The AVP Crocs Tour Ocean City Open presented by Malibu, the AVP Crocs Tour’s only stop on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard, kicked off Thursday with an open qualifier, despite inclement weather. Eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams broke into Friday’s Main Draw, which starts at 9 a.m. on the beach in Ocean City.

On the women’s side, Ashley Groothuis (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Christal Morrison (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), now seeded 25th, will take on eighth-seeded Tracy Lindquist and Katie Lindquist in Friday’s Main Draw. Dana Fiume (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Shayna Munson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) will face off against seventh-seeded Priscilla Lima and Tatiana Minello. Angie Hall (San Diego) and Tara Kuk (Clearwater, Fla.) will play sixth-seeded Angie Akers and Tyra Turner. Morgan Flarity (Tampa) and Brooke Sweat (Estero, Fla.) will meet fifth-seeded Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis in the next round. Katie Lee Carter (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Hilary Pavels (North Woodmere, N.Y.) will find themselves up against fourth-seeded Dianne DeNechochea and Carrie Dodd. Capri Hilgendorf (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Kendra Jackson (Pompano Beach, Fla.) will play third-seeded Brooke Hanson and Lisa Rutledge. Jennifer Corral (Westlake Village, Calif.) and Elena Salvador (Ventura, Calif.) will attempt to upset second-seeded Jennifer Kessy and April Ross, while Beth Kennedy (New York City) and Ginger Schuster (New York City) will have the honor of facing off against the Tour’s No. 1 women’s team, Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs, who have claimed five titles in six AVP Crocs Tour events in the 2009 season.

On the men’s side, the top-seeded qualifier team of Jon Mesko (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Larry Witt (Santa Ynez, Calif.), now seeded nineteenth (an unusually high seed for a qualifier team, due to Witt’s years of experience on the AVP Crocs Tour), will face No. 14 seeds Mike Morrison and Eyal Zimet. Elsewhere on the draw, Mike Bruning (San Diego) and Dana Camacho (San Diego) will meet seventh-seeded Casey Jennings and Matt Fuerbringer in Friday’s play. Ivan Mercer (Antelope, Calif.) and Jeremie Simkins (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) will play sixth-seeded Brad Keenan and Nick Lucena. Paul McDonald (San Diego) and Derek Olson (San Diego) will take on fifth-seeded Kevin Wong and Matt Olson. Matt VanZant (Tuscon, Ariz.) and Vince Zanucchi (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) will face off against No. 4 seeds John Mayer and Jeff Nygaard. Kevin Craig (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) and David DiPierro (Pompano Beach, Fla.) will attempt to unseed third-seeded John Hyden and Sean Scott. Curtis Jackson (Solana Beach, Calif.) and Dave McKienzie (Long Beach, Calif.) will play second-seeded Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, while Ranse Jones (St. Augustine Beach, Fla.) and Tyler Lesneski (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) will have their chance to beat the No. 1 team on the AVP Crocs Tour and 2008 Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers.

The AVP Crocs Tour Ocean City Open presented by Malibu is taking place on the beach in Ocean City through Sunday. For complete event details and ticket information, please click here.