Huntington Beach Delivers Spectacular Performances
Crabb & Sander Dominate in the Men’s Final
Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander delivered one of the most dominant performances in recent AVP history. Winning five straight matches in 10 consecutive sets, they cruised to an AVP Huntington Beach Open title without dropping a set. Their final match, a 21-15, 21-15 sweep over Seain Cook and Cody Caldwell, capped off a weekend in which they outscored opponents by 46 total points.
“They’re probably jealous right now,” Sander joked about their Olympic-chasing peers absent from Huntington Beach, who are competing in Portugal. Crabb echoed the sentiment, relishing in their home-court victory and the $15,000 prize money.
With this victory, Crabb and Sander secured one of the eight slots in the AVP League, ensuring their season will continue through November.
Humana-Paredes & Wilkerson Triumph in a Hard-Fought Women’s Final
Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson had a tougher road to victory. After an early quarterfinal loss to Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, they battled through the contender’s bracket, defeating Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft and then World Champions Kelly Cheng & Sara Hughes to earn a rematch against Nuss & Kloth in the finals.
In a thrilling three-set battle, Humana-Paredes put on a defensive masterclass, tallying 30 digs—more than any other player in the tournament. Their 23-21, 18-21, 15-13 victory marked their first AVP win since the 2023 Miami Open.
“We’ve been wanting this win for quite a while,” Wilkerson said. “We never gave up, and it showed.”
This win also earned them a berth in the AVP League, with seven spots still up for grabs in upcoming tournaments.
A Season of Possibilities
With so much on the line, AVP Huntington Beach proved to be an electrifying start to the season. Every point played a role in determining a player’s future in the AVP League. As the tour moves to Manhattan Beach in August and Chicago in September, the competition will only intensify. The road to the League is wide open—who will rise to the challenge next?
