The New York Nitro (7-1) and Miami Mayhem (5-3) are effectively positioned to qualify for the AVP League playoffs. The Palm Seashore Ardour (3-5) and Brooklyn Blaze (2-6) have catching as much as do.
The modern League sequence strikes into the second half of its regular-season schedule and again outside in Week 5, taking part in within the 8,200-seat Delray Seashore Tennis Middle in South Florida. Doubleheaders are on the docket for Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon and Sunday’s late recreation between the Mayhem and Ardour is scheduled to air reside on CBS Sports activities Community from 3 p.m. to five p.m. Jap.
After constructing attendance momentum throughout indoor occasions in San Diego and Austin, Texas, within the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which swept throughout the Florida peninsula in mid-week, the AVP anticipates smaller turnouts in Delray Seashore, positioned in southern Palm Seashore County on the Atlantic Coast.
The climate image for Saturday evening is encouraging, with little probability of rain. The forecast for Sunday through the day is extra problematic, with attainable thunderstorms and an 80% menace of rain. The AVP indicated that competitors might be held as scheduled and that the tennis stadium was undamaged through the storm.
The video games in Week 5 loom as pivotal for all the groups. Right here’s why:
- With a two-game benefit within the standings, the first-place Nitro seem locked in to one of many 4 spots within the postseason and one other robust effort would improve their possibilities of incomes the highest seed.
- The Mayhem technically stand second, with tiebreaker factors giving them an edge over the Austin Aces and Dallas Dream, are also 5-3, who’re idle this week. The difference-maker for the Mayhem figures to be their recreation on Saturday evening towards the Nitro. Extra on that later.
- Deadlocked in fifth with the idle LA Launch, the “hometown” Ardour doubtless have to go at the very least 3-1 to have a sensible shot at stepping into the playoffs. That doesn’t appear to be a bridge too far, with a recreation towards the Blaze and a rematch from Week 2 with the Mayhem. Olympic silver medalists Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson have break up their matches in every of their first two League stops and a 2-0 effort right here would hardly be a shock.
- The Blaze discover themselves in a make-or-break situation. One other sub-.500 weekend would guarantee a dropping file and for all functions get rid of the Blaze from postseason rivalry. They’re seventh within the League standings, with a one-point edge in tiebreaker factors over the idle San Diego Smash. However Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon supplied them with a ray of hope final week after they knocked off USA Olympians Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss of the Dream in straight units.
The sport between the Nitro and the Mayhem not solely carries vital implications within the standings, however intriguing matchups as effectively.
On the lads’s aspect, the charismatic Crabb brothers renew their rivalry, which has gone on by means of quite a few companion modifications by each since older sibling Trevor and Taylor break up as a pair in 2016. Their wildly entertaining “Crabb boils” usually stoke the aggressive juices of each brothers.
Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander of the Nitro have gained three of their 4 matches within the League, falling solely to USA OIympians Miles Partain and Andy Benesh (the one undefeated duo on the lads’s aspect) in a sweep. Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner likewise are 3-1, their lone loss coming in a three-setter towards Partain-Benesh. These pairs have met one different time in 2024, when Trevor and Theo gained in three within the Manhattan Seashore Open semifinals on their technique to placing their names on the pier. By any metric, the “Crabb boil” on Saturday is a toss-up.
The Nitro’s Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, the reigning World Champions, are the lone 4-0 duo among the many eight ladies’s pairs. The USA Olympians have gained each match in straight units. However their opposition on Saturday, April Ross and Alix Klineman, sport gaudy resumes of their very own that embrace the Olympic gold medal within the 2021 Tokyo Video games.
Returning to aggressive seaside volleyball after prolonged pregnancy-related absences, the 42-year-old Ross and Klineman, 34, have gone 2-2 within the League. Their most noteworthy victory is important, nevertheless, coming towards Canada’s Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson.
Regardless of the historic success of each pairs worldwide, this marks the primary assembly all-time between Cheng-Hughes and Ross-Klineman.
“Oh, wow, for Kelly and I taking part in as companions, yeah, I suppose so,” Hughes instructed us, delving deep into her reminiscence financial institution. “We follow towards (Ross and Klineman) and we’ve seen them earlier than many instances, so I’m wanting ahead to the possibility to compete towards them.
