Americans Lauren Fendrick and April Ross can be considered victims of some bad luck with injuries for their Beach Volleyball partners this season, but their fortunes changed this weekend as the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals participants teamed to win five-straight matches to capture an AVP domestic event Sunday in southern California.Before Fendrick and Ross’ two-set win at the AVP Championships in Huntington Beach, three other SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals participants were losing matches as all four pairs are preparing for international event at the end of September in the United States.With 10 men’s and 10 women’s entered in the US$500,000 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals where play begins September 29 and concludes October 4, the fourth of four SWATCH Major Series events on the 2015 FIVB World tour calendar will be played on the specialty-constructed Beach Volleyball courts on Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in south Florida.SOCHI, RUSSIASunday’s action for SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals participants started at an international stop in Russia where Fort Lauderdale entrants Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena dropped a 2-0 (24-22, 21-19) gold medal match in 44 minutes to Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins. It was the Latvians second-straight title on the international circuit after winning the Rio 2016 Olympic “test” event last Sunday in Brazil.The Sochi match was the second FIVB World Tour meeting between the two teams with the Dalhausser and Lucena winning a three-set elimination match three weeks ago in southern California at a FIVB Grand Slam event in Long Beach. After playing in two FIVB events in 2005, Dalhausser and Lucena rekindled their partnership last month and now have two seconds and a fifth in their world tour events this season.HUNTINGTON BEACHWith regular partners sidelined with shoulder injuries, Fendrick and Ross posted two wins Sunday to capture the AVP women’s title. After scoring a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) semi-final win in 37 minutes over Brittany Hochevar and Misty May-Treanor, Fendrick and Ross outlasted Nicole Branagh and Jenny Kropp 2-0 (21-19, 23-21) in the 63-minute championship match.Fendrick, who played most of the season with Brooke Sweat, won her first AVP tournament title while Ross was claiming her 24th crown on the domestic circuit. Ross started the AVP season winning the New Orleans title with Kerri Walsh Jennings, who has dislocated her right shoulder twice this season in Russia and Switzerland.The teams of Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson and Emily Day/Jen Kessy, who are also set to compete in the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals in Fort Lauderdale, lost semi-final matches Sunday. Tri Bourne and John Hyden defeated Gibb and Patterson 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) in 46 minutes while Branagh and Kropp posted a 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) in 44 minutes.In the men’s final, Bourne and Hyden defeated Ryan Doherty and John Mayer 2-1 (21-17, 23-25, 15-13) in 70 minutes. Bourne and Hyden are ranked 14th on the FIVB World Tour while Doherty and Mayer are No. 32.UP NEXTWith the FIVB World Tour taking a weekend off before competing for the second-time this season in China, the Brazilian domestic tour will be in action in Contagem where SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals participants Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt, Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg, Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas and Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca will be favored.The FIVB World Tour resumes September 22-27 in China for the Xiamen Open. SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals participants Alex Ranghieri/Adrian Carambula of Italy, Dalhausser/Lucena, Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude and Day/Kessy have already earned berths in the Main Draw for the $150,000 event.