Brazilian King of the Beach
creates a huge presence on the tour

He's 6'9", quick, has excellent ball control, has been seen bouncing the ball three stories in the air after a spike, and is the reigning Brazilian King of the Beach ... and now he's scaring the daylights out of many of those who dare get in his path. His name is Fred Souza, the newest AVP member and Smack athlete. I first met Fred when his fellow countryman and also Smack star Eduardo Bacil (Anjihno) visited the Smack office in late May. Fred had just arrived in town from Brazil and would be playing with Anjihno in the Santa Cruz AVP event. I had heard stories from people about this towering presence. Could you imagine Adam Jewell, who I believe is one of the hardest hitters on the beach, saying that when Fred spikes the ball "he makes me look like a little boy"?! Well I had my first chance to view Fred in action this past weekend at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open and let me tell you, he is "the real deal." Everything people said about him was true.

The "Brazilian Bomber" and his partner Anjihno dominated their way through the winners bracket until they met the Loiola/Rego juggernaut. This gamed matched the Olympic favorites against the new Brazilian king and Loiola's old partner ... a great setting for a dramatic match. Although the majority of the game was close, Loiola and Rego ran away at the end with a 15-9 victory. Fred and Anjihno then fought their way through the losers bracket by beating teams like Doble/Legrand (15-6), Baxter/Paaluhi (15-7), Clark/Metzger (15-9) and Fonoimoana/Blanton (15-8). We are talking total domination ... Fred blocking everything in site and Anjihno digging anything that got past Fred. It was a clinic until they ran into the always steady team of Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers. Outstanding ball control by Todd and Dax combined with Fred and Anjihno's exhaustion led to defeat for the up and coming Brazilians. However for only their second tournament together, a 4th place finish is pretty outstanding. Keep an eye out for these guys if they come to your town ... and put on your helmet if you are anywhere near Fred when he's hitting.

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