May and McPeak Improve Olympic Standing

Second-seeded Misty May and Holly McPeak won two matches Saturday at the FIVB’s German Open in Berlin, including a 15-11 victory over third-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, to reach the semifinals and improve their U.S. Olympic standing.

Because Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs, from El Toro High, finished 17th after winning only one of three matches Friday, May, from Newport Harbor High, and McPeak moved into second place in the U.S. Olympic qualification rankings with 2,300 points and could increase that total in today’s semifinals. May and McPeak won the FIVB’s last event in Chicago.

Masakayan and Youngs are third in the