After high winds and heavy rain cancelled play on Saturday, the AVP Crocs Tour Panama City Open continued Sunday with an abbreviated, single-elimination tournament where top seeds and Olympians Phil Dalhausser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Todd Rogers (Solvang, Calif.) took home their first 2009 AVP Crocs Tour championship title of the season. Fellow Olympians Nicole Branagh (Torrance, Calif.) and Elaine Youngs (Durango, Colo.) took home the prize on the women’s side.
It was a battle of Beijing Olympians in the men’s final, with gold medalists Dalhausser and Rogers facing off against fellow Team USA members and No. 2 seeds Jake Gibb (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Sean Rosenthal (Corona Del Mar, Calif.). The gold medalists bested the fifth-place finishers 19-21, 21-18, 15-9.
“Jake and Sean played really well the first set and halfway through the second,” said Dalhausser. “Coming back was such a mental boost. We rarely play this many matches in a day, but we’re in pretty good shape as a team.”
Dalhausser and Rogers advanced to Sunday’s final after defeating No. 4 seeds Brad Keenan (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Florida State graduate Nick Lucena (Santa Barbara, Calif.) 21-12, 21-10. Gibb and Rosenthal reached the final by eliminating No. 6 seeds Matt Olson (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Kevin Wong (Honolulu) to the tune of 21-15, 21-10.
On the women’s side, the top seeds also bested the second-seeds, with Branagh and Youngs toppling Jen Kessy (San Clemente, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) in three games:16-21, 21-18, 15-9.
“Jen and April came out on fire serving,” said Youngs. “But we put the pressure on them with our serving and Nicole played incredible defense. When you play single elimination, you go point by point, balls to the wall, play smart, play aggressive.”
Youngs claimed her 43rd career title, solidifying her spot in the Top 10 career wins on the women’s side. 2008 AVP Crocs Tour Most Improved Player Branagh claimed her 8th.
Branagh and Youngs advanced to the final by defeating No. 4 seeds Angie Akers (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Tyra Turner (Fort Myers Beach, Fla.) 30-28, 21-13. Kessy and Boss took out No, 3 seeds Annett Davis (Valencia, Calif.) and Jenny Johnson Jordan (Wexford, Pa.), 21-19, 19-21, 21-19.
For the first time ever, the AVP is streaming both live video and audio directly from the beach on AVP TV at AVP.com. Fans can watch the action as it happens, as well as live looping with the Stadium Court Jumbotron. The combination of live video, audio, and Jumbotron programming make AVP TV the closest thing to being at an event.
The AVP Crocs Panama City Open took place in front of Sharky’s Beach Front Restaurant & Tiki Bar, located in the heart of Panama City Beach. The 2009 AVP Crocs Tour continues April 17-19 in Riverside, Calif. For more information about the AVP Crocs Tour, please visit
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2009 AVP CROCS TOUR PANAMA CITY BEACH OPEN March 27
2009 AVP CROCS TOUR PANAMA CITY BEACH OPEN March 27
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