With the Villa Riviera and the Queen Mary providing a picturesque backdrop at Alamitos Beach, the Association of Volleyball Professionals returned to Long Beach for Week 5 of AVP League action.
The Miami Mayhem turned in a dominant weekend, going 4-0 behind two pairs with Olympic aspirations. Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, along with Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh, each earned victories to keep Miami in contention for the AVP League Championship Weekend.
Cheng and Kraft opened Sunday’s action with a hard-fought three-set victory over the LA Launch duo of Maddie Anderson and Alaina Chacon. The Miami pair erased a Launch set point in the opening frame before pulling out a 16-14 win.
The Launch answered by taking the second set to even the match, but Cheng and Kraft regrouped to claim the decisive third set, 15-12.
“They played really well today,” Kraft said. “They’re really scrappy, too, so there were a lot of long rallies. We were trying to come in and focus on our side. We were trying to play our brand of volleyball and win the serve-and-pass battle. There were some moments where we did that and some moments where they were winning the serve-and-pass battle. It was a fun game and ended up being super close in the end.”
The partnership between Cheng and Kraft continues to develop after the two teamed up in January with their sights set on representing the United States at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. They arrived in Long Beach fresh off a silver-medal finish at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Gstaad, Switzerland.
“She’s amazing,” Kraft said of Cheng. “One of the best competitors I’ve ever competed against, and now I have the privilege of playing with her. She can turn it on, and it’s pretty cool to be a part of. It fires me up, and I think it helps me play better, too. She’s really special in that way and can change games pretty much by herself. I feel very lucky to be on the same side right now.”
Cheng echoed the sentiment.
“It’s been super fun to build this with Meg,” Cheng said. “It’s so easy because she’s the most likable human I’ve ever met. She’s just a gem. I feel very lucky to be playing with her.”
Dallas followed with a sweep of Brooklyn to improve to 3-3 on the season, while the LA Launch men’s team earned a three-set victory over Brooklyn for its second win of the year.
The weekend concluded with a matchup featuring Long Beach State alumni on opposite sides of the net as Miami’s Crabb and Benesh faced Dallas’ Paul Lotman and Miles Partain. The opening set was tightly contested before Crabb and Benesh outlasted Dallas 23-21. Miami closed out the match with a 15-10 second-set victory to finish the weekend undefeated.
The Mayhem improved to 5-1, moving into a tie with the Palm Beach Passion atop the AVP League standings.
The AVP League heads to New York City’s Central Park next weekend for Week 6 of the season.
