Walsh Jennings and Ross win at AVP Championships

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Three-time Olympic champion Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross won their first match in the $200,000 smart AVP Championships as they try to win for the third time in as many tournaments since forming their partnership.

The top-seeded team of Walsh Jennings and Ross defeated No. 16 seed Alison Daley and Megan Wallin, 21-12, 21-15, on Friday.

Walsh Jennings won three Olympic titles with Misty May-Treanor, who retired after the London Games.

Walsh Jennings and Ross joined forces in September, and have won the AVP Santa Barbara Open and the FIVB Sao Paulo Grand Slam.

In the men’s bracket, top-seeded Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson won their first match, beating 16th-seeded Andrei Belov and Jake Elliott, 21-16, 21-16.

No. 2 seed Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal were knocked out of the double-elimination tournament. They lost to 15th-seeded Trevor Crabb and Steven VanderWerp, 21-15, 21-18, and then fell to 10th-seeded Kevin McColloch and Mark Williams, 13-21, 21-17, 15-13.

The tournament runs through Sunday.