MANHATTAN BEACH – Alix Klineman was born and raised in Manhattan Beach. Went to Mira Costa High, where she won three consecutive CIF Championships in indoor volleyball before enrolling at Stanford.
And when she was growing up, she used to go to the Manhattan Beach Open every year. As she grew older, she became aware of the bronze plaques on the city’s pier bearing the names of the winner of each year’s Open.
On Sunday, she earned her place on the pier as she and Newport Beach native April Ross defeated Kelley Claes and Brittany Hochevar in three sets with scores of 27-25, 17-21, 17-15 in the Manhattan Beach Open women’s beach volleyball final.
“It means everything,” said Klineman, who had dozens of friends and family members in the stands wearing olive “A Team” shirts. “It’s I think the coolest trophy because it’s going to be there forever.”
The first set proved there would be no give in either team. Klineman and Ross had a handful of set points but Hochevar and Claes kept fighting back to a tie. Ross finally yelled out, “Come on,” as she dug a ball to Klineman, who set up her teammate for the set-winning spike.
Down a set, Claes and Hochevar took control for a relatively easy win in the second. Claes, a USC alumna from Placentia, showed off her prowess at the net on her way to 32 kills.
This all set up what would be prove to be an odyssey of a third set.
Claes and Hochevar, who won the two previous Manhattan Beach Opens with former partner and semifinal opponent Emily Day, took a 13-11 when a Ross spike went into the net. Frustrated, Ross called a timeout.
Under their umbrella, Ross and Klineman argued about their strategy. Klineman wanted to attack Claes, while Ross preferred to go after Hochevar. Their coach, Jennifer Kessy, sided with Klineman.
“We’re a team of three, and majority rules,” Ross said.
They came out with a Ross spike that Claes couldn’t control followed by a Klineman block that tied it. Claes tapped the ball over to win the next point and set up the championship point.
After three empty serves following the freeze, Klineman blocked Hochevar on consecutive points to take over the lead.
It was the start of what would be a 30-serve freeze, in which neither team could take the winning two-point advantage.
“My legs are shaking,” Klineman said after the match.
Following a Ross ace to give them a 16-15 lead, Claes and Klineman swapped spike kills before Klineman blocked Hochevar at the net to earn the win and her place on the pier, falling to her knees as her family cheered.
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