Sean Rosenthal

Three locals earned runner-up finishes in the finals of the AVP Riverside Open Sunday. April Ross, a former Newport Harbor High star, teamed with Jen Kessey to reach the women’s final, where the No. 2-seeded duo lost, 21-18, 21-14, to top-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs. Ross and Kessey are now 0-9 in AVP finals. In the men’s title match, Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and Corona del Mar resident Sean Rosenthal, the No. 2 seeds, fell to top-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, 17-21, 21-19, 15-8.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Former Newport Harbor High product April Ross, along with Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and Corona del Mar resident Sean Rosenthal went undefeated Friday to move on to today’s third round at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Huntington Beach Open. Ross and her teammate Jen Kessy, the No. 2-seeded duo, defeated Katie Lee Carter and Sara Fredrickson in the first round, 21-11, 21-13. In the second round, Ross and Kessy beat Keao Burdine and Angela Lewis, 21-12, 21-17.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Misty May-Treanor, a former Newport Harbor High star, and Kerri Walsh advanced to today’s semifinals of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ Dallas Open Saturday. The top-seeded duo, bound for the Olympics, defeated fellow Newport Harbor alumna April Ross and her partner, Jen Boss, 15-21, 21-18, 15-13, in the quarterfinals. On the men’s side, Matt Fuerbringer, the former Estancia High standout, and Casey Jennings, seeded No. 2, defeated the No. 3-seeded team of Anthony Medel and Fred Souza to advance to today’s semifinals.

LONG BEACH — Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and partner Sean Rosenthal upset fellow Olympians Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, 21-14, 21-14, Saturday to claim the men’s title at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Long Beach Open at Marina Green Park. Gibb and Rosenthal handed the reigning world champions their third loss of the season, their first in 38 matches. It was the second title of the year for Gibb and Rosenthal, who split the $25,000 winning purse. Estancia High product Matt Fuerbringer, playing with Casey Jennings, and Newport Harbor High product Ty Tramblie, paired with Mike Morrison, each finished tied for ninth, splitting $2,875.

MANHATTAN BEACH — Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and Corona del Mar resident Sean Rosenthal won their first Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Manhattan Beach Open title as a team Sunday. Gibb and Rosenthal, the Beijing Olympians and third seeds, beat the No. 5-seeded team of Matt Olson and Kevin Wong, 21-17, 23-21. “This was the biggest win of our partnership, and my career, hands down,” said Gibb, who won the Manhattan Beach Open in 2005 with Stein Metzger.

BOSTON — With just two more events left on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tour, things are bound to start winding down. But top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh looked to be in top form at the Boston Open Friday. May-Treanor and Walsh were 2-0 in the main draw and will face No. 4 Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder today in the women's quarterfinal. The world champions defeated Katie and Tracy Lindquist 21-10, 21-14 in less than half an hour to advance. Costa Mesa resident Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger advanced to the men's quarterfinal after defeating Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings, 21-17, 21-14.

April Ross and Jennifer Boss took second place in the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ Charleston, S.C. tournament after falling 22-20, 21-15 to top-seeded Nicole Branaugh and Elaine Youngs in Saturday night’s final. Ross, a graduate of Newport Harbor High, and Boss notched their best finish of the season so far to split $15,000 in prize money. Before Saturday their best finish was third in the Miami Open. Ty Tramblie, another former Sailor, and Mike Morrison finished fifth and took home $6,000 after losing, 21-16, 21-18, to Matt Olson and Kevin Wong in the fourth round of loser’s bracket play.

UC Irvine ace Matt Summers, the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year, added another honor to his impressive season as he was was named a Baseball America third-team All-American. Summers went undefeated in the Big West, compiling an 8-0 record and finished his year with an 11-4 mark. The right-handed pitcher helped UCI reach a NCAA Super Regional at the University of Virgina. It was UCI's second super regional appearance. The Anteaters also have seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

Esther Lofgren, a Newport Harbor High product, is a part of the U.S. women's eight who advanced to Sunday's final of the Rowing World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland. The U.S. women's eight were in one of two heats and need to finish in the top two to reach Sunday's final. The United States, the reigning world champions, competed for the first time in an international race this season. The women's eight showed few flaws. Despite a last-minute change to its crew and two of its athletes racing in the morning, the United States outclassed the rest of the crews.

