HUNTINGTON BEACH — Born into beach volleyball royalty, Hagen Smith might finally be ready to take the throne.
Smith and partner Logan Webber are having one of their best weekends since teaming up three years ago, reaching the semifinals of the AVP Tour’s Huntington Beach Open with a pair of hard-fought three-set victories on Saturday.
The 12th-seeded pair will take on top-seeded Miles Partain and Andy Benesh in the first semifinal at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Smith is the son of Sinjin Smith, widely regarded as one of the greatest beach volleyball players in the history of the sport. Smith was the first to win 100 beach volleyball events before finishing his career with 139 titles.
Hagen Smith, who turned 30 last month, has been competing on the AVP Tour since 2017, but has yet to reach a final of a major event.
“We want to win this,” Smith said. “We’re trying to establish ourselves as one of the dogs.”
Smith showed the type of intensity and emotion that was a trademark of his father’s style.
At one point during the quarterfinal match, Smith ripped off his tank top following a successful spike, drawing a roar from the crowd.
“I tested it and I heard the little rip and I just went for it,” Smith said. “You’ve got to know whether it’s the right time to rip a jersey or not because sometimes it just doesn’t go and then you look like an idiot.”
Watching from beyond one of the end lines in the shadow of the pier was Sinjin.
“I wasn’t strong enough to do that,” Sinjin said of the shirt tear. “He’s good. He knows how to play to the crowd, which is important, I think, for all sports. You want the people to connect with the athletes. It makes them want to come out and watch and cheer.”
Hagen Smith and Webber took on the fifth-seeded pair of Tim Bomgren and Paul Lotman in the first round and lost the first set 20-22 before winning the next two 21-18, 15-11.
The duo then faced the 13th-seeded Brazilian pair of Alison and Alvaro Filho, who had knocked off fourth-seeded Chaim Schalk and James Shaw in the first round, and Smith and Webber advanced with a 22-20, 20-22, 15-13 win.
“It’s really hard to watch because it’s nerve-wracking for me. I know what he’s capable of,” said Sinjin, who turned 68 on Wednesday. “When he does well, it’s not much better. It makes you want to cry as a parent. You feel so good for him.”
Hagen Smith grew up in the Pacific Palisades and was a two-year letterman as a setter and outside hitter for the boys’ volleyball team at Loyola High.
He then followed in his father’s footsteps and went on to play four seasons of indoor volleyball at UCLA, ending his career fourth in program history in assists and sixth in digs.
Smith went through a series of partners during his early years on the AVP Tour before settling on Webber, a Michigan native who stands 6-9.
“Other than the two Olympic teams, we’re the longest-running men’s partnership right now,” Webber said. “We’re always finding new stuff to work on, so it’s fun. We’re very comfortable with each other.”
Sinjin Smith struggled early in his career until teaming with Karch Kiraly, and then another future Hall of Famer, Randy Stoklos.
“I think he and Logan are a good team,” Sinjin said. “You have to play with the right person that complements your style of play.”
Second-seeded Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, the other 2024 Olympic team in the field along with Partain and Benesh, will face third-seeded Taylor Crabb and Billy Allen in the other semifinal at 11 a.m.
The top four seeded teams in the women’s draw also reached the semifinals.
Top-seeded Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher will face fourth-seeded Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw in the first women’s semifinal at noon, and second-seeded Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft will take on third-seeded Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes in the second semifinal at 1 p.m.
Cheng is a former El Dorado High and USC star who teamed with Sara Hughes at the 2024 Olympics, but Hughes is sidelined with a calf injury.
Cannon starred for the USC women’s beach volleyball team from 2016-19, and Kraft from 2021-24.
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