Eric Fonoimoana Photo: Ken Delgado

Rob Heidger

Lisa Arce Photo: AVP

Holly McPeak Photo: Holly Stein/AVP

The Michelob Light Open at Manhattan Beach, presented by Paul Mitchell, starts at 9 a.m. (PDT) Friday on 12 sand courts at The Pier. Friday's Qualification Tournaments will determine the final four berths in the 32-team men's and 24-team women's Main Draws.

The first 88 Main Draw matches (52 for men and 36 for women) will be played Saturday starting at 9 a.m. Sunday's competition starts at 7:30 a.m. with the final 20 matches being played (10 for men and 10 for women). The final matches will begin approximately at 1 p.m. August 26 with the final two teams in each gender battling for the first-place prize. Echo Entertainment of Studio City, Calif., will be taping the Michelob Light Open at Manhattan action for broadcast September 3 on FOX Sports Net.

The men's Manhattan Beach competition will feature Eric Fonoimoana, a Gold Medallist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with Dain Blanton. Fonoimoana, who will play with fellow Olympian Rob Heidger this weekend, and Blanton will represent the AVP in the Goodwill Games August 29-September 4 in Brisbane, Australia along with Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong. Blanton is currently sidelined with a muscle injury.

The teams of Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak, Barbra Fontana/Elaine Youngs, Linda Hanley/Sarah Straton and Dianne DeNecochea/Liz Masakayan are expected to be the top tandems in the women's Manhattan Beach competition. The Manhattan Beach event will be a send off for the Arce/McPeak and Fontana/Youngs tandems, as both teams will compete for the United States in the Goodwill Games.

The 2001 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour season opened with a pair of June events in Southern California with a combined men's and women's event in Hermosa Beach (June 8-10) and a men's tournament in Huntington Beach (June 15-17).

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour staged a combined men's and women's event in Muskegon, Mich. (July 13-15) followed by men's stops in Belmar, N. J. (July 20-22) and Virginia Beach, Va. (July 27-29). America's premiere pro beach volleyball tour returned to California last week (August 17-19) for The Michelob Light Open at Santa Barbara.

Metzger and Wong captured their first AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour titles in Santa Barbara where they defeated Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers in the finals. Holdren and Rogers won the AVP's 2001 opener in June at Hermosa Beach. Other top men players expected to compete in The Michelob Light Open at Manhattan Beach include Canyon Ceman, Mike Whitmarsh, Scott Ayakatubby, Brent Doble, Lee LeGrande, Aaron Boss and Collin Smith.

Ayakatubby and Eduardo Bacil won the Huntington Beach title after upsetting Ceman and Whitmarsh in the finals. Ayakatubby will play with beach legend Karch Kiraly this weekend after placing ninth in Santa Barbara. Kiraly, a winner of a record 142 pro beach titles, has won eight Manhattan Beach crowns.

Whitmarsh, who captured the Silver Medal with Mike Dodd at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, is the AVP's reigning "King of the Beach" after winning the crown last October at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Doble and LeGrande won the Muskegon and Belmar events before finishing fifth in Virginia Beach. Boss and Smith "surprised" the Virginia Beach field to net their first pro beach volleyball titles by defeating Ian Clark and Adam Jewell in the title match.

Arce and McPeak, who rank as the second-winningest women's team in terms of earnings in pro beach history ($516,850), defeated Fontana and Youngs in the Hermosa Beach finale. Hanley and Straton captured the Muskegon title by upsetting Arce and McPeak in the finals. DeNecochea and Masakayan won the crown in Santa Barbara

Fontana and Youngs have won three beach titles this season, including international wins in Italy (June 17 at Cagliari) and France (July 22 in Marseille). McPeak has won more money ($775,230) than any American woman in pro beach history. McPeak ranks second in career wins (56) among United States women as she has teamed with Arce to win 15 pro beach titles together.

2001 COMPETITION NOTES - For the 2001 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the following rules will be used:
· Each match will be the best of three rally-scoring sets.
· First two sets are to 21 points.
· Third eventual set is to 15 points. When the first team reaches 14 in the third eventual set, side out scoring will be used until one team has scored the 15th point or wins by two points.
· Must have a two-point advantage to win any set.
· No caps for all sets.
· Two timeouts per set with a duration of 30 seconds each
· Injury timeout - only one injury timeout per match is allowed per player.
· A side change will occur every 10 points in the first two sets and every five (5) points in the third eventual set. The side changes will be direct without delay
· Time between sets will be one (1) minute.
· Court dimensions are 8-meter (26-feet, 3-inches) by 8-meter per side.
· The AVP has approved the implementation of "Let the serve in play" for all events in 2001.

