VOLLEYBALL LAGUNA BEACH OPEN : For Silva, Teammates May Change but Results Remain the Same

Jackie Silva and Karolyn Kirby have been playing pro beach volleyball together for only six days, and it showed at times Sunday in the finals of the Laguna Beach Open.

But Silva of Redondo Beach and Kirby of San Diego worked through some rough spots to defeat Linda Hanley of Pacific Palisades and Linda Chisholm-Carrillo of Van Nuys, 15-11, in the finals at Main Beach.

“I felt a little nervous playing the first time with Karolyn,” said Silva, who had 19 kills but also five hitting errors. “There was some pressure there. . . . I wanted to show something.”

Kirby, who had 11 kills and four hitting errors, said she and Silva need more time to blend as a team.

“There’s always that uncertainty,” Kirby said. “It’s like, ‘Will she get the ball or will I?’ I was amazed that we were able to pick it up and win.”

In the men’s championship, third-seeded Pete Aronchick of Culver City and Mike Boehle of Santa Monica defeated top-seeded Shawn Davis of Santa Monica and Mike Whitmarsh of San Diego, 15-12.

Aronchick, who won the Laguna Open last year with Mark Eller, split $13,300 with Boehle.

Silva and Kirby, the top-seeded women’s team, also split $13,300. Hanley and Chisholm-Carrillo, seeded sixth, earned $3,150 each.

It was the sixth victory in eight tournaments this season for Silva, who ended her partnership with Janice Opalinski of San Juan Capistrano last week and joined with Kirby.

Silva said she was looking for a more offensive-minded partner than Opalinski, who finished third at Laguna with new partner Lisa Strand of Pacific Palisades. Silva and Opalinski won the first five tournaments this season before losing the last two.

“I was supposed to play with Janice through (a tournament in) Hawaii this week,” Silva said. “But I wanted to find a better partner and get some more practice in.”

They got plenty of it in Sunday’s final.

Kirby and Silva capitalized on early errors by Hanley and Chisholm-Carrillo to build a 10-5 lead. But Hanley, a former Laguna Beach High School standout, had three kills in a 5-1 run that cut the deficit to 11-10.

“It was a weird match,” Kirby said. “They came back and challenged us and that took us aback. Then it got hot out there and we were not only fighting them, but also the elements. We had to kick it in.”

Silva did just that. She dove to dig the ball three times, setting up kills by Kirby that pushed the lead to 14-10.

A hitting error by Kirby made it 14-11, but Silva ended the match with a service ace.

Silva joked after the match, comparing her ace to a serve at last week’s Fresno Open. In that game, she jump-served the ball into the net on match point in a loss to Hanley and Chisholm-Carrillo.

“I lost the last one (in Fresno),” Silva said. “But this time I got it back.”

Hanley had 19 kills and Chisholm-Carrillo, who won last year’s Laguna Open with Opalinski, had nine.

In the men’s final, Boehle had 18 kills and Aronchick added 13 as they built a 12-4 lead and held off a comeback by Davis and Whitmarsh.

“Mike showed me a lot of himself and what kind of player he is,” Aronchick said. “We had some lapses, but we worked through them.”

So what about a three-peat, Pete?

“I feel a little like Pat Riley right now,” Aronchick said. “But I’m putting no guarantee on (winning next year).”

Volleyball Notes

The four-player, co-ed tournament was won by Wendy Potter of Laguna Beach, Karen Gysin of Santa Cruz, Wes Welch of San Clemente and Mike Blanchard of Del Mar. . . . Gail Castro of Carlsbad won the women’s service ace award with five and Bob Chavez of Los Angeles won the men’s with six. . . . Kirby, who celebrated her 29th birthday Saturday, said she’s considering an invitation to return to the U.S. national team next year.