“Alix and April are veterans who don’t make an entire lot of errors. They’re very constant,” added Sara, whose per-set common of 5.0 digs is tops on the ladies’s aspect. “We’ve to be aggressive with our serving and have an excellent recreation plan with our block. Alix (at 6-foot-5) is among the tallest blockers on tour, so we’ve to ensure we do an excellent job in transferring her block round.”
Their rematch from Week 1 on Sunday towards Kraft and Cannon shouldn’t be seen as a “gimme” for Cheng and Hughes. Up-and-comers Megan and Terese pushed Kelly and Sara to 16-14, 15-13 scores within the first assembly and so they doubtless gained an enormous confidence enhance with the gorgeous sweep of TKN.
“We’ve performed that staff loads,” Hughes famous. “With Terese and Meg, they will come out firing actually quick, and are a very good serving staff. Once more, (the 6-foot-3 Cannon is) one other huge blocker. The large factor for us towards them is sticking to our recreation plan and attempting to (decrease) errors. Tall blocker, tall defender (Kraft stands 6-foot) and each bodily. We’ve to push them fairly arduous as a result of we are able to’t afford any letup towards a staff like that.”
The Taylors outscored the Blaze’s pair of Cody Caldwell and Seain Cook dinner by a mixed 30-21 rating within the League’s “pace units” to fifteen of their first assembly.
“We actually take pleasure in being partnered up with the Taylors,” Hughes mentioned. “They’re a reasonably calm, chill kind of staff. We attempt to fireplace them up just a little. In the end, they’re such a dynamic pair and superior to observe. The chemistry we’ve between our two groups is absolutely enjoyable.”
In the meantime, Caldwell and Cook dinner will attempt to bounce again from a disastrous 0-2 weekend in Austin. Their different match comes on Saturday towards the Ardour’s Phil Dalhausser and Avery Drost, who are also 1-3 total after choosing up their first victory final week in a tense three-setter (16-14 within the tiebreaker) over the Launch’s Tim Bomgren and Troy Discipline. That “W” appeared to elevate the spirits of Drost, who has been relentlessly focused by opponents, having taken 106 complete swings to Dalhausser’s 36.
Phil and Avery draw a frightening job Sunday on nationwide TV, squaring off towards the Mayhem’s Trevor Crabb and Brunner. After assembly Kraft-Cannon on Saturday, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson have a high-profile encounter towards Ross and Klineman to open the CBSSN telecast.
On the decision within the sales space from South Florida might be Camryn Irwin, Wealthy Lambourne and Casey Patterson. The weekend streaming/TV schedule has the 2 video games on Saturday evening and the primary recreation on Sunday streamed reside on the free Bally Dwell app and ballylive.com. These six matches might be archived on the AVP’s free YouTube channel shortly after completion. The second recreation on Sunday might be telecast completely on the CBS Sports activities Community cable channel.
Listed below are the lineups on the Delray Seashore Tennis Middle for the fifth of eight regular-season AVP League weekends:
Saturday
New York Nitro (7-1) vs. Miami Mayhem (5-3)
Girls (6 p.m. Jap): Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes (Nitro, 4-0) vs. April Ross and Alix Klineman (Mayhem, 2-2).
Males (7 p.m.): Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander (Nitro, 3-1) vs. Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner (Mayhem, 3-1).
Brooklyn Blaze (2-6) vs. Palm Seashore Ardour (3-5)
Girls (8 p.m.): Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon (Blaze, 1-3) vs. Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (Ardour, 2-2).
Males (9 p.m.): Cody Caldwell and Seain Cook dinner (Blaze, 1-3) vs. Phil Dalhausser and Avery Drost (Ardour, 1-3).
Sunday
New York Nitro vs. Brooklyn Blaze
Girls (1 p.m. Jap): Cheng-Hughes (Nitro) vs. Kraft-Cannon (Blaze).
Males (2 p.m.): Taylor Crabb-Sander (Nitro) vs. Caldwell-Cook dinner (Blaze).
Miami Mayhem vs. Palm Seashore Ardour
Girls (3 p.m.): Ross-Klineman (Mayhem) vs. Humana-Paredes-Wilkerson (Ardour).
Males (4 p.m.): Trevor Crabb-Brunner (Mayhem) vs. Dalhausser-Drost (Ardour).
The outcomes from every match within the sequence will rely towards figuring out the 4 qualifiers for the bracket-style championship rounds on Nov. 9 and 10 on the Dignity Well being Sports activities Park in Carson, California. Every staff will play 4 regular-season video games. The primary criterion for advancing to the playoffs is staff profitable proportion.
