SEAL BEACH VOLLEYBALL : Smith-Stoklos Back on Winning Track

A steady rain fell on the finals of the $100,000 Seal Beach Open pro beach volleyball tournament Sunday, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos.

They enjoyed beating Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes too much to notice.

Top-seeded Smith and Stoklos rebounded from a loss in the championship game with a 7-2 victory over Kiraly and Steffes in the sudden-death finals of the two-day, double-elimination tournament.

Smith and Stoklos, both of Pacific Palisades, each took home $10,000 for the victory. They also won their 107th tournament--including 11 this season--as a team, and an additional $70,000 each for clinching the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ point standings.

Kiraly, of San Clemente, and Steffes, of Pacific Palisades, won $6,000 each Sunday.

Kiraly and Steffes forced the sudden-death final with a 15-7 victory in the championship game, and avenging a 15-7 loss to Smith and Stoklos in the winners’ bracket finals.

The victory ended a six-tournament losing streak for Smith and Stoklos, who said they were upset by Kiraly and Steffes calling them “whiners” during recent radio and television interviews. Kiraly and Steffes have beaten Smith and Stoklos three times in five meetings this season.

“There’s a lot of jealousy on the tour from us winning so much,” Stoklos said. “Players take shots at us, but I thought Karch was bigger than that.

“I love playing against Karch. He’s an excellent player and he raises my ability.”

Said Smith: “There’s nothing wrong with a rivalry. Everyone has known for years that Tim Hovland-Mike Dodd and Smith-Stoklos are the top teams. But we get along away from the court, too. I don’t know what it is with these guys (Kiraly and Steffes).”

Kiraly, a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, said Stoklos made the difference in the sudden-death final. Stoklos finished with 11 kills, and Smith added four.

“Randy picked up his game and we slacked off a bit,” Kiraly said. “We won the first game serving to Randy, but we lost the second one serving to him, too.”

Stoklos said the key to the match came when Kiraly made two errors while trailing, 4-2, in the sudden-death final. Kiraly was called for a net violation, then hit the ball out on the next play. Smith ended the match with a kill.

“The difference in the last game was we went to Karch a couple times and he made a couple errors,” Stoklos said. “Kent was in a groove by then.”

Steffes, who had 36 kills in the championship game, had five in the sudden-death final. Kiraly had 10 kills in sudden death.

Smith and Stoklos, the top-ranked team the past 10 years, survived two close matches early in the tournament.

They rallied from a 12-5 deficit to beat Eric Wurts of Huntington Beach and Roger Clark of Pacific Palisades, 16-14, in the quarterfinals, and fought off two match points in the semifinals to beat Scott Ayakatubby and Brent Frohoff, both of Hermosa Beach, 16-14.

Smith, 34, who played with wrist and ankle injuries, said many fans and players wrote off him and Stoklos. After winning 10 of the first 14 stops on the tour, Smith and Stoklos had lost the past six.

Cash flow: Steffes was the only player who had a chance to catch Smith and Stoklos in the point standings.

He has won six tournaments, including four in a row with Kiraly. Kiraly played only half the beach season after returning from the Italian indoor leagues in June.

“The bonus pool standings weren’t on my mind before the match,” Steffes said, “but it is now. Now I have to put it to rest.”

Steffes earned $40,000 for finishing second in the overall standings.

Notes

Adam Johnson of Capistrano Beach and Ricci Luyties of Pacific Palisades, winners of the two previous tour stops in Milwaukee and Cleveland, earned $3,000 each for a fifth-place finish. They were eliminated, 15-9, by Brent Frohoff and Scott Ayakatubby, both of Hermosa Beach, in the losers’ bracket fourth round. . . . Brian Lewis of Newport Beach and Scott Friederichsen finished ninth, taking home $1,625 each. . . . Larry Mear of San Clemente and Wes Welch split an equal share of 13th place with Craig Moothart of Costa Mesa and Rudy Dvorak of Laguna Beach. Each player earned $1,125. . . . Prime Ticket will televise the finals at 8 p.m. Wednesday and 8 p.m. Friday.

Results

Sudden death finals

Sinjin Smith-Randy Stoklos (Pacific Palisades) d. Karch Kiraly (San Clemente)-Kent Steffes (Pacific Palisades), 7-2.

Finals

Kiraly-Steffes d. Smith-Stoklos, 15-7.

Winners’ bracket

Finals--Smith-Stoklos d. Kiraly-Steffes, 15-7.

Semifinals--Smith-Stoklos d. Brent Frohoff-Scott Ayakatubby (Hermosa Beach), 16-14; Kiraly-Steffes d. Owen McKibbin (Santa Monica)-Tim Walmer (Manhattan Beach), 15-10.