Gibb and Patterson focus on AVP Manhattan - Articles

By Phil Collin for VolleyballMag.com MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — The 2016 Manhattan Beach Open might be a jumping-off point for United States Olympians Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson. Just don’t refer to it as a stepping stone on their way to Rio de Janeiro. “It’s perfect,” Gibb said after he and Patterson captured their first two matches of the storied event on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. “It’s awesome because all we’re thinking about is winning the Manhattan Open. That’s what’s on our mind right now. “And once we’re done, we’re going to focus on Rio, but right now it’s just such an awesome event that that’s all we’re thinking about it and it’s fun to put all your energy into something, because that’s what we’re going to be like in Rio. It’s a nice event before the Olympics.” If there is any common motivational tool for Americans playing beach volleyball it’s to conquer Manhattan and join legends with plaques on the pier. Gibb has won the event twice, with Stein Metzger in 2005 and Sean Rosenthal in 2009, but the two-time Olympian doesn’t want a miss a chance to win another. Especially since Patterson has never won in Manhattan. The top-seeded duo, though, have won 12 AVP Tour events together. Gibb and Patterson are looking for their third AVP title of 2016. They’ve squeezed those events into their grueling FIVB World Tour schedule, which not only included the pressure of the chase in Olympic qualifying, but an international schedule that has taken...

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