Beach Volleyball: Ross, Keenan winners

Costa Mesa residents and husband and wife Brad Keenan and April Ross claimed titles with their respective partners at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals season-opening beach tournament Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Ross, a former Newport Harbor High standout, paired with Kerri Walsh Jennings to defeat No. 4-seeded Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat, 19-21, 21-15, 15-11, in the women’s final.

Ross and Walsh Jennings, who split $15,000, were the No. 2 seed. Walsh Jennings earned her record 67th AVP title.

Keenan, who played at Orange Coast College, teamed with John Mayer to rally past Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and his partner, Casey Patterson, 16-21, 21-19, 18-16, in the men’s final.

Gibb and Patterson were seeded No. 1, while Keenan and Mayer were the No. 6 seed.

Keenan and Mayer shared $15,000, while Gibb and Patterson earned $10,000.

Ross and Keenan became only the third husband and wife in AVP history to win at the same event.

Ty Tramblie, a former Newport Harbor standout, teamed with Avery Drost to share equal seventh place and $3,800 in the men’s event.

Former UC Irvine standout Whitney Pavlik and partner Jennifer Fopma, shared $3,800 for a seventh-place women’s showing.

The next AVP tour stop is in Milwaukee, July 3-6.

The tour’s California events are Manhattan Beach (Aug. 14-17) and Huntington Beach (Sept. 25-28).

— From staff reports