AVP Manhattan Beach Open: Paul Lotman, Miles Partain overcome injury to reach semifinals

MANHATTAN BEACH — Paul Lotman and Miles Partain defeated the AVP Manhattan Beach Open’s No. 1 seed with an arm tied behind their back Saturday.

Despite Lotman playing with a taped – and retaped – injured right shoulder, the No. 6-seeded duo defeated Chase Budinger and Trevor Crabb 22-20, 22-20 at Manhattan Beach Pier’s stadium court.

“We had a good strategy coming in and we executed it as best we could, given the circumstances,” Lotman said. “Really fun match to play.”

Along with Lotman and Partain, No. 2 seed Andy Benesh and Taylor Crabb, No. 3 seed Chaim Schalk and James Shaw, and No. 12 seed Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst all made Sunday’s men’s AVP Heritage Major semifinals.

In the women’s tournament, No. 1 seed Taryn Brasher and Kristen Cruz, No. 2 seed Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, No. 12 seed Madelyne May Anderson and Alaina Chacon, and No. 14 seed Torrey Van Winden and Abby Van Winkle survived to be one of the four teams remaining.

Lotman was facing Schalk and Shaw in Round 3 when he reaggravated a hurt shoulder he entered the tournament with. The 40-year-old was left bent over on the ground, wincing in pain after a rally in the second set.

After the five-minute injury timeout expired, Lotman burned his team’s timeout to avoid forfeiting before consulting with the on-site medical staff, who gave him the option to keep playing.

Lotman and Partain took the first set 21-14, dropped the second 21-19, then rallied to win the third 15-9.

The team’s offense was essentially reduced to Partain’s left arm, but as Lotman put it, they “found a way.”

Their first chance at qualifying for championship Sunday came against Taylor Crabb and Benesh, Partain’s partner from 2023 to 2025.

The former UCLA standout said there was no bad blood between the two prior to their head-to-head match, and called Benesh the tournament’s best blocker.

For better or worse, Partain would prove his point. Benesh stifled Partain on three straight spikes at one point as he and Taylor Crabb punched their ticket to Sunday, 21-9, 21-18.

“It’s always tough trying to play against someone that’s injured because you start to focus on them and it makes their partner’s job easier,” Taylor Crabb said. “So we just had to stay aggressive from the service line and not let them pass it up on to us.”

Pertain shared a similar sentiment after their win against the No. 3 seed, saying that playing with an apparent injury can be advantageous at times — with teams showing the “wounded dog” mercy.

But due to face Trevor Crabb and Budinger — winners of five straight since dropping their opener Friday — in the contender’s bracket, it seemed like the sharks, or perhaps crustaceans, were circling.

The toll of three previous matches Saturday may have tilted the scales, however, with the top-seeded duo falling in straight sets.

Partain jumped into Lotman’s arms as soon as the win was secured.

Not long after, the 40-year-old took in the applause of the crowd before flinging his cap in a sidearm, Philip-Rivers-like fashion with his bad arm, covered in black athletic tape — the joy on his face overpowering whatever pain he was dealing with.

“We improvised this match and figured out a system where it’s not just all on him (Partain),” Lotman said. “I can find a way to side out. That being said, he still did a tremendous amount.”

Brasher and Cruz have faced stiff competition at times, but have yet to drop a single set across their four matches, defeating No. 8 seed Chloe Loreen and Corinne Quiggle 21-19, 21-19 before sending Anderson and Chacon to the contender’s bracket 21-18, 21-15.

Cheng and Kraft, meanwhile, defeated No. 26 seed Avery Jackson and Sarah Wood 21-14, 21-13 Saturday morning before advancing with a 21-16, 23-21 victory over van Winden and van Winkle.

Basey and Hurst nixed No. 9 seed Evans and Ranghieri 17-21, 21-19, 15-10 to keep their title hopes alive, and Schalk and Shaw did the same in their match against Evans and Ranghieri 15-21, 21-17, 15-13.

Brasher and Cruz kick off Sunday with an 8 a.m. match against van Winkle and van Winden for a spot in the 1 p.m. women’s championship, with Cheng and Kraft facing Anderson and Chacon at 9 a.m. for the same honor.

Lotman and Partain will face Basey and Hurst in the first men’s semifinal match at 10 a.m., with Benesh and Taylor Crabb’s bout with Schalk and Shaw following at 11 a.m. The men’s championship is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday.

“At this tournament, every match is just a little extra just because you do want your name on that pier,” Cruz said. “This is like our Super Bowl.”