Huntington Beach - Week 3

This past weekend's tournament did not go according to our plans. It was a rough weekend and I am happy it is behind us. Our entire week was out of sorts and I was sick so we were not able to get in our usual practice.

On Tuesday, we flew to Louisville to promote the AVP Louisville Open. What a great volleyball community! It was Derby week, so there were all sorts of events going on around town. We went to Baxter Jack's where a sand volleyball tournament was being held. We played two exhibition games and talked to the media promoting our event Memorial Day weekend at Waterfront Park in downtown Louisville. It was a very quick trip. We arrived at 4PM on Tuesday evening and flew back to LA first thing Wednesday morning. It was really fun, but it was hard to fly all that way for such a short period of time. I have no idea how Misty, Kerri, and our other top players in Olympic contention manage doing stuff like that all season long. I definitely have a new found respect for their ability to manage it all.

We were seeded 7th in the tournament. We had a first round bye, then we played Mason/Kropp again in the second round. We blew it. We were really off and did not take care of our side of the net. By the time we got our kinks worked out, we were chasing from behind. It was not an ideal situation to be in. We lost and had to battle our way back in the contenders' bracket.

We then faced the 9th seeds, Ivy/Lowe. They were upset first round of play. It is not good when the 7th and 9th seeds are playing off and the loser takes a 17th place. I did not feel great in this match, but Holly was on fire! She was serving really tough and digging everything! She carried us to a victory. The win put us in 13th place.

Next we played Smith/Knopf to get to 9th place. The wind started picking up and becoming a real factor. We did not play well, but we won.

Our next match was against the Lindquists. It was 6PM by this time and the wind was howling. Huntington Beach is their home and they always do well at this tournament. This year would be no exception. They played like it was their home turf and controlled the match from the very start. We could not find a way to put the ball away against them and we lost. It was extremely frustrating. We finished 9th place.

That is all behind us. We are optimistic and moving forward from here. We certainly learned a lot and will be better because of it.

Saturday after the tournament, I did a celebrity bartending stint at the Sharky's in Huntington Beach. It was an absolute blast! I had no prior bartending experience, but loved the fast-paced, friendly atmosphere. What a great time! My friends from Cuervo and Real Water were all there to ensure that I had lots of people to serve! I had so much fun!

Now we are preparing for the Charleston Open. I leave on Tuesday and will have a day to adjust before we play on Thursday. My fingers are crossed that the weather is nicer to us this year than last year. It was fine while we played, but a huge storm flooded the courts the day before the tournament. I am sure it will all work out.

I am really excited to announce that Real Water is now the official water of the AVP Tour! How exciting! Once you try it, you will be hooked! It should be available nationwide soon! Keep an eye out for it!

Thanks for reading!

Angie