Last Sunday, the inaugural AVP League title required a Golden Set tiebreaker between the San Diego Smash and Dallas Dream. However, Chase Budinger’s heroics led Smash to victory despite losing a 14-10 lead in the tiebreaker set.
It would take another “real point” from the Dream to change the game completely. The Smash took a calculated break, and the suspense built as 6-foot-9 Andy Benesh unleashed a topspin leap serve from midcourt. However, Budinger maintained composure while completing a pass from his partner, Miles Evans, who sent a stunning high-arching handset to a prime hitting zone around three feet from the net and ten feet within the antenna.
Former NBA Slam Dunk Contest competitor Budinger, who stands at 6 feet 7 inches, rose from the sand and skillfully sliced a spike across his body, slipping past Benesh’s massive block. According to sportsbook pay per head review and news sites, the ball landed on the beach near the left sideline.
Inaugural AVP League Title
It was a side out that resulted in Smash winning the Golden Set 15-13. As the AVP League Champions, Smash can wear pro-wrestling-style championship belts. Budinger, Evans, Geena Urango, and Toni Rodriguez accomplished an unlikely championship run. The Smash, dead last in the AVP League standings at 2-6 midway through the regular season, advanced to the four-team playoffs as the fourth seed with an 8-8 record that included come-from-behind victories in the last two weeks.
Even while Chase’s kill was the icing on the cake, the Smash’s ladies were the unsung heroes who laid the groundwork for it. In the novel Golden Set, which pits female and male partners against each other, the seasoned Urango and her high-motor partner Rodriguez were victorious in their first match against the Dream’s Hailey Harward and Kylie Deberg. They gave the guys a comfortable 8-5 lead.
The Smash took a 4-2 lead thanks to Toni’s deep kill off a scramble scenario, and they extended their advantage to 7-4 thanks to her thunderous spike in transition. When the men gained control and altered the net height, Budinger had three points to work with. Benesh’s refusal made the count 10-7. With a deft, delicate stroke over the block, Evans gave the Smash a 13-8 lead, and he extended their lead to 14-10 on a second ball by winning an option. After a few tense minutes, the game was decided by Budinger’s vital kill.
Unlikely Run Towards the AVP League Championship
Chase discussed how the Smash overcame their sluggish start to the regular season to earn a chance at the AVP League Championship.
After crushing teenagers Harward and Deberg 15-9, 15-9 to start the final match, Urango and Rodriguez secured the victory that, at the very least, would have forced the Smash to participate in the tiebreaker. The solid serving crucial to their late-season triumph was again displayed as Geena recorded three aces and Toni two. In a matchup of former “bigs” from the dominant LSU collegiate sand program, the energetic 6-foot-1 Rodriguez hit at.571 efficiency (eight kills on fourteen errorless swings), dominating the 6-foot-4 Deberg (.217 on ten-for-twenty-three against five mistakes).
Rodriguez, 28, was the clear standout over the nine weeks of League play. Her natural effusiveness won over fans, and she never slowed down when playing, which resulted in impressive results for her team. Toni said she has been waiting for this opportunity after dealing with many knee ailments that hindered her career advancement and switching partners three times since joining the AVP in 2019.
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