Timmons to Go for Another Gold : Volleyball: He rejoins U.S. national team in hopes of winning record third consecutive Olympic medal in Barcelona.

With some extra encouragement from his wife, Jeanie, Steve Timmons announced his return to the U.S. national volleyball team Tuesday.

Timmons, a former standout at Newport Harbor High, Orange Coast College and USC, will rejoin the national team April 27 in San Diego.

“My wife has been kicking me in the butt and telling me I should come back to the team,” said Timmons, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who has been playing professionally in Italy the past two years.

Timmons, of Manhattan Beach, ended more than a year of speculation about his return, joining former Olympians Craig Buck, Jeff Stork and Doug Partie on the squad.

“I’ve still been playing well and the chance to win a third (consecutive) gold medal would be something no other (volleyball) team has ever done,” Timmons said. “It’s a big challenge, and I think we have a good chance at winning.”

If the Americans do win, it will be without Karch Kiraly, a two-time gold medalist.

Kiraly, a Santa Barbara native now living in San Clemente, said Tuesday now that the Italian season has ended, he plans to play on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ beach tour instead of returning to the national team.

Kiraly said the time demands and travel with the national team would keep him away from his family. His wife, Jana, recently gave birth to their second son, Kory.

“After talking to my coach in Italy, I decided to stick with my decision to retire from the national team,” Kiraly said. “I wish those guys well. I’m optimistic that they can win it.”

The Americans will meet Japan in a World League match May 17 at UC Irvine’s Bren Center, where Kiraly and Timmons played their final match with the national team in 1989.

A year after leaving the national team, Kiraly, a 6-3 outside hitter, and Timmons, a 6-5 middle blocker, signed six-figure contracts with Il Messagero in the Italian professional league.

Playing a six-month season from October to March, they led Il Messagero to the 1991 league title and a second-place finish this past season.

Both players returned to California late last week after Il Messagero was swept, 3-0, by Maxicano Parma in the finals.

“That was one of the worst losses we’ve ever had,” Kiraly said. “They kicked our butts every which way around the gym, and then out of the gym.”

Timmons, 33, joins a relatively young national team that has struggled in international tournaments the past three years.

The U.S. roster has expanded to as many as 18 players, but will be trimmed to 12 June 28 in preparation for the Olympics, July 25-Aug. 9 in Barcelona, Spain.

Timmons is the second-oldest player on the national team to Buck, the elder by three months. The team’s average age is 25 years, five months.

The United States finished 13th at the 1990 World Championships in Brazil, but improved to a third-place finish at the 1991 World Cup in Japan.

For two seasons, former Laguna Beach High standout Scott Fortune was the only player remaining from the 1988 Olympic team. But Buck and other former players started returning last year.

U.S. Coach Fred Sturm hopes to find a successful mixture with younger players such as Fortune and Bryan Ivie and experienced players such as Timmons and Buck.

“I don’t think we’ll have any problems meshing the old guys with the new guys,” Timmons said. “Everyone knows we have to come in and battle for a spot on the roster.

“Many of us put in eight years with the national team before some of them (younger players) even tried out. If there’s a problem, we can say, ‘Hey, we put in eight years before you put in your one or two.’

“A lot of us have played together before and we know the system and the philosophy behind it. We’ve all been playing since we left, so it’s not like we’re coming out of retirement or something.”

Volleyball Notes

Karch Kiraly plans to return to the beach tour by the first week in May. But his partner last season, Kent Steffes, has won the past two AVP tour stops with Adam Johnson of Capistrano Beach. “Kent has indicated that he wants to play again (with Kiraly) this season,” Kiraly said. “But you never know on the beach.” . . . The United States opens its World League home schedule May 16 against Japan at the San Diego Sports Arena. The rest of the U.S. home schedule: May 17--Japan at UC Irvine; May 22--China at San Diego Sports Arena; May 23--China at The Forum; June 5--Unified team at San Diego Sports Arena; June 6--Unified team at The Forum. . . . The World League finals will be Sept. 4-6 in Genoa, Italy, after the Olympics. The league is offering $3 million in prize money, with the champions earning more than $500,000.