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The second qualifier returns to the same beach this Saturday<\/a>. All four courts stream live on the AVP YouTube Channel<\/a>. Men begin at 8:00 AM. Women follow at 10:00 AM.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what happened \u2014 and what\u2019s coming next.<\/p>\n Men\u2019s Final \u2014 (3) Lotman \/ Partain def. (8) Bradford \/ Cory | 2-0<\/p>\n Lotman and Partain won the men\u2019s final in straight sets, closing out the match 15-9 in the second set behind strong serving and consistent sideout play. Lotman mixed jump spin serves with disguised jump floats throughout, keeping Bradford and Cory out of system for much of the final. Partain contributed on both sides of the ball, and the pair\u2019s option offense was effective all day.<\/p>\n \u201cPaul and Miles were unbelievable from the service line,\u201d AVP commentator Richard Lambourne said. \u201cThere was just constant pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n Bradford and Cory reached the final as the 8-seed after upsetting top-seeded Budinger and Evans in the quarterfinals and sweeping 4th-seeded Bomgren and Drost in the semifinals. Lotman and Partain\u2019s serving and efficiency in the final proved to be the difference.<\/p>\n Women\u2019s Final \u2014 (3) DeBerg \/ Flint def. (1) Cheng \/ Kraft | 2-1 (16-14)<\/p>\n DeBerg and Flint defeated top-seeded Cheng and Kraft in three sets, winning the third 16-14 to earn their League berth. Flint, a three-time AVP Best Server and 2023 Manhattan Beach Open champion, was competing for the first time since giving birth to her second child six months ago. She closed the match with an ace on match point.<\/p>\n DeBerg\u2019s blocking was a factor throughout the day, and Lambourne noted the level she played at in the final. \u201cI think what\u2019s impressive to me is she (Betsi Flint) seems to really draw something extra out of Kylie as well,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if we\u2019ve seen Kylie be that sort of enthusiastic and imposing as she can be, maybe ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheng and Kraft<\/a> forced the third set behind serving from both Kraft and Cheng, but DeBerg and Flint held on in a back-and-forth decider that was tied at 9-9 and again at 13-13 before Flint\u2019s ace sealed it.<\/p>\n \u201cKelly and Meg played well,\u201d Lambourne said. \u201cBut they weren\u2019t maybe quite as sharp as we saw them the rest of the day. And Betsy and Kylie took advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Other Notable Results<\/p>\n The bracket produced several results worth noting beyond the finals.<\/p>\n On the men\u2019s side, 15th-seeded LaBouliere and Rivera upset 2nd-seeded Schalk and Shaw in the first round \u2014 the second straight international or domestic event where Jacob LaBouliere has knocked off a higher-seeded opponent. Twelfth-seeded Perez and Priima swept 5th-seeded Field and Wilcox. And Pickett and Schachter, who beat Cook and Miller in the first round, pushed eventual champions Lotman and Partain to three sets in the quarterfinals before falling.<\/p>\n On the women\u2019s side, 15th-seeded Fonoimoana and Sparks stunned 2nd-seeded Rodriguez and Shaw in straight sets \u2014 one of the most surprising results of the day. Loreen and Quiggle, the 5-seed, beat Urango and Rice in the quarters before falling to Cheng and Kraft in the semifinals. And 11th-seeded Evans and Van Winden knocked off 6th-seeded Ferch and Van Gunst to reach the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n Single elimination doesn\u2019t care about seeds. Saturday proved it.<\/p>\n Qualifier 2 Preview \u2014 What to Watch This Saturday<\/p>\n The bracket resets. The pressure doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n With Lotman\/Partain and DeBerg\/Flint now in the League, the remaining qualification spots are fewer and the margin for error is smaller. Here\u2019s what stands out in Saturday\u2019s draw.<\/p>\n Cheng\/Kraft vs. Graudina\/Stivrins \u2014 Again. For the second straight qualifier, the top-seeded Cheng and Kraft will open against 16th-seeded Graudina and Stivrins. Cheng and Kraft handled the matchup in straight sets last Saturday, but Graudina \u2014 a two-time Olympian and World Champion \u2014 and Stivrins \u2014 a three-time indoor All-American at Nebraska \u2014 are not the kind of 16-seed that gets easier the second time around. Lauren Stivrins in particular drew attention at qualifier 1, with multiple observers noting she looked like one of the most physically impressive players on the court.<\/p>\n Benesh\/Crabb<\/a> Enter as the 2-Seed. Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh make their qualifier debut this Saturday after sitting out the first event. As the 2-seed, they\u2019ll open against 15th-seeded Siragusa and Ukkelberg. If they advance, a potential quarterfinal matchup looms against Caldwell\/Harrison or Connole\/Klasnic on the bottom half of the bracket. For a partnership with this much expectation, Saturday is the first real test on the sand together in a competitive setting.<\/p>\n Bradford\/Cory Are Back. After their run to the men\u2019s final as the 8-seed last week \u2014 including an upset of top-seeded Budinger and Evans \u2014 Bradford and Cory return in the same position. They drew Basey\/Hurst in the first round, with a potential quarterfinal against the 1-seed Budinger\/Evans again if both teams advance. Can they replicate last week\u2019s run, or does the field adjust?<\/p>\n Repeat Matchups. The bracket features several familiar first-round draws. Pickett\/Schachter face Cook\/Miller for the second consecutive qualifier \u2014 Pickett and Schachter won in straight sets last week. Field\/Wilcox draw Perez\/Priima again after being upset in the first round last Saturday. And on the women\u2019s side, Fonoimoana\/Sparks meet Rodriguez\/Shaw once more after pulling off last week\u2019s 15-vs-2 upset.<\/p>\n View the full Qualifier 2 brackets: Men\u2019s Bracket<\/a> | Women\u2019s Bracket<\/a><\/p>\n Two teams are in. The rest have two chances left \u2014 and for some, the path is already getting familiar.<\/p>\n