BEACH VOLLEYBALL : Top-Seeded Smith-Stoklos Make Today’s Semifinals

Sinjin Smith dived straight into the ocean by the Hermosa Beach Pier for a cool-off swim after he and partner Randy Stoklos won their winners’ bracket quarterfinal match Saturday.

“It got a little hot out there today,” Smith said.

With a purse of $200,000 on the line--the richest in the sport’s history--and $41,000 going to the team that wins today’s championship of the Miller Lite USA Championships of Pro Beach Volleyball at Hermosa, the level of play was raised in the opening matches.

Top-seeded Smith and Stoklos ground out a 15-12 quarterfinal victory over former Olympian Steve Timmons and partner Adam Johnson.

Smith and Stoklos took a commanding lead early, but Timmons and Johnson, No. 9 seeded, pulled to within two points twice--once when Timmons stuffed a Stoklos putaway at 12-10, and again when Timmons spiked over Smith for a point at 14-12.

“I knew they were capable of playing that way,” Smith said. “We let up a little at the end and tried coasting in. But we have to take them as seriously as a top-seeded team.”

The tournament’s top four seeded pairs reached the winners’ bracket semifinals, which begin today at 9 a.m.

No. 3-seeded Tim Hovland and Kent Steffes--traditional slow starters--will meet No. 2 Karch Kiraly and Brent Frohoff in this morning’s best matchup. Smith-Stoklos will take on fourth-seeded veterans Mike Dodd and Pat Powers in the other semifinal.

Hovland and Steffes beat Jon Stevenson and Ricci Luyties, 15-9, in Saturday’s quarterfinals, and Dodd and Powers handled Jeff Rodgers and Andy Klussman, 15-7.