Ryan Doherty and John Hyden won the 2017 AVP Championship in Chicago over Labor Day weekend, but a month later they're heading in different directions with their professional beach volleyball careers.

According to a Facebook post by Doherty, Hyden has decided to form a partnership with Theo Brunner.


Doherty, a 7-foot-1 former pro baseball player, and Hyden, a 45-year-old veteran of the pro beach tours, paired up last season when Hyden's former partner Tri Bourne had to take the season off due to some medical issues. On the domestic Association of Volleyball Professional tour, Doherty and Hyden finished second in Huntington Beach in addition to winning the championship in the Windy City.

With the Chicago victory, Hyden became the oldest man to win an AVP event.

The pair also played five events on the FIVB tour, making the medal rounds twice, taking fourth at the Fort Lauderdale Major and winning silver at the Olsztyn Four Star.

Brunner played the 2017 season with Casey Patterson, finishing third at the AVP Huntington Beach Open and Manhattan Beach Open. On the FIVB tour, the pair made the semifinals only once, finishing fourth at the Rio de Janeiro Four Star.

There's been no word yet from Doherty or Patterson as to who they will play with in 2018. Depending on the speed of his recovery, Bourne could be back in the rotation by the summer and might be a candidate to be Patterson's blocker.

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