Last year at the Manhattan Beach Open, Julia Scoles and her partner Betsi Flint made history. The pairing came in as the No.1 seed but fell to the No. 32 team in the tournament. After that setback, they made a dramatic run through the Contenders Bracket and became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round and then go on to win the historic event.
“I’m a huge believer anyone can win on any given day,” Scoles said. “There’s so much depth in America talent-wise, so no game is going to be given to you.”
As a part of the AVP Heritage Series, the Manhattan Beach Open will return for its 64th year on Friday through Sunday, Aug. 16-18. Pairings compete in the Heritage Series to earn a place in the new AVP League, which starts in September. Other Heritage Series locations include Huntington Beach, Chicago, Virginia Beach and other landmark locations in the world of U.S. beach volleyball.
Men’s and women’s matches start on Friday at 8 a.m. and run through Sunday. Sunday’s finals will be televised on ION. If a team falls in the Winners Bracket, they will move to the Contenders Bracket. The team that comes out on top of the Contenders Bracket will move on to the semifinals of the Winners Bracket.
Scoles and Flint will compete starting Friday and wouldn’t mind taking a more direct route this year. They are the No. 3 seed this year, with Olympic duos of Taryn Kloth and Kristin Nuss, and Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.
On the men’s side, Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner are the No. 1 seed, defending champion Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander are the No. 2 seed, and Olympic quarterfinalists Miles Partain and Andy Benesh are No. 3.
On Thursday, Scoles and Flint had their names placed on the Manhattan Beach Pier commemorating their victory in 2023.
“I think that it is such an honor and privilege to have your name on the pier,” Scoles said. “This area is known for beach volleyball, so the community really gets involved, and you feel the energy across the South Bay.”
Scoles started as an indoor volleyball player at North Carolina. However, she always had an interest in beach volleyball. She cites watching Misty May and Kerri Walsh playing in the Olympics as her inspiration, but since she grew up in North Carolina, she didn’t have the opportunity to pursue beach volleyball.
When Scoles was a sophomore at North Carolina, she sustained multiple concussions, which forced her to reconsider her future with indoor volleyball. She decided to switch to beach volleyball, and in 2018, she transferred to the University of Hawai’i with the intention of playing a new sport. At Hawai’i, she was named to the All-Big West First Team.
She finished the last two years of her career as a graduate student at USC where she helped the Trojans win two NCAA Championships before turning professional heading into 2023.
Scoles enters the world of beach volleyball at a time of major growth. With the AVP League starting next month, players in the United States will have a domestic circuit to play on.
“I thought that (the league) was a super unique idea,” Scoles said. “I’m very excited to see how everything plays out. I think this is where professional sports have been, and the trajectory continues to go that way towards franchises and teams.”
Scoles notes that, most importantly, athletes can have that chance to “make a living with the sport and have more stability.”
In the Heritage series, Scoles and Flint finished third in the Huntington Beach Open, so the two will look to repeat their success from last season at Manhattan Beach to participate in the AVP League.
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However, Scoles says her team is focused on “living in the present moment.”
“Our goal is to play high-level volleyball and that is honestly the most fulfilling and most satisfying thing is to step on the court and feel like you’re playing some of your best volleyball,” Scoles said. “Obviously the goal is to win, but I think you need to be focused on the process in order for that outcome to happen.”
The event has free general admission, but premium seating is also available.
For more information, visit avp.com.