SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter

MBO Recap: Cruz-Brasher, Crabb-Benesh Go Thanos Mode: INEVITABLE

They were inevitable. Both of them. Amid all the carnage, amid all those upsets, amid the second-highest seeded semifinal in Manhattan Beach Open history, Kristen Cruz and Taryn Brasher remained inevitable. A third straight MBO title, a feat only Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor have done before. A championship won without dropping a set, a feat not accomplished since April Ross and Jen Fopma did so in 2015. Amid all the carnage, amid all those upsets, amid the No. 1 seed dropping in the first round, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh remained inevitable. A ninth straight MBO championship match that featured a Crabb. An eleventh straight that featured a Hawaiian who cut his teeth at the Outrigger Canoe Club. A second Manhattan title for Crabb, the first for Benesh. A title won without dropping a set, a feat not accomplished since Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena did so in 2015. It's not often in sports that there are two teams of their respective genders who can, with near unanimity, be viewed as the undisputed best. Kristen Cruz and Taryn Brasher are the best women’s beach volleyball team in the world, and there is scant little evidence to the contrary. Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh are the best men’s beach volleyball team in the United States, and there is, objectively speaing, zero evidence to the contrary: A perfect 11-0 record on domestic soil and two AVP titles in the 2026 season. The fact that both teams pulled off an unblemished run to a Manhattan Beach Open title while the rest of the favorites wavered and fell to surprising contenders speaks further to their separation from the rest of the field. Cruz and Brasher had just three sets all tournament decided by two points, while the final was a comfortable 21-18, 21-16 victory over No. 2 Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft. Crabb and Benesh were somehow even smoother, blasting opponents by a total of 80 points, smothering Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst, 21-14, 21-13 in a match it seemed the underdogs had no chance. Maybe they didn’t. Maybe no one did. This was the year of the inevitable, the proverbial unstoppable forces meeting no immovable objects. Every team was movable, malleable, bending and bowing to the wills of Cruz and Brasher, Crabb and Benesh. Didn’t matter that this was alas the tournament Gage and Basey proved their flash and sizzle could perform at the highest level of the AVP. Didn’t matter that Cheng and Kraft were playing as well as they have played in their fantastic new partnership. Didn’t matter that Abby Van Winkle and Torrey Van Winden were on a run sprinkled with pixie dust, and that Chaim Schalk and James Shaw had found that something that propelled them to Elite medals in 2025. They were Thanos, both. And when they snapped their fingers, they left in their wake a field vanquished, a landscape dominated. They left with their names scheduled to be etched into the Manhattan Pier. They left as the most inevitable champions in more than a decade. SHOOTS! We have a NEW BOOK! Pre-order your copy of Volleyball for Dummies today at Barnes and Noble! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/volleyball-for-dummies-gabrielle-reece/1149015986?ean=9781394418626 Become a member to get EARLY AND EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to watch all new episodes of SANDCAST! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCulle1dnTSh1pzhLUXfYO1g/join This podcast is brought to you by Mikasa, the ball used by the best in the game. Use our discount code, SANDCAST, to get 25% off all Mikasa volleyballs. Catch all the action on VBTV with our Volleyball TV discount code SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! https://www.betteratbeach.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Madness in Manhattan! Upsets, Underdogs, And Big Dogs Set Stage for Thrilling Sunday

Kyle Friend is back in his home studio talking about the 2026 Manhattan Beach Open, or 2026 MBO. It was a wild survival Saturday at the MBO, where no shortage of insanity occurred, such as: Paul Lotman dislocating his shoulder...and still winning, thanks in large part to Miles Partain going superhuman. They're now in the semifinals Maddie Anderson and Alaina Chacon, the 12 seeds, being joined by Torrey Van Winden and Abby Van Winkle, the 14 seeds in a wacky women's semifinal Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh looking like the best men's team in the United States. It's now their tournament to lose And a whole lot more SHOOTS! We have a NEW BOOK! Pre-order your copy of Volleyball for Dummies today at Barnes and Noble! Get 25 PERCENT off and FREE SHIPPING on all Mikasa products with our code, SANDCAST and play with the ball. played with the best in the game. Head to Mikasa's website and get your bag of balls today! Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! Want SANDCAST merch? We got you covered. Check it out here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MBO Preview! TKN's Potential Three-Peat; Phil and Sander?! Can Benesh or Partain Get On the Pier?

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where Kyle Friend is previewing the 2026 Manhattan Beach Open or, for short, the MBO 2026. He's chatting: TKN's potential three-peat Phil Dalhausser and Taylor Sander playing together Can Andy Benesh and Taylor Crabb get on the Pier for the first time? And more! SHOOTS! We have a NEW BOOK! Pre-order your copy of Volleyball for Dummies today at Barnes and Noble! Get 25 PERCENT off and FREE SHIPPING on all Mikasa products with our code, SANDCAST and play with the ball. played with the best in the game. Head to Mikasa's website and get your bag of balls today! Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Want SANDCAST merch? We got you covered. Check it out here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Terese Cannon's Long Road Back to Beach Volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features Terese Cannon. We talk about: Her long road to recovery from a shoulder surgery Why being a great partner has led her to so much success The gratitude she's found for the game in her absence What her plans look like coming back to the game SHOOTS! We have a NEW BOOK! Pre-order your copy of Volleyball for Dummies today at Barnes and Noble! Get 25 PERCENT off and FREE SHIPPING on all Mikasa products with our code, SANDCAST and play with the ball. played with the best in the game. Head to Mikasa's website and get your bag of balls today! Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Want SANDCAST merch? We got you covered. Check it out here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hamburg Recap! Ehlers-Wust, And a Most Fateful Victory

Kyle Friend and Denise Austin chat a wild ride at the Hamburg Elite, where: Nils Ehlers and Lui Wust stole the show with a stunning gold medal Nina Brunner and Tanja Huberli won another Hamburg gold And a whole lot more SHOOTS! We have a NEW BOOK! Pre-order your copy of Volleyball for Dummies today at Barnes and Noble! Get 25 PERCENT off and FREE SHIPPING on all Mikasa products with our code, SANDCAST and play with the ball. played with the best in the game. Head to Mikasa's website and get your bag of balls today! Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Want SANDCAST merch? We got you covered. Check it out here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.