beach Series stop will qualify for one of eight coveted spots to compete at the Milwaukee Shootout on Aug. 3-5 for the combined $60,000 prize purse.
After Sunday, Fopma/Sweat and Mayer/Keenan will join John Hyden/Sean Scott, Ryan Doherty/Casey Patterson, Ty Tramblie/Avery Drost, Whitney Pavlik/Jenny Kropp, Kristen Batt/Raquel Ferreira and Priscilla Lima/Tyra Turner who have already been entered from their Florida Open, Belmar Open and Chicago Open victories. Because Pavlik/Kropp, Hyden/Scott and Ryan Doherty/ Casey Patterson have won multiple stops, the runner-up teams from the Belmar Open, the Chicago Open and the Hermosa Beach Open have automatically filled the second men’s and women’s spots for the Shootout.