Old Faces Dot New League

The court might be a bit cluttered for beach volleyball traditionalists, and it might take people a while to get over the absence of Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos, but the games will go on this weekend in Pacific Beach.

Four-man pro beach volleyball debuts this morning just south of Crystal Pier. Although the faces may not be as familiar as Smith and Stoklos, volleyball fans should recognize some of the names.

Seven former U.S. Olympic gold medalists and 14 former college All-Americans will be among the 20 players competing.

Five coaches/captains chose their teams in a draft last month, and Craig Elledge, American Beach Volleyball League president, said there were plenty of quality players available.

“We didn’t have to go after the two-man players,” Elledge said. “There was a wealth of talent.”

Some of that talent includes: Jeff Stork, a 1988 Olympic team member, who coaches Team Club; Craig Buck, a 1984 and 1988 Olympian, who coaches Team Laguna; Bob Ctvrtlik, an 1988 Olympian, who coaches Team Spikeline; Doug Partie, an 1988 Olympian, who coaches Team Speedo; and Gary Sato, the 1988 Olympic team coach, who will coach Team I Dig.

From San Diego, the ABVL goes to Phoenix (June 8-9), Cleveland (June ,15-16), Boston (June 22-23), Ft. Meyers, Fla. (July 13-14), Clearwater, Fla. (July 20-21) and Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the championship July 27-28.

All seven events will be broadcast by ESPN and sponsored by Michelob Light.

Round-robin play begins at 10 a.m. today and continues until approximately 4 p.m. The semifinals and finals will be Sunday. The finals are scheduled for approximately 2 p.m.

Every team will earn at least $2,500. The winning team will split $9,000. Captains will receive 28 % of the prize money.