For the second year in a row, Hawai'i's Sean Scott returned home to be named the best of the beach.

Scott and Todd Rogers beat Dax Holdren and Jeff Nygaard, 21-16, 21-18, yesterday and were crowned the champions of the Paul Mitchell AVP Best of the Beach volleyball tournament at Queen's Surf Beach yesterday.

Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor won the women's title with a 21-13, 21-13 win against Jennifer Kessy and Holly McPeak.

"I love it here," Scott, a Kailua native, said. "For me, this is home."

The season-ending tournament invited the top eight teams, men and women, based on the number of points earned during the 2005 season.

Other Hawai'i players in the tournament included Punahou alums Mike Lambert, Stein Metzger and Scott Wong. Wong, who partnered with Mark Williams, finished in a tie for third place.

Scott and Rogers were seeded second, and won the final three tournament of the season.

"Todd and I got in a really good groove," said Scott, who said they struggled early in the season because he broke his pinky finger and Rogers was working.

Last year in Honolulu, in a different format, Scott was named the "King of the Beach," after winning the individual title. Players switched partners after every round.

"I'll always cherish the individual thing, because you play with different players," he said. "Sometimes you have to block, other times you play defense."

Scott, a Punahou graduate who played at the University of Hawai'i from 1992 to 1995, posted six blocks in yesterday's championship match, including back-to-back blocks to give his team a 14-8 lead in Game 1.

It was a turnaround from first time he and Rogers played Holdren and Nygaard in the second round, when he "couldn't block anything," he said.

Changing his blocking approach to a more compact, hands-over-the-net style yesterday, Scott was able to disrupt the hitting of Holdren and Nygaard enough to allow Rogers to collect a few digs.

Scott's third block of Game 2 gave he and Rogers an 18-15 lead, tying their largest advantage, and the teams traded points down the stretch, with Rogers putting down the final kill.

Scott and Rogers split the $35,000 prize for first place. Walsh and May-Treanor also received $35,000.

"It's a huge reward," Walsh said of earning a spot in the tournament.

"You get to come to Hawai'i and play in a big money tournament," said Walsh, who added that it serves as motivation for winning during the regular season. "We talk about it in January, that we want to come back here."

It looked like May-Treanor and Walsh didn't need any additional motivation yesterday. They easily handled McPeak and Kessy, to win their 10th tournament this season. It was their first tournament together in almost a month, because Walsh was recovering from a strained abdominal muscle.

They showed some acrobatic moves, once winning a point after a sweet May-Treanor dig and a kill by Walsh, who spun around and slammed the ball down. A couple points later, Walsh made a diving dig that landed on the opposite side for a kill.

They were superb at the net as well, with Walsh recording three blocks in the first game.

"We were very aggressive, and when we're aggressive, it's hard to stop us," Walsh said.

"Holly digs a ton of balls and Kessy is a great blocker, so if you give them a chance, they'll take it."

Last year in Honolulu, May-Treanor helped Annett Davis win the "Queen of the Beach" distinction, when they teamed up to beat Walsh in the title game.

"I much prefer playing with her than against her," Walsh said.

May-Treanor said jokingly: "(Walsh) might have gotten close, but I won. I'm 2-0 in Hawai'i."

May-Treanor said last year's format might have disappointed Hawai'i fans who rarely get to see professional beach volleyball.

"More for the fans, they wanted to see the teams together, so it was special for them (this past weekend)," she said. "Everyone here is volleyball smart, so even though the stadium is small, it's great."

The AVP hasn't announced if the tournament will return to Hawai'i next year.

May-Treanor, who has family in Hawai'i, said she would keep her fingers crossed that it will.

"Everybody would love to come here," she said.

It's a special place for Walsh, whose boyfriend, fellow AVP pro Casey Jennings, proposed to her on Moloka'i last year. They plan to marry in December.

Scott said: "I hope they bring it back. The two times they've had it here, I won."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.