Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner reign supreme with Manhattan Beach Open crown

A year after his younger brother claimed AVP Manhattan Beach Open glory, it was Trevor Crabb’s turn to hoist another pier plaque.

Crabb and his partner, Theo Brunner won Sunday’s final 21-18, 21-18 against U.S. Olympic pair Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, never losing in six matches as the first seed. Crabb grabbed his fourth Open winin five years and his first with Brunner as his partner.

“They just came back from the Olympics, and obviously we didn’t make it,” Crabb said. “[We] wanted a little redemption, and knew that deep down, we’re still the best team out here on any given day.”

The Crabb brothers met in Sunday morning’s Open semifinal — a rematch of the 2023 final. Taylor Crabb and his partner, Taylor Sander, pushed Trevor Crabb and Brunner to three sets for the first time all weekend.

“He ruined the four-peat,” Trevor Crabb said. “Today, I got the revenge.”

For Brunner, named the AVP’s best blocker in 2023, it was his first Manhattan Beach Open victory. He said as a 39-year-old, playing with Crabb gives him his best chance at playing “serious volleyball,” saying his partner gives him the best shot at winning and continuing his career.

When Brunner hoisted the winner’s plaque — to be inscribed with his name at next year’s ceremony — he lifted his daughter Isadora alongside it.

“I feel like she’s never in her life gonna care,” he said about the moment. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘She’s gonna look back and it’s gonna be amazing,’ but I don’t think she cares.”

Isadora, cradled in her father’s arms as he spoke to the media, disagreed.

“My dad was super good and he won the championship,” she said.

Unlike the men’s final, Olympic redemption was on the table later in the afternoon.

Taryn Kloth, right, celebrates with teammate Kristen Nuss after their championship win Sunday.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss failed to medal in Paris for the U.S. alongside Open semifinalists Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes — the first time the country exited medal-less in both men’s and women’s beach volleyball.

“Talk about a mix of emotions,” Nuss said. “There hasn’t been time to fully think.”

But when it came to the beach Sunday, performance trumped thought.

Down one set, Kloth — using her 6-foot-4 height to her advantage — overpowered Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles with her blocking ability, leading the pair to win 18-21, 21-17, 15-9 in Sunday afternoon’s final.

“Kristen does not let the ball touch the ground, and you can just tell that she has so much hustle in her and so much fight,” Kloth said, praising her partner’s ability to save points after blocks and deflections. “[It] really inspires me, and it makes me want to work even harder.”

Nuss said that while they’re still processing their Olympic defeat, she hopes that they can “float on cloud nine” for the rest of today and into tomorrow.

Taryn Kloth, right, jumps to block a hit by Julia Scoles during the Manhattan Beach Open final on Sunday.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

She added that the trust she has in Kloth — built from their collegiate years at Louisiana State when the duo went 61-0 — allows them to have “difficult conversations” on the court.

“Having that partnership for so long, I don’t know if other teams have that trust when it comes to those tough conversations,” Nuss said. “This is my sister right here. I’m not saying it’s always sunshine and rainbows. Sisters bicker, but there’s no one else I would want to compete with.”

The winners of the Open secured spots in the inaugural AVP League, which is set to begin when UCLA hosts the competition in September.

But for now, the champions are basking in the glow of their newfound hardware.

“After coming back from Paris with nothing, I think to be able to come back and now walk away with this, it definitely means … it means a little more,” Nuss said.