BEACH VOLLEYBALL : Stoklos and Steffes Lose, but Rally to Stay Alive

Randy Stoklos and Kent Steffes got dumped by their partners two weeks ago, so they decided to team up even though the two big-time beach volleyball rivals have clashed in the past.

In their first tournament in Boulder, Colo., last week, they placed eighth.

But things have improved.

On Saturday, at the $250,000 Miller Lite Championships in Hermosa Beach, Stoklos and Steffes dropped into the contenders’ bracket with a 14-12 quarterfinal loss to fifth-seeded Brian Lewis and Bill Boullianne, but came back to win two matches in the afternoon.

The worst they could place is fifth.

“I think we might have felt down last week,” Stoklos said. “I was in the final in Manhattan Beach with Scott Ayakatubby just two weeks ago and Kent was playing with Karch [Kiraly] and we both got dropped. It was pretty devastating.”

Stoklos and Steffes, seeded fourth, stayed alive in the 34-team Hermosa Beach event by defeating 13th-seeded Kevin Martin and David Swatik, 15-10, and No. 9 Tim Hovland and Canyon Ceman, 15-3.

Steffes, who had shoulder surgery in April, hurt a toe in his left foot when he collided with a courtside banner after diving for a ball against Martin-Swatik. The toenail was ripped and he played against Ceman and Hovland with a bandage.

“It’s been a tough year for me in general,” Steffes said. “First the shoulder surgery, then getting acquainted with a new partner. There’s been lots of ups and downs.”

Steffes’ old partner, Kiraly, cruised through both of his matches with his new partner, Ayakatubby, on Saturday. Seeded No. 1, Kiraly and Ayakatubby beat Ceman-Hovland, 15-8, in the quarterfinals, and Lewis-Boullianne, 15-2, in the semifinals.

Kiraly-Ayakatubby will meet third-seeded Adam Johnson and Jose Loiola, winners of the Manhattan Beach Open two weeks ago, in today’s 9:30 a.m. winners’ bracket final.

“Before we were getting leads and letting teams back in, but today we played the game all the way through,” Ayakatubby said. “We put them away when we had them on the ropes.”

Second-seeded Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh were upset by seventh-seeded Eric Fonoimoana and Rob Heidger, 15-5, in the quarterfinal. Dodd-Whitmarsh came back to win two losers’ bracket matches and will play Lewis-Boullianne in a losers’ bracket semifinal today.