Volleyball unveils new look on beach at Huntington
New teammates, scoring system and finances breed optimism on the pro tour.
May 23, 2002
By SHAWN PRICE
The Orange County Register
Beach volleyball is said to be making a comeback.
Frankly, from some of the turgid depths the sport has seen since its 1996 Olympic glory, just about anything is better.
This weekend's Huntington Beach Open kicks off the season presenting a retooled, more financially stable and less fractious Association of Volleyball Professionals than fans have seen in a while. Well, sort of.
If the group finally appears to have it's financial house in order, the rule changes over the past year - including the adoption of internationally used rally scoring - have scrambled the talent, leaving even some of the longest-running and most succesful teams looking to new partners for a winning strategy.
"It's going to be the first opening tournament in all my years of playing to have the most new teams," said beach legend Karch Kiraly, the sport's towering figure who, after missing most of last season because of injury, returns with new partner and fellow south county player Brent Doble.
"I think you can argue it makes it more exciting, but one of the things that made the sport (in the 1990s) was the rivalries like Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos vs. Kent Steffes and I. It's a double-edged sword."
If there's a strategy at all for Kiraly and Doble, it's virtually the same for everybody.
"Teams are going to have to adjust quickly, even with each other," Kiraly said.
Doble, however, did offer a bit of a plan.
"With all the new teams, all the tendencies are gone," he said.
"But we're going to try and pick up all the junk and make them hit really good shots. It's a sprint now, it's not about siding out for an hour."
With teams like Olympians Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana, and Dax Holdren and Todd Rodgers now kaput, the only teams coming into Huntington Beach with any sort familiar chemistry are Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong, and Mike Whitmarsh and Canyon Ceman.
At Huntington Beach, the teams with the best ball control probably will succeed if there are windy conditions. If it stays calm, look for hitter/blocker teams to ascend to the top.
The Huntington Beach Open is the first of four California event on a seven-stop tour this year for both men's and women's teams. The tour travels to Hermosa Beach (June 7-9) and Santa Barbara (June 14-19) and closes at Manhattan Beach (Aug. 9-11).
"When we aquired the tour last year, it was on life support," new AVP CEO and former player Leonard Armato said.
"We'll build intelligently."
Armato said he plans to add events in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, and possibly a U.S. vs. Brazil challenge.