BACK IN LA - The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour returns to the Los Angeles-area for the third-time this season for Michelob Light Open at Manhattan Beach (August 24-26). The 2001 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour ends in Las Vegas with the Paul Mitchell King and Queen of the Beach competition at the Hard Rock Hotel September 7-9. Echo Entertainment of Studio City, Calif., will be taping the Michelob Light Open at Manhattan Beach action for broadcast September 3 on FOX Sports Net.

THE MICHELOB LIGHT OPEN AT MANHATTAN BEACH - For 40th-season, pro beach volleyball returns to Manhattan Beach for The Michelob Light Open. The 2001 Michelob Light Open will also feature women's for the first-time in Manhattan Beach since 1994. There has been 42 men's and 15 women's pro beach events played at Manhattan Beach with Karch Kiraly winning the most titles (eight). Here is a list of past champions for both men and women in Manhattan Beach.

Season Men's Winning Team
1960 Mike O'Hara/Mike Bright
1961 Mike O'Hara/Mike Bright
1962 Mike O'Hara/Mike Bright
1963 Mike O'Hara/Mike Bright
1964 Mike O'Hara/Mike Bright
1965 Gene Selznick/Ron Lang
1966 Ron Lang/Ron Von Hagen
1967 Ron Lang/Ron Von Hagen
1968 Henry Bergman/Larry Rundle
1969 Ron Von Hagen/John Vallely
1970 Ron Von Hagen/Henry Bergman
1971 Larry Rundle/Bob Clem
1972 Matt Gage/Buzz Swartz
1973 Bob Jackson/Fred Zeulich
1974 Ron Von Hagen/Tom Chamales
1975 Greg Lee/Jim Menges
1976 Chris Marlowe/Steve Obradovich
1977 Jim Menges/Chris Marlowe
1978 Greg Lee/Jim Menges
1979 Sinjin Smith/Jim Menges
1979 Andy Fishburn/Dane Selznick
1980 Karch Kiraly/Sinjin Smith
1980 Karch Kiraly/Sinjin Smith
1981 Randy Stoklos/Jim Menges
1982 Mike Dodd/Tim Hovland
1982 Randy Stoklos/Sinjin Smith
1983 Mike Dodd/Tim Hovland
1984 Mike Dodd/Tim Hovland
1985 Mike Dodd/Tim Hovland
1986 Randy Stoklos/Sinjin Smith
1987 Mike Dodd/Tim Hovland
1988 Karch Kiraly/Ricci Luyties
1989 Randy Stoklos/Sinjin Smith
1990 Brent Frohoff/Karch Kiraly
1991 Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes
1992 Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes
1993 Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes
1994 Adam Johnson/Randy Stoklos
1995 Adam Johnson/Jose Loiola
1996 Karch Kiraly/Kent Steffes
1999 David Swatik/Mike Whitmarsh
2000 Jose Loiola/Emanuel Rego

Season Women's Winning Team
1983 Kathy Hanley/Kathy Gregory
1985 Kathy Hanley/Anna Prousalis
1987 Linda Chisholm/Jackie Silva
1987 Linda Chisholm/Jackie Silva
1988 Linda Chisholm/Jackie Silva
1989 Patty Dodd/Jackie Silva
1989 Linda Chisholm/Janice Harrer
1990 Karolyn Kirby/Jackie Silva
1991 Karolyn Kirby/Angela Rock
1992 Marla O'Hara/Dennie Shupryt Knoop
1992 Nancy Reno/Karolyn Kirby
1993 Holly McPeak/Cammy Ciarelli
1993 Liz Masakayan/Karolyn Kirby
1994 Linda Hanley/Linda Chisholm
1994 Liz Masakayan/Karolyn Kirby

PLAYERS OF THE CENTURY - Announced last December, Karch Kiraly of the United States and Cuba's Regla Torres, were been selected as the best Volleyball players of the 20th Century. Kiraly, who has won a record 142 titles and earned over $2.953-million on the beach, was recognized by the FIVB for his performances and courage in leading the United States National Men's team to the following:
· The Olympic Gold Medal in Los Angeles 1984;
· The World Cup title in Tokyo 1985;
· The World Championship title in Paris 1986;
· The Olympic Gold Medal in Seoul 1988;
· The Gold Medal of the inaugural FIVB Olympic Event Beach Volleyball in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Ken Steffes.

