From Los Angeles Daily News: Jennings, April Ross poised to make history in AVP Championships

Huntington Beach Open: Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross poised to make history in AVP Championships

File photo: Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States celebrates during the gold medal match during the FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam on July 27, 2014 in Long Beach, Calif. On Saturday, she and teammate April Ross secured a spot in the AVP Championships final tomorrow. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images file) 

By From news services

POSTED: 09/20/14, 7:23 PM PDT |

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HUNTINGTON BEACH — Three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and teammate April Ross, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist, advanced easily to the semifinals of the $200,000 AVP Championships at Huntington Beach, sweeping their two matches in convincing fashion Saturday.

Walsh Jennings and Ross have won all six AVP tournaments this season, and can make history by winning every tournament on the schedule.

Saturday, the top-seeded tandem toppled eight-seeded Emily Stockman and Traci Weamer, 21-12, 21-16, then eased past fourth-seeded Lane Carico and Kim DiCello, 21-13, 21-8.

They’ll face an opponent to be determined in Sunday’s 10:25 a.m. women’s semifinals, with a spot in the 1 p.m. championship match on the line.

Walsh Jennings and Ross ran their 2014 AVP match mark to 34-0 and improved to 68-4 in set play.

Sixth-seeded Whitney Pavlik and Heather Hughes advanced to the other women’s semifinal, knocking off third-seeded Emily Day and Summer Ross and second-seeded Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat in the double-elimination tournament.

Top-seeded men Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson kept their hopes alive to win a third consecutive AVP tournament, and a fourth title in the past five events, by sweeping their two matches on Saturday. They up-ended eighth-seeded Avery Drost and Derek Olson, 21-12, 21-12, then beat fifth-seeded Todd Rogers and Theo Brunner, 21-14, 21-18.

Gibb and Patterson will play in an 11:30 a.m. semifinal today, while third-seeded Tri Bourne and John Hyden will be in the other.

Play begins today at 8:15 a.m. with contender’s bracket matches to advance to the semifinals. The women’s final (1 p.m.) and men’s final (2 p.m.) will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.