By Mike Sciacca
September 18, 2014 | 1:15 a.m.
Reaching the peak. That's where Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb are aiming to ascend to this weekend. If their timing is on target, then the duo is primed for a big finish.
Patterson and Gibb, residents of Huntington Beach, will attempt to finish strong on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals 2014 tour when they compete along with other top athletes at the AVP Championships at the Huntington Beach Pier. The four-day event gets underway Thursday with Open Qualifying tournament play and runs daily leading up to the women's and men's finals on Sunday.
Patterson and Gibb (two-time U.S. Olympians), a new team on the block a year ago, are no longer a novice pair: They are the No. 1 seed on the men's side of the tournament.
The top-seeded team for the women's tournament is U.S. Olympians April Ross (Newport Harbor High/Costa Mesa) and Kerri Walsh Jennings (Manhattan Beach), who have been unstoppable in the current tour season.
For Patterson and Gibb, the AVP Championships presents them the opportunity to close out the tour on a three-tournament win streak. They have won the last two tour events, the DO AC Pro Beach Volleyball Invitational (Atlantic City, NJ) on Sept. 7 and the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 31.
Patterson and Gibb won their first tour event of the season Aug. 10 at the Salt Lake City Open. If they advance and win the men's title Sunday, it would give them four tour wins for the season which would match their tournament win total on last year's tour.
Patterson said that's the goal he and Gibb have set.
"This year (tour) has been real crazy," Patterson said. "There were a bunch of new teams, us included, a year ago and those teams are back this year, playing better than ever.
"This last tournament is pretty tough as you have the top five AVP teams who have medaled on the World Tour fighting for the title. The depth in this tournament runs deep."
The 2014 AVP Tour ($200,000 in prize money) staged seven tournaments from coast-to coast across the country beginning in May. Stops also have included St. Petersburg (Fla.), Milwaukee and Manhattan Beach.
A year ago, Patterson and Gibb won four straight tournaments (Cincinnati, Atlantic City, St. Petersburg and Santa Barbara). They reached the semifinals of the AVP Championships at the pier last year.
In addition to their three wins on the current tour, Patterson and Gibb finished second at St. Petersburg, third at Milwaukee, and seventh at Manhattan Beach.
"I think we are playing well as we come back home to finish up the tour," Patterson said. "I think the No. 1 thing about our success is that both of us bring the same, good, positive energy to the court whether or not we are playing well and poorly. That positive energy has allowed us to keep our focus.
"We didn't have the results we had hoped to get earlier in the tour, but I think we're going full throttle right now."
One team to have not let up on the throttle has been Ross and Walsh Jennings. The two have won each of the previous six women's tournaments, are 31-0 in matches this season and have the potential to finish 36-0 if they get through Huntington unscathed.
Ross and Walsh Jennings have dropped only three sets in the first six tournaments. They have faced Brooke Sweat (Costa Mesa) and Lauren Fendrick (Hermosa Beach) in five of the six finals, with all three of their set losses coming to Sweat/Fendrick in finals play.
Ross and Walsh Jennings, the latter who previously dominated the tour with Misty May Treanor, faced Summer Ross of Huntington Beach and Emily Day (Hermosa Beach) in the final of the DO AC Pro Beach Volleyball Invitational in Atlantic City (NJ) two weeks ago.
Teammates since last September, Ross and Walsh Jennings have won seven titles in eight tournament appearances.
"They are playing so well and at such a high level," said Whitney Pavlik of Laguna Beach who is teamed with Heather Hughes (Hermosa Beach) and is the No. 6-seed for the women's tournament. "They have been pretty much flawless together. Their skill sets are incredible and they are tough to beat."
The road to the title won't be easy for any team. Local players in the men's main draw include Brad Keenan (Fountain Valley High/Costa Mesa) and Ryan Doherty (Fountain Valley) and Theo Brunner (Fountain Valley).
Keenan and partner John Mayer (Mar Vista) won the St. Petersburg Open.
Ross (main draw) and Sarah Day (Huntington Beach, open qualifier) are competing on the women's side.
The tournament's main draw will feature a field of 16 two-player men's teams and 16 two-player women's teams. Local players have the opportunity to land a coveted spot in the main draw through an open qualifying tournament competition Thursday.
Also on tap Thursday is the AVPNext Championship Cup which includes the men's and women's champions from eight U.S. regions who will compete in a double-elimination tournament. The men's and women's winners also will earn a spot in the main draw.
General admission to the AVP Championships is free. VIP options also are available. Visithttp://www.AVP.com for more information.
AVP Championships Schedule
Thursday (8 a.m.-6 p.m.)
Open Qualifying Tournament
AVPNext Championship Cup
Friday
10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Main draw matches
Saturday
9 a.m.-6 p.m.: Main draw matches
Sunday
1 p.m.: Women's final
2 p.m.: Men's final
(Finals televised live on CBS Sports Network)
Twitter: @MikeSciacca