L.A. Is Now the Place for Masakayan : Volleyball: Santa Monica native, with a little help from partner Kirby, has broken jinx in area tournaments.

Although Liz Masakayan has 17 career tournament victories on the pro beach volleyball tour, she had not won an L.A. tournament before 1993.

What a difference a year makes.

Masakayan and partner Karolyn Kirby won the Hermosa Beach Open June 13 and the U.S. Open Aug. 8 in Long Beach. They are the top-seeded team in the season-ending $20,000 World Championships this weekend in Manhattan Beach.

The 32-team event begins at 9 a.m. Saturday on the courts next to the pier. The final is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

The 5-foot-8 Masakayan, 28, a former UCLA All-American and U.S. Olympian, says playing near her hometown of Santa Monica will not be easy.

“There’s a lot more distractions here,” said Masakayan, the 1992 Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn. most valuable player. “But this tournament is special because it’s the last tournament and everyone wants to do well.”

Kirby and Masakayan’s record this season is sterling. They have won 11 of 12 WPVA events, including the last eight tournaments, have a 69-4 record and a 24-match winning streak. Kirby and Masakayan have won 44 of 45 matches and each has earned $34,625 and a sports car valued at $21,000.

The last time the team lost was July 3 at the Boston Shootout. They were defeated by Gail Castro and Elain Roque, 15-8, but rallied to win the tournament.

“They’re playing great,” said Roque, who is seeded third at Manhattan Beach with Castro. “But all the pressure is on them because they have won almost every tournament.”

Masakayan agrees, but is glad to be leading the pack.

“There’s always pressure, but I’d rather have pressure at the top than bottom,” she said.

When they have been challenged, Masakayan and Kirby have been up to the task. In Long Beach, they trailed second-seeded Barbra Fontana of Manhattan Beach and Lori Kotas, 11-5, before rallying for a 16-14 victory.

“I’m really glad we were challenged in Long Beach,” said Kirby, a two-time WPVA most valuable player. “We were in jeopardy of losing and it was a great opportunity to really go down and reach deep into your gut. Coming back like that was a huge confidence builder.”

Deb Richardson and Dennie Knoop of Redondo Beach also held a lead over Masakayan and Kirby in a semifinal match at Long Beach, but the top-seeded team rallied for a 15-9 victory.

“What’s happening is that everyone is getting much better these days,” said Ali Johnson, who is seeded sixth with Lori Biller. “But I could see Liz

and Karolyn do well this week, of course.”

Fourth-seeded Knoop and Richardson should be one of Kirby and Masakayan’s biggest challengers. The team placed third in its first tournament at Pismo Beach on July 25 and was fifth at Long Beach.

The 5-10 Knoop and 6-1 Richardson are one of the tour’s tallest teams.

“That can be a scary team,” Masakayan said. “They’re big and aggressive and they’re pretty unpredictable. You have to be careful against them.”

Fontana and Kotas, who won the Austin Open on May 16, should also challenge. Kotas is a strong blocker and Fontana is arguably the tour’s best defensive player. Fontana, 27, a Mira Costa High graduate, is second on the tour with 63 aces.

Kotas and Fontana have had the most success against Kirby and Masakayan, beating them three times.

“That’s a good serving team and it’s tough to side-out against them,” Masakayan said. “They’re also tough mentally.”

Mental toughness could be a factor at the World Championships, according to Masakayan.

“It’s the end of the season and it’s hard to keep motivated,” she said. “I’m just tired so it’s going to take a lot of mental work.”