Kirby Burnham and Cinnamon Sary will have more than enough to write about if asked to give details about their summer when they go back to Newport Harbor High in a few weeks. Burnham, a senior outside hitter for the Sailors, and teammate Sary, a sophomore setter, won the girls’ 18-and-under title in the California Beach Volleyball Assn. tournament in Huntington Beach Saturday. As the championship team, Burnham and Sary qualified to play in the Manhattan CBVA Championships Sept.

BERLIN — Sharon Day, regarded by many as the greatest athlete from Costa Mesa High, earned the eighth spot after four events in the heptathlon at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany Saturday. Day’s highest finish came in the high jump. She cleared 1.89 meters (6.2 feet) to take second and earned 1,093 points. She finished fourth in the shot put with a mark of 13.42 meters (44.04 feet), a personal best, and garnered 755 points. She was eighth in the 200 meters, third in her heat, finishing in 25.15 seconds.

BY TONY LEE HERMOSA BEACH — Fatigue might’ve been a factor for the local duo of Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ Hermosa Beach Open Sunday, but these two wouldn’t admit to it. “No,” was the one-word answer Rosenthal gave when asked about fatigue of playing in a tournament-high seven matches at Hermosa Beach, including a 66-minute battle between Estancia High product Matt...

HERMOSA BEACH — The local-based duo of Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal will have to show some fight today if they want to win back-to-back Assn. Volleyball Professional beach tour events. The Manhattan Beach champs did find some fire in their last match Saturday at the Hermosa Beach Open and are still alive, playing in today’s contender’s bracket finals. If they win they advance to the semifinals, where the No. 2-seeded team of John Hyden and Sean Scott will be waiting.

MANHATTAN BEACH — Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and Corona del Mar resident Sean Rosenthal won their first Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Manhattan Beach Open title as a team Sunday. Gibb and Rosenthal, the Beijing Olympians and third seeds, beat the No. 5-seeded team of Matt Olson and Kevin Wong, 21-17, 23-21. “This was the biggest win of our partnership, and my career, hands down,” said Gibb, who won the Manhattan Beach Open in 2005 with Stein Metzger.

THREE LOCALS ALIVE MANHATTAN BEACH — Three local men remain alive in contention for the championship of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Manhattan Beach Beach Open, which ends today. The No. 3-seeded team of Corona del Mar resident Sean Rosenthal and Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb need to win their first match today to advance to the semifinals. Matt Fuerbringer, a former Estancia High standout, also needs a win this morning to move on to the semifinals. Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, the No. 2-seeded team, defeated Gibb and Rosenthal, 21-17, 21-15, in the quarterfinals of the winnner’s bracket.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Corona del Mar resident Sean Rosenthal was all over the sand late in the match, digging up everything that Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers could throw at him. Rosenthal and Rogers went back and forth with their defensive wizardry, refusing to allow any ball to hit the ground and creating crazy rallies for the fans at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Crocs Tour Huntington Beach Open. In the end, though, it was a missed dig late in the first game that Rosenthal bemoaned as he and partner Jake Gibb, a Costa Mesa resident, fell to top-seeded Dalhausser and Rogers, 22-20, 21-17, in the men’s championship match Sunday.

HUNTINGTON BEACH — While much of the talk at the Huntington Beach Open was about a certain baby, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal made sure they weren’t the ones left crying. Gibb, a Costa Mesa resident, and Rosenthal of Corona del Mar weren’t about to gift-wrap a victory for new father Casey Jennings, and his teammate Matt Fuerbringer, an Estancia High product. Jennings’ wife, Kerri Walsh, delivered a healthy baby boy, Joseph Michael Jennings, Friday night.