AVP names top 2014 performers

The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Pro Beach Volleyball Tour recognized the top performers from the 2014 season with the announcement Wednesday of its year-end award winners.

The year-end honors were awarded based on statistics, player votes and points earned during the 2014 tour season. Ten players were nominated in the categories of best defensive player, best blocker and best server, based on statistics (blocks, digs and aces recorded per set, with a minimum of 30 sets played to qualify for the category), with the winner being chosen by votes cast by active AVP players.

The top 10 offensive players were nominated based on hitting percentage (minimum 600 attacks), with the winner also being selected by AVP players. Five men’s players and nine women’s players were nominated for newcomer of the year honors, based on the criteria that they must have been ranked among the top 32 players in their respective division at the end of the 2014 season, and must have played in less than half of the previous season’s main draws.

Winners in the categories of most valuable player and most improved player were selected by AVP athletes through a write-in ballot. Teams were nominated in the category of team of the year based on tournament wins and overall points earned in 2014, with the winner being selected in a vote cast by the AVP players.

The 2014 AVP tour season came to an end in September with the AVP Championships at the Huntington Beach Pier. The women’s title was won by Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross (Costa Mesa) who defeated Lauren Fendrick and Laguna Beach’s Whitney Pavlik in the final. The men’s title was won by Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson, both of Huntington Beach, who turned back Tri Bourne and John Hyden in the final.

AVP 2014 award winners

Women

Best blocker: Lauren Fendrick

Best server April Ross

Best defender: Brooke Sweat

Best offensive player: Kerri Walsh Jennings

Most improved player: Kim DiCello

Newcomer of the year: Amanda Dowdy

Most valuable player: April Ross

Team of the year: Kerri Walsh Jennings/April Ross

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Men

Best blocker: Theo Brunner

Best server: Brad Keenan

Best defender: Nick Lucena

Best offensive player: Tri Bourne

Most improved player: Jeremy Casebeer

Newcomer of the year: Trevor Crabb

Most valuable player: Jake Gibb

Team of the year: Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson

— From staff reports