The AVP Gold Series Atlanta Open witnessed an impressive performance from the top-seeded men’s team, Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, as they secured a thrilling quarterfinal victory over Chase Budinger and Miles Evans with a scoreline of 18-21, 21-18, 15-10 on Saturday. As the reigning Atlanta Open champions and the highest-ranked U.S. men’s team in Olympic qualifying, Benesh and Partain are determined to capitalize on their momentum, having already claimed one AVP championship in Huntington Beach and two international wins this season.
Their next challenge awaits them in the semifinals on Sunday against Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb, who are seeking to halt their path to another AVP title. The matchup promises to be intense and hard-fought, given that Brunner and Crabb are former partners of Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk, who faced each other for the first time on the AVP since their breakups. Bourne and Schalk managed to claim victory over their exes with a well-earned 16-21, 21-15, 15-11 win.
On the women’s side, the top two seeded teams, Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, and Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, displayed their dominance, maintaining their sweep streaks alive through Saturday’s play. Cheng and Hughes secured a 21-16, 29-27 victory against Brook Bauer and Katie Horton, while Kloth and Nuss made a strong statement with a convincing 21-16, 21-17 sweep over Canadian Olympians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson.
The women’s semifinals are set for Sunday morning, with Cheng and Hughes facing Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, and Kloth and Nuss taking on Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil. The anticipation for these matchups is high, as all four teams are ranked in the top four of the Olympic rankings, promising fierce battles on the sand.
The tournament’s action continues on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET at Atlantic Station, with the women’s finals scheduled for 12 p.m. and the men’s championship match at 1:30 p.m. General admission tickets are available for $25, and premium seating options can be purchased at www.AVP.com/tickets. For those unable to attend in person, the matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ and TSN+ in Canada for Stadium Court games, while the Bally Live app will cover all Court 1 matches. The men’s and women’s finals will be broadcasted live on ESPN2, starting at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 6.
The AVP Gold Series Atlanta Open continues its exciting journey with talented athletes competing in double-elimination brackets across three courts, bringing top-tier beach volleyball action to fans and spectators.
