Former Wildcat star Chase Budinger places second at AVP Tournament

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA- Playing for the Association of Volleyball Professionals at the Huntington Beach Open, former Wildcat Chase Budinger shines!

It was an exciting weekend for Beach Volleyball action, especially in sunny, Southern California. One of those participating in the weekend action, was former Wildcat basketball star, Chase Budinger.

If you may recall, the former hardwood star traded in his sneakers and jersey, for board shorts and sunglasses nearly a year ago to play Volleyball professionally for the AVP. Budinger of course was a volleyball star in high school as well, and has seemingly made the transition quite easily.

Arizona Wildcats

Well, this past weekend, Budinger continued to make great strides in his beach volleyball career, as the former Wildcat teamed up with fellow AVP star Casey Patterson, at the Huntington Beach Open.

Competing in the 23 team tournament, Budinger and Patterson were seeded sixth, with a tough road ahead if they wanted to win.

Luckily, the duo of Patterson and Budinger made quick work of their competition, winning their first three matches by 2-0 finals, in order to reach the Tournaments’ semi-final against Tim Bromgren and Troy Field.

Ready for a big showdown against the No. 7 seed, once again Budinger and Patterson would win their match in dominating fashion, completing the 2-0 victory to advance the championship showdown of the Tournament.

Hoping to come away with the unlikely victory, Budinger and Patterson would take on the No. 1 seed in Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb.

The first set was incredibly competitive, as both pairs battled back and forth for most of the match, tying it 24 different times. Tied 25-25, Crabb and Gibb pulled away with the next two points, to win 27-25.

The second set would be quite different, as the duo of Crabb and Gibb seemingly dominated from start-to-finish. Winning the set 21-14, Crabb and Gibb would secure the Tournament victory by a 2-0 final.

Despite the loss, this was just Chase’s second ever AVP Final, and he certainly turned some heads, making plays like this…

At Zona Zealots, we’re proud of Chase and the way he competed this past weekend, we just wish the results were a little different! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!