MANHATTAN BEACH, California — Half the semifinals await.

On the women’s side of the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, top-seeded April Ross and Alix Klineman play the winner of Sunday morning’s battle between second-seeded Olympians Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil and AVP Atlanta-champions Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss.

In the other semifinal, third-seeded Emily Day and Betsi Flint await and winner of the match between 20th-seeded Brazilians Larissa Franca and Liliane Maestrini and fourth-seeded Canadian Olympian Brandie Wilkerson and Sara Hughes.

The men’s side semifinalists are top-seeded and AVP Atlanta-champions Chase Budinger and Casey Patterson and third-seeded Theo Brunner and Chaim Schalk.

Budinger-Patterson await the winner of Sunday’s match between upstarts Billy Allen and Andy Benesh play ninth-seeded John Hyden and Ricardo Santos.

And in a match with more subplots — Olympics, brotherhood and otherwise — Brunner-Schalk play the winner of the match between Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb against Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb.

Ross and Klineman, the USA pair that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, have only played three times. They won twice Saturday, sweeping ninth-seeded Kloth and Nuss and then Hughes and Wilkerson. Day and Flint on Saturday swept sixth-seeded Karissa Cook and Kelly Reeves and then Claes and Sponcil.

Budinger and Patterson took a similar route. They swept John Hyden and Ricardo Santos and then had to go three to get past Bourne and Trevor Crabb.

Allen and Benesh got everyone’s attention by upsetting Olympians Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb before losing to Brunner and Schalk.

AVP Manhattan Beach photo gallery 8/21/2021-Larissa Franca
Larissa Franca digs a spike/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Results courtesy of BVBinfo.com
WOMEN
Winners bracket
Round 3
Alix Klineman/April Ross (1) def. Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (9) 21-9, 21-19
Sara Hughes/Brandie Wilkerson (4) def. Emily Hartong/Corinne Quiggle (12) 21-15, 21-15
Emily Day/Betsi Flint (3) def. Karissa Cook/Kelly Reeves (6) 21-18, 22-20
Kelly Claes/Sarah Sponcil (2) def. Tina Graudina/Megan Kraft (23) 21-13, 21-19
Round 4
Alix Klineman/April Ross (1) def. Sara Hughes/Brandie Wilkerson (4) 21-16, 21-19
Emily Day/Betsi Flint (3) def. Kelly Claes/Sarah Sponcil (2) 21-17, 21-19
Contenders bracket
Round 2
Lexy Denaburg/Maria Clara Salgado (15, Q1) def. Megan Rice/Sarah Schermerhorn (7) 21-17, 21-15
Delaney Mewhirter/Brooke Sweat (13) def. Susannah Muno/Savannah Simo (11) 21-17, 21-17
Larissa Franca/Liliane Maestrini (20) def. Terese Cannon/Emily Stockman (5) 19-21, 21-13, 15-5
Falyn Fonoimoana/Geena Urango (16) def. Mackenzie Ponnet/Sheila Shaw (8) 19-21, 21-15, 15-12
Round 3
Emily Hartong/Corinne Quiggle (12) def. Lexy Denaburg/Maria Clara Salgado (15, Q1) 21-14, 23-21
Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (9) def. Delaney Mewhirter/Brooke Sweat (13) 21-23, 21-13, 15-12
Larissa Franca/Liliane Maestrini (20) def. Tina Graudina/Megan Kraft (23) 19-21, 21-16, 15-11
Karissa Cook/Kelly Reeves (6) def. Falyn Fonoimoana/Geena Urango (16) 21-15, 21-13
Round 4
Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (9) def. Emily Hartong/Corinne Quiggle (12) 21-17, 21-17
Larissa Franca/Liliane Maestrini (20) def. Karissa Cook/Kelly Reeves (6) 21-19, 21-13
MEN
Winners bracket
Round 3
Chase Budinger/Casey Patterson (1) def. John Hyden/Ricardo Santos (9) 21-18, 21-18
Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb (4) def. Paul Lotman/Miles Partain (12) 21-17, 21-18
Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk (3) def. Skylar del So/Ed Ratledge (11) 21-16, 21-15
Billy Allen/Andy Benesh (10) def. Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb (2) 12-21, 21-18, 16-14
Round 4
Chase Budinger/Casey Patterson (1) def. Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb (4) 18-21, 21-17, 15-9
Theo Brunner/Chaim Schalk (3) def. Billy Allen/Andy Benesh (10) 21-13, 21-17
Contenders bracket
Round 2
TJ DeFalco/Nick Lucena (7) def. Jacob Landel/Lev Priima (16, Q5) 21-18, 21-16
Evan Cory/Logan Webber (14) def. Andrew Dentler/Jon Ferrari (21, Q8) 21-14, 19-21, 15-12
Peter Connole/Silila Tucker (19) def. Tim Bomgren/Jeremy Casebeer (5) 21-18, 21-14
Miles Evans/Piotr Marciniak (8) def. Avery Drost/Grant O’Gorman (17, Q6) 24-22, 21-17
Round 3
Paul Lotman/Miles Partain (12) def. Torey DeFalco/Nick Lucena (7) 21-12, 21-17 (0:48)
John Hyden/Ricardo Santos (9) def. Evan Cory/Logan Webber (14) 21-18, 21-19
Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb (2) def. Peter Connole/Silila Tucker (19) 21-10, 21-13
Skylar del Sol/Ed Ratledge (11) def. Miles Evans/Piotr Marciniak (8) 19-21, 21-15, 15-10
Round 4
John Hyden/Ricardo Santos (9) def. Paul Lotman/Miles Partain (12) 21-16, 21-23, 16-14
Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb (2) def. Sklar del Sol/Ed Ratlege (11) 21-15, 21-15
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