Former Hawaii standout Emily Hartong qualifies for AVP main draw

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Former Hawaii indoor All-American Emily Hartong continued her beach volleyball success when she and partner Geena Urango advanced to today’s main draw of the AVP Tour’s Hawaii Open at Fort DeRussy.

Hartong and Urango, coming off a gold medal at last weekend’s NORCECA event in the Dominican Republic, will face the top-seeded and defending champion pair of Alix Klineman and April Ross today at 9:15 a.m. Hartong and Urango, seeded sixth in Thursday’s qualifying bracket, are No. 16 in the main draw.

To get to today’s competition, Hartong-Urango eliminated former Hawaii beach All-American Katie Spieler and Delaney Knudsen 21-19, 21-10 in Thursday’s qualifier competition. Spieler-Knudsen, who had a bye into the second round of the qualifier, defeated Jade Race-Allison Spurrier 21-9, 21-9.

Hartong-Urango also had a bye into the second round and outlasted McKenna Thibodeau-Madison Willis 21-16, 19-21, 16-14 to set up the contest with Spieler-Knudsen.

Hartong and Spieler have been part of the successful U.S. snow volleyball team along with former SandBow All-American Karissa Cook. Cook and Jace Pardon are seeded sixth in today’s main draw and face Amanda Dowdy-Corinne Quiggle at 10:25 a.m.

Three other former Wahine beach players were eliminated in Thursday’s qualifying round. Carly Kan (UH) and partner Lauren DeTurk lost in the third round; Ari Homayun (UH) and Michelle Iafiglioa in the first round; and Heather Boyan Friesen (UH) and Alexa Micek also in the first round.

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On the men’s side, five Hawaii high school graduates are seeded in today’s main draw. No. 2 seed Taylor Crabb (Punahou) and Jake Gibb face Miles Partain-Lev Priima at 10:20 a.m.; No. 8 seed Tri Bourne (AOP) and Trevor Crabb (Punahou) meet ninth-seeded Billy Allen-Stafford Slick at 11:30 a.m.; and brothers Maddison and Riley McKibbin (Punahou), seeded 11th, take on sixth-seeded Reid Priddy-Ricardo Santos at 9:20 a.m.

Two former Rainbow Warriors did not make it out of Thursday’s qualifying. Ric Cervantes (UH) and Jacob Rosener were eliminated in the second round, and Nemanja Komar (UH) and Chris Fleming were ousted in the first round.

The final stop of the AVP Tour season continues Saturday and Sunday, with play starting at 9 a.m. The women’s final is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday followed by the men’s final at 3:30 p.m.