Jennings, Salgado Win Hermosa Open

A last minute partnership turned out to be the difference in the men’s finals at the  on Sunday in Hermosa Beach.

Manhattan Beach local Casey Jennings teamed with Brazilian import Pedro Salgado for the first time to take down hometown hero and Hermosa Beach native Sean Rosenthal and partner Jake Gibb in straight games 21-18, 21-17. 

Jennings called Salgado a few weeks prior to the tournament but was unsure whether or not Salgado would be permitted to play due to a previous prohibition of foreign players. 

A late rule change from the  committee greenlit Salgado’s entry into the final domestic tour of the beach volleyball season. 

For Jennings, whose last open title in Hermosa Beach came in 2005, winning with a new partner before a capacity crowd was something special. 

"It’s so good to be home [in the U.S.] and it means everything to win a final," Jennings said.

He has spent much of the beach volleyball season playing internationally in the FIVB [Federation Internationale de Volleyball] tour. 

Both games for Jennings and Salgado saw Rosenthal and Gibb go on big runs to take the lead early. But, in each contest, Salgado and Jennings saved their best for last, turning the tables and using late game runs to all but put away the 2008 Beijing Olympic contenders Gibb and Rosenthal. 

Rosenthal and Gibb had to battle their way through the losers’ bracket Sunday morning, forcing them to play several games in a row. After the loss, Rosenthal was quick to offer praise of the new partners. 

"We started both games ahead," he said. "We were up 12-9 in the first game and 10-6 in the second, but they made the plays late when it counted. We made them early, but they’re a real good team."

Late in the first game, Jennings and Salgado erased their 14-11 deficit with a 4-0 run to move ahead 15-14, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. 

Rosenthal and Gibb knotted the score at 17-17 but a big kill shot from Jennings followed by a block by Salgado pushed the lead to 19-17.  

Another block from Salgado, this time on Rosenthal, followed by a Jennings cut shot to the corner wrapped up game one. 

Game two followed a very similar pattern. A 4-0 run from Gibb and Rosenthal gave the No. 1 seed a 10-6 lead, but again Jennings and Salgado came back with a run of their own. 

Behind a 5-0 run that featured several key blocks from Salgado, with coupled timely defense from Jennings, the duo found themselves up 12-11. 

The teams traded points until Salgado recorded a crucial block to give his team a 17-15 advantage. A furious rally on the ensuing point, highlighted by several acrobatic digs from Rosenthal, ended with a Salgado kill to push the lead to 18-15. 

The teams traded points again, but Rosenthal’s kill try at 19-16 sailed wide to give Jennings and Salgado match point. Jennings recorded the final kill off of Gibb’s block attempt to seal the title.   

"This is why I started playing this game at a young age and I still love it," Jennings said after the win. "I love the sport so much and today is just the cherry on top of everything."

Salgado fondly recalled watching a Manhattan Beach Open final eight years ago when Jennings took on beach volleyball legend Karch Kiraly. He vowed to return one day in his own final.

Now, for the Brazilian who last played professionally in America as a wide-eyed 17-year-old boy who was unable to speak English, Sunday’s victory is something Salgado will "never forget," he said. 

"I know I wanted to be here one day to play in this atmosphere. It was very fun," Salgado said. "It’s a dream. I’ve always wanted to play here in Hermosa or Manhattan and now today I’m living my dream."

Women's play

In the women’s final, the top-seeded team of Jen Kessy and April Ross defeated Manhattan Beach Open champs Whitney Pavlik and Jenny Kropp in two sets, 21-12 and 21-16.

"We played Whitney and Jenny several times and have lost to them several times, including the match this morning. We didn’t want that to happen again," Ross said in a statement Sunday. "With this being our last tournament, we brought out the jump serves because we had nothing to lose."
 
Kessy added, "To play in front of all of the fans, our family and friends fed our adrenaline. We’re so happy to be here."

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