MANHATTAN BEACH — Having one’s name etched onto the pier at Manhattan Beach after winning the prestigious Manhattan Beach Open is a once-in-a-lifetime memory for many.
Trevor Crabb and Tri Bourne are going to start getting used to it. The duo repeated as champions at Manhattan Beach on Sunday with a dominant straight-set sweep over top-seed Theo Brunner and Chaim Schalk in the finals, 21-17, 21-14.
Bourne and Crabb, the second seed in the tournament, were last year’s winners. It was Crabb’s third straight win at Manhattan Beach, winning in 2019 with Reid Priddy as his partner.
“Honestly, each one felt awesome,” Crabb said. “But three feels better than two, and two feels better than one.”
Crabb became the first male player to win the Manhattan Beach Open three years in a row since 2008, when Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers three-peated on the men’s side. On the women’s side, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor won four straight from 2005 to 2008.
Crabb and Bourne notched their second AVP win of the season. It was Bourne’s seventh career win and Crabb’s fifth on the tour.
Crabb said the three-peat was, naturally, in the back of his head.
“Obviously this is the (tournament) that everyone wants to win, and you can’t compare it,” Crabb said.
Crabb and Bourne defeated Taylor Sander and Taylor Crabb (Trevor Crabb’s brother) in the semifinals in three sets. After dropping the first set 21-19, Bourne and Crabb dominated the last two sets, 21-13 and 15-9 to advance to the final.
Brunner and Schalk lost just one set heading into the final. They cruised past Andy Benesh and Billy Evans in the semifinals in straight sets, 21-17, 21-16.
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But they ran into the hot hands of Crabb and Bourne, who took control early in both sets and never looked back. Maintaining high energy even when they were on a roll was challenging for Bourne, but he said they were able to take each point as it came.
“It feels the same as when it’s tight,” Bourne said. “When you’re in the right headspace, it just doesn’t matter what the score is. You’re just trying to play one point at a time. But it’s a psychological battle. That’s sports at a high level.”
In beach volleyball, partners change over often. But Crabb and Bourne have been playing together since 2018. They’ve won four times, and don’t plan on breaking up anytime soon.
“We learned playing this sport together,” Bourne said. “It’s hard to find someone else that can match your passion and energy. We literally helped each other get to this point, so I think we just gel well.”
This might be Crabb’s third time seeing his name etched onto the pier, but it will never get old.
“It’s just the atmosphere,” Crabb said. “There’s nothing else like it. The fans are awesome. The scenery, all of it. You get your name on the pier forever.”
For Crabb, “forever” feels sweeter when it happens three times in a row.