Kirby and Reno Advance, but a Big Decision Looms

Karolyn Kirby, the winningest player in the Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn., has gotten lost amid the controversy caused by the recent breakup of Nancy Reno and Holly McPeak, Olympic qualifiers and formerly the tour’s No. 1 team.

Reno dumped McPeak two weeks ago to play with Kirby, but will reunite with McPeak for the Atlanta Games in July. Which leaves Kirby with one day to decide on a partner for next month’s Olympic trials in Baltimore.

The deadline is Monday and Kirby would prefer to play with Reno, her partner in the $50,000 Hermosa Beach Open.

“Do you think I’m going to sleep Sunday night?” Kirby said after a championship bracket semifinal victory Saturday afternoon. “Nancy Reno is who I want to be playing with. I feel horrible about Holly, but to me it was a great business decision.”

Kirby and Reno, seeded No. 1 in Hermosa Beach, easily won a morning quarterfinal match, 15-7, against eighth-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Chris Schaefer, but had a tougher semifinal against No. 4 Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley.

Fontana and Hanley led through most of the match until Kirby andReno tied it, 12-12. The teams exchanged leads and Fontana-Hanley fought off five match points before Kirby blocked a shot for the 18-16 victory.

“They’re a great defensive team, and we still have a new partnership,” Reno said.

Kirby-Reno will meet seventh-seeded Patty Dodd-Cammy Ciarelli in today’s Olympic crossing semifinal at 9 a.m.

Dodd-Ciarelli eliminated the second-seeded team of Liz Masakayan and Angela Rock, 15-8. Rock-Masakayan also lost to No. 3 McPeak and Lisa Arce, 15-7, earlier in the day.

“We have a lot of indoor mileage,” Rock said. “Between Liz and I we have had 13 surgeries, but we’re doing great considering.”

McPeak-Arce also defeated the sixth-seeded team of Gail Castro and Deb Richardson, 15-8, Saturday in the championship bracket quarterfinal and will play Santana-Henley in the other Olympic crossing semifinal today at 10 a.m.