AVP ON THE WEB - Information on the AVP Tour and the sport of volleyball can be found at the following web sites:
· AVP Tour (www.avptour.com) - The site is maintained by Nick Cargill (contact@Sniperdev.com).
· Beach Volleyball Data Base (www.bvbinfo.com) - The site is maintained by Dennis Wagner (doctorono@home.com) of Virginia Beach, Va. Dr. Ono has tracked 1,113 events and 3,189 players.
· USA Volleyball (www.usavolleyball.org) - The site is maintained by Brent Buzbee (brent.buzbee@usav.org) at the USA Volleyball Offices in Colorado Springs, Colo.
· FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour (www.fivb.org) - The site is maintained by the FIVB's beach department (beach@mail.fivb.ch) at the FIVB headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

PUBLIC RELATIONS - The Robbins Group handles the public relations' duties for the AVP Tour (Marcia Robbins, Debbie Rubio and Ann Victor, 818/776-1244, drubio@robbinsgrp.com). PRESS OPERATIONS - Tim Simmons (303/678-8484; e-mail bfishinc@aol.com), Dominic Clark (702/735-7123, dominiccnv@aol.com) and Doug Strauss (303/306-7543, statzman@hotmail.com) are the Press Information Officers for the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

Association of Volleyball Professionals The Michelob Light Open at Manhattan Beach, presented by Paul Mitchell August 24-26, 2001 at The Pier, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Revised August 23, 2001, 4:16 PM

Women's Main Draw Entries (seedings to be determined after Friday's Qualification Tournament)
· Lisa Arce, Redondo Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
· Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Elaine Youngs, Durango, Colo.
· Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill./Leanne Schuster, Mesa, Ariz.
· Dianne DeNecochea, La Jolla, Calif./ Liz Masakayan, San Diego, Calif.
· Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif./Sarah Straton, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
· Carrie Busch, Milwaukee, Wis./Rachel Wacholder, El Segundo, Calif.
· Jennifer Meredith, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Wendy Stammer, Tigard, Ore.
· Stephanie Cox, Mission Viejo, Calif./Katy Eldridge, Los Gatos, Calif.
· Danalee Bragado, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Ali Wood, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
· Pat Keller, Cardiff, Calif./Marsha Miller, Los Angeles, Calif.
· Jen Kessy, San Diego, Calif./Heather Lowe, Redondo Beach, Calif.
· Erin Galli, San Diego, Calif./Carrie Wright, Chula Vista, Calif.
· Gracie Santana, Basal, Switzerland/Lia Young, Honolulu, Hi.
· Daven Casad, Montecito, Calif./Kim Zuffelato, Santa Barbara, Calif.
· Deanne Johnson, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Barbara Nyland, San Diego, Calif.
· Katie Lindquist, Huntington Beach, Calif./Sarah White, Venice, Calif.
· Lisa Shollenberger, San Jose, Calif./Carrie Wendell, San Clemente, Calif.
· Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Helen Reale, Los Angeles, Calif.
· Michelle Morse, Redondo Beach, Calif./Julie Sprague, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
· Kaili Kimura, Hawthorne, Calif./Sarah Schroeder, Van Nuys, Calif.

Women's Qualification Tournament Entries (seedings subject to change)
1. Arcadia Berjonneau, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Ronda Kottke, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
2. Anne McArthur, Los Angeles, Calif./Jeanette Simenson, Chicago, Ill.
3. Kerri Eich, Santa Monica, Calif./Catie Fleisher, Culver City, Calif.
4. Jill Changaris, Woodland Hills, Calif./Alicia Zamparelli, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
5. Nicole Audette, Valencia, Calif./Lisa Marshall, Playa Del Rey, Calif.
6. Valinda Hilleary, Newport Beach, Calif./Missy Ross, La Jolla, Calif.
7. Karen Helyer, San Diego, Calif./Karen Reitz, San Diego, Calif.
8. Natacha Nelson, Redondo Beach, Calif./Maggie Philgence, Santa Monica, Calif.
9. Shannon Sneed, Redondo Beach, Calif./Kristi Vanderberg, Torrance, Calif.
10. Shari Leckman, San Diego, Calif./Susie Turner, San Diego, Calif.
11. Dragana Djordjezic, Playa Del Rey, Calif./Sharman Mitchell, San Diego, Calif.
12. Sonia Alonso, Torrance, Calif./Cherry Simkins, Torrance, Calif.
13. Liza De los Reyes, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Renee Smith, Wintersville, Ohio
14. April Chapple-Zanella, Beverly Hills, Calif./Marlene Monteleon, not available
15. Dana Morgan, Fallbrook, Calif./Josie Youngblood, Oceanside, Calif.
16. Jessica Alvarado, Long Beach, Calif./Danielle Shinn, Newport Beach, Calif.
17. Tanya Fuamatu, Honolulu, Hi./Heide Ilustre, Carson, Calif.
18. Lori Albright, Northridge, Calif./Gigi Krueger, Los Angeles, Calif.
19. Bonnie Bright, Vista, Calif./Veronica Sanchez, Los Angeles, Calif.
20. Leisa Butler, Del Mar, Calif./Patty Niemeyer, San Diego, Calif.
21. Jennifer Maastricht, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Jean Mathews, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
22. Silvia Bottazzi, San Diego, Calif./Manuela Broccolini, not available
23. Heather Frewin, Long Beach, Calif./Debbie Spangler, Westminister, Calif.
24. Kamila Pavlaskova, Redondo Beach, Calif./MJ Smith, Van Nuys, Calif.
25. Alicia Scott, Evergreen, Colo./Liza Soldvillo-Sigar, Huntington Beach, Calif.
26. Heather Bassett, Irvine, Calif./Jenna Branham, Irvine, Calif.
27. Jackie Hatten, Westwood, Calif./Cheyenne Price, Homewood, Calif.
28. Susan Foos, Malibu, Calif./Karen Hallo, Santa Monica, Calif.

Men's Main Draw Entries (seedings to be determined after Friday's Qualification Tournament
· Dax Holdren, Santa Barbara, Calif./Todd Rogers, Santa Barbara, Calif.
· Canyon Ceman, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mike Whitmarsh, San Diego, Calif.
· Stein Metzger, Honolulu, Hi./Kevin Wong, Pearl City, Hi.
· Brent Doble, St. Paul, Minn./Lee LeGrande, Honolulu, Hi.
· Albert Hannemann, Torrance, Calif./Sean Scott, Kailua, Hi.
· Aaron Boss, Oak Park, Calif./Collin Smith, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
· Eric Fonoimoana, Hermosa Beach, Calif./ Rob Heidger, Redondo Beach, Calif.
· Ian Clark, Boulder, Colo./Adam Jewell, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
· Nick Hannemann, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Carl Henkel, Newport Beach, Calif.
· Daniel Cardenas, Los Angeles, Calif./Jim Nichols, Encinitas, Calif.
· Scott Davenport, Redondo Beach, Calif./Jeff Nygaard, Madison, Wisc.
· Andy Witt, Santa Ynez, Calif./Larry Witt, Santa Ynez, Calif.
· Scott Ayakatubby, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Karch Kiraly, San Clemente, Calif.
· Paul Baxter, Columbia, Heights, Minn./Jason Ring, Bend, Ore.
· Eduardo Bacil, El Segundo, Calif./Mike Lambert, Los Angeles, Calif.
· Matt Fuerbringer, Costa Mesa, Calif./David Swatik, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
· Jacob Elliott, Georgetown, S. C./Brian Soldano, Freehold, N. J.
· Casey Jennings, Las Vegas, Nev./Scott Lane, Las Vegas, Nev.
· David Fischer, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Brad Torsone, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
· Jerry Graham, Playa Del Rey, Calif./David Smith, Lakewood, Colo.
· Sean Rosenthal, Redondo Beach, Calif./Mark Williams, Redondo Beach, Calif.
· John Anselmo, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Chip McCaw, Tulsa, Okla.
· Pepe Delahoz, San Diego, Calif./Juan Rodriguez, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
· George Roumain, Parkland, Fla./Sinjin Smith, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
· Brent Frohoff, Redondo Beach, Calif./Leland Quinn, Newport Beach, Calif.
· Chris Makos, Costa Mesa, Calif./Chad Turner, Clearwater Beach, Fla.
· Chad Mowrey, Redondo Beach, Calif./Colin Wellman, Los Angeles, Calif.
· Mark Kerins, Laguna Niguel, Calif./Eddie Stokes, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Men's Qualification Tournament Entries (seedings subject to change)
1. Adam Roberts, North Myrtle Beach, S. C./Jim Walls, Riverton, N. J.
2. Anthony Medel, Santa Barbara, Calif./John Moran, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
3. Jeff Carlucci, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Brian MacDonald, Newport Beach, Calif.
4. Dale Davis, Dallas, Tex./Tim Wooliver, Austin, Tex.
5. Tom Black, Reseda, Calif./Andrew Vazquez, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
6. Sean Burke, Ocean Beach, Calif./Saiade Soulukaine, San Diego, Calif.
7. Rich Boldt, Newport Beach, Calif./Mike Mattarocci, San Diego, Calif.
8. Dan Fisher, Goleta, Calif./Matt Riley, Santa Barbara, Calif.
9. Chris Kosty, Fountain Valley, Calif./Ed Ratledge, Fountain Valley, Calif.
10. Jack Quinn, Venice, Calif./Matt Sokolowski, Redondo Beach, Calif.
11. Scott Hill, Los Angeles, Calif./Tom Slauterbeck, Santa Monica, Calif.
12. Dane Pearson, Costa Mesa, Calif./Mike Scales, Newport Beach, Calif.
13. Chris Gugliano, Santa Barbara, Calif./Morgan Mainz, Santa Barbara, Calif.
14. Jason Pursley, Redondo Beach, Calif./Dancer Styles, Sausalito, Calif.
15. Mike Desjardins, San Diego, Calif./Jeff Smith, San Diego, Calif.
16. Doug Foust, Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Karl Owens, Los Angeles, Calif.
17. Bill Maik, West Palm Beach, Fla./Adam Renfry, La Jolla, Calif.
18. Gary Barnes, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Ryan Fisher, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
19. Sam Haghighi, Santa Monica, Calif./Brett Scharf, Los Angeles, Calif.
20. Jason Kruger, not available/Evie Matthews, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
21. Andre Melo, Manassas, Va./Jason Wight, Fairfax, Va.
22. Brian Chapman, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Craig Geibel, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
23. Brian Duff, Rochester, N. Y./Tom Mraz, San Diego, Calif.
24. Corey Glave, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Scott Kaedish, El Segundo, Calif.
25. David Counts, Vista, Calif./Ron Kumigsky, Santa Monica, Calif.
26. Eli Fairfield, San Diego, Calif./Gabe Gardner, San Clemente, Calif.
27. Will Johnson, Irving, Tex./Kelly Sterne, Lewisville, Tex.
28. Colin Kaslow, Austin, Tex./Joe Stollings, Dallas, Tex.
29. Santana Aker, Detroit, Mich./Jason Maginity, Redondo Beach, Calif.
30. Jason Stimpfig, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Chris Walmer, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
31. Roy Forcier, Sacramento, Calif./Eric Roberts, Lomita, Calif.
32. Joe Boken, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Bill Sigler, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
33. Jeff Murrell, Los Angeles, Calif./John Stalder, Wilmington, Calif.
34. Michael Fegley, Dallas, Tex./Jason Miller, Denton, Tex.
35. David Suter, Redondo Beach, Calif./Chad Wick, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
36. Mika Hunkin, Honolulu, Hi./Lucas Wisniakowski, Houston, Tex.
37. Jeff Minc, Los Angeles, Calif./Tye Thoreson, Santa Barbara, Calif.
38. Ayinde Alakoye, Los Angeles, Calif./Darren Roberts, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
39. Jeremy Harvey, Loudon, Tenn./Nathan Harvey, Alameda, Calif.
40. Dragon Ognjanovic, Los Angeles, Calif./Michael Risley, Los Angeles, Calif.
41. Mark Reilly, Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Rich Van Huizen, Redondo Beach, Calif.
42. Chris Brown, not available/Kevin Cleary, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
43. Edward Keller, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Kevin Jones, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
44. Yariv Lerner, Venice, Calif./Dan Mintz, Los Angeles, Calif.
45. Steven Napolitano, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Kevin Norman, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
46. Kevin Burgess, Flagstaff, Ariz./Steven Ijams, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
47. Josh Crouch, Euless, Tex./Paul O'Leary, Arlington, Tenn.
48. Dan Dedekian, Fresno, Calif./Kevin Douty, Fresno, Calif.
49. Steve Dietz, Dallas, Tex./ Bivin Sadler, not available

~Tim Simmons