Keenan, Lucena finish third in AVP opener

Fountain Valley High product Brad Keenan finished third over the weekend at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Crocs Tour Panama Beach Open, the first AVP event of the year.

Keenan and partner Nick Lucena, seeded fourth, needed three games to get through their first two matches. They outlasted No. 13 Billy Allen and Braidy Halverson, 13-21, 21-17, 15-10, before topping No. 5 Matt Fuerbringer and Stein Metzger, 25-23, 17-21, 15-13.

Keenan and Lucena then fell in a semifinal to top-seeded and eventual champions Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, 21-12, 21-10.

Keenan, who now resides in Santa Ana, won $5,100 for his efforts. The event was shortened to a single day of single-elimination play as bad weather canceled play on Saturday.

The next AVP event of the season is scheduled for Riverside, beginning April 17.

� Matt Szabo