On a bright Sunday in Manhattan Beach, Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson took down Tri Bourne and John Hyden to win the 2016 Manhattan Beach Open. Now the pair can focus on a much bigger prize, an Olympic gold medal.
But before all their success as a pair, Gibb and Patterson had quite different upbringings. Unlike most of his AVP counterparts, as a kid, Gibb did not play volleyball. Instead, the Bountiful. Utah native competed in basketball and golf. It was not until the University of Utah graduate turned 21 that he took up the sport of beach volleyball. Patterson on the other hand played indoor at BYU where he was twice named to All-Tournament teams during his career.
Back in 2013, Gibb and Patterson had an unusual way of pairing up. Meeting at a mutual friends’ house one night, they jumped into a hot tub and discussed their goals as volleyball players. After hearing what they wanted to accomplish, they paired up with the hopes of achieving these shared ambitions.
Since that fateful night, Gibb and Patterson have taken the beach volleyball world by storm, winning 13 events including the recent Manhattan Beach Open. While their performance on the court has been stellar, it’s their unique relationship that is the true secret to their success.
“We are always very positive with each other,” said Patterson. “Whether or not one of us is playing good or bad we are together as a team. We don’t blame each other for making the bad play. It’s sticking together and battling through even when the pressure is on and everyone is watching. You know you have someone next to you that is going to war for every point.”
Coming into the Manhattan Beach Open, Gibb and his partner Casey Patterson were given the number one seed after winning in San Francisco. After losing to Taylor and Trevor Crabb in the quarterfinals, Gibb and Patterson had to come through the contender’s bracket to make it to the finals against Bourne and Hyden. In the finals Gibb and Patterson defeated Bourne and Hyden in three sets 17-21, 21-18, and 16-14.
Now with a Manhattan Beach title in hand, Gibb and Patterson are headed to Rio de Janeiro for their first Olympics together. Gibb, who has already been to the Olympics twice before, brings Patterson who is as excited as he could be going into his first Olympics.
“I know it’s going to be the greatest thing I have ever accomplished as a volleyball player,” said Patterson. “So to be able to do it with someone I have so much fun playing [with] and is good friend, it’s going to be a friendship for life. It’s going to be so special.”
Going into the Olympics as the sixth overall seed, Gibb and Patterson are in pool F with Spain, Austria and Qatar. While Spain may be the tougher team, both Gibb and Patterson are most excited to play against Qatar because they have not played against them. Even though they are not the favorites, that does not bother Gibb one bit.
“I didn’t want to go back to the Olympics if I didn’t have a chance of winning,” stated Gibb. “Casey and I have put ourselves in a position where we have a chance. We aren’t favorite but we have a chance and that’s all I wanted.”
With Patterson by his side, Gibb may finally have enough to catch that elusive Olympic medal that has evaded his grasps two times before.