Manhattan Beach Kids Take Beach Volleyball Titles

When Matt Hilling and partner Andrew Sato lost to Nick Porterfield and Skyler McCoy in pool play of the 21st Annual Junior Manhattan Open Saturday, they knew there would be a good chance they would see the pair again and that they would need a different strategy to beat them.

Using a different strategy is exactly what the duo did when they met Porterfield and McCoy later on Saturday in the 18 and under championship, exacting revenge by beating their rival duo, 28-21, to earn the coveted beach volleyball Manhattan Open title.

“We didn’t play well in our first match against them in pool play,” said Hilling. “We knew that if we played them again we were going to use a different strategy. We decided that we would go over on two and not let them set up for the block against Andrew.”

Huntington Beach resident Hilling and Agoura resident Sato, who was a first team All Marmonte League selection last season, jumped out early in the championship match and never looked back on a picturesque but long grueling day on the sand in Manhattan Beach.

“It was a long and hot day,” McCoy said of the championship match. “I thought we could have beaten them again but they changed their strategy and we didn’t. It’s really just that simple.”

In the 12 and under girl’s division, Hermosa Beach's Sunny Villapando and Manhattan Beach's Presley Forbes continued their domination of every tournament they play in, winning 28-17 Saturday.

“It was awesome today,” said Villapando. “We play really well together and are getting better at every tournament.”

Villapando, who attends Hermosa Valley Middle School, and Forbes, who attends Manhattan Beach Middle School, have been playing with each other for two years. achieving much success, winning the last ten tournaments they have entered.

“We work well together,” said Forbes of her partnership with Villapando. “We have good instincts of knowing where the other will be.”

Bay Area residents Joe Worsley and Jordan Ewert of the Pacific Rim volleyball club won the 14 and under division with an exciting victory over Redondo Beach resident Tanner Smith and Manhattan Beach resident Blake Markland.

Worsley and Ewert jumped out to a 13-4 lead before Smith and Markland closed the gap to 15-11. The score was 21-18 before Worsley and Ewert closed out the game by scoring seven of the last ten points to secure the win.

“I would have liked to win but we played hard and gave it our all,” said Smith, who was proudly sporting his Rosie Raider (Sean Rosenthal) shirt. “They were a good team and came from a long way, but I don’t think we played our best and would love to see them again sometime.”

Smith and Markland were coached by Smith’s father Dale, who has been credited by AVP great Rosenthal with teaching him the game of beach volleyball.

The 39-court tournament, widely considered one of the bigger youth tournaments of the year, had 380 players on 190 teams which made for a long week for event organizer JP Saikley.

“We only have 28 courts built in, so for the past two nights I have been out here digging four-foot holes so that we could put in stakes for the kids to play on,” said Saikley.

Much like his father, Saikley credits his love for the game as the reason he is so passionate about putting on a great tournament for the kids.

“This is what I do and have been doing my whole life,” he said. “Is it tiring to put in all those stakes? Yes. Is it more important that these kids have a great time at my tournament? Yes.”

Kylee Wolfe of Long Beach and Mary Hernandez of Long Beach won the 16 and under girls championship while Redondo Beach resident April Bustamante and Manhattan Beach resident Olivia Rodberg won the 14 and under division.