MCPEAK & YOUNGS CAPTURE AVP WOMEN'S SEASON OPENER;
FONOIMOANA & ROGERS NET MEN'S TITLE
Revised May 26, 2002
Courtesy Of  Tim Simmons, BFishInc
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. - A pair of "new" partnerships paid immediate returns here Sunday (May 26) at The Pier as the teams of Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs and Eric Fonoimoana/Dax Holdren captured the $125,000 Association of Volleyball
Professionals (AVP) Huntington Beach Open, presented by Michelob Light, The Pier.Third-seeded Eric Fonoimoana (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Dax Holdren (Santa Barbara, Calif.) downed fourth-seeded Canyon Ceman (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
and Mike Whitmarsh (San Diego, Calif.) 21-18 and 21-14 in 49 minutes in the men's AVP Huntington Beach Open championship match.  The winners split a $14,500 first-place prize while Ceman and Whitmarsh shared $9,750 for second.
The title was Fonoimoana's eighth pro beach crown and first "major " crown since teaming with Dain Blanton to win the Gold Medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  Holdren captured his ninth pro crown in his first beach event with Fonoimoana.  Holdren's previous eight titles were earned with Todd Rogers,including two in 2001.
Playing in their first pro beach event together, top-seeded McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Durango, Colo.) defeated second-seeded Dianne DeNecocha (San Diego, Calif.) and Barbra Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
21-18, 20-22 and 15-9 in the 69-minute women's AVP Huntington Beach Open final.
McPeak and Youngs shared the $14,500 first-place prize with DeNecochea and Fontana, who were also playing in their first pro beach event together split $9,750 for second.  The title was the 57th in McPeak's career as she has now
claimed an event championship in nine of the past 10 seasons to rank third on the all-time list behind Karolyn Kirby (67) and Jackie Silva (59).  Young captured her 15th pro beach title.
Both of the men's finalists defeated the top-seeded team of Stein Metzger and Kevin Wong Sunday enroute to the finals while beach legend Karch Kiraly and Brent Doble ousted second-seeded Todd Rogers and Sean Scott enroute to a
third-place finish.  Ceman and Whitmarsh defeated Metzger and Wong 21-16 and 21-13 Sunday morning while Fonoimoana and Holdren ousted the top-seeded team with a 21-17, 19-21 and 15-11 decision.
Kiraly and Doble were eliminated 21-8, 21-23 and 15-13 by Ceman and Whitmarsh, who advanced together to their second-straight Huntington finale.  Ceman also won the 2000 Huntington stop with Brian Lewis by defeating Kiraly and Adam
Johnson in the finals.  Scott Ayakatubby teamed with Eduardo Bacil to win the 2001 Huntington stop by defeating Ceman and Whitmarsh in the finale 21-14, 16-21 and 17-15.
Kiraly played in only two of seven AVP Tour team events in 2001 while Doble was a two-time winner last season with Lee LeGrande.  Sunday's finish was Kiraly's best placement since winning a title in Virginia Beach, Va., with Johnson in
July 30, 2000.
McPeak and Youngs advanced to Sunday's final by eliminating 12th-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan 21-18 and 21-10.  DeNecochea and Fontana eliminated third-seeded Lisa Arce and Linda Hanley 21-17 and 21-17 to advance
to the finals.  Both women finalists where playing in their first pro beach event together.
The AVP Huntington Beach Open also marked the return of Davis and Johnson Jordan as the pair was playing in their first event since placing fifth in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  Both Davis and Johnson Jordan gave birth to their first child in 2001.  Davis had her son in June and Johnson Jordan her daughter in October.
The AVP Huntington Beach Open, presented by Michelob Light, will air on both FOX Sports Net (90-minute show) and Oxygen (60-minute program).  Echo Entertainment of Studio City, Calif., will be taping the AVP Huntington Beach
Open action for air on both FOX Sports Net (90-minute show) and Oxygen (60-minute program).  Chris Marlowe and Heather Cox will provide commentary on the show produced by Phil Smith.Following the Huntington Beach event, the AVP Tour will take a weekend off  before staging California events in Hermosa Beach (June 7-9) and Santa Barbara
(June 14-16).  June's schedule concludes with a stop in Belmar, N. J. (June 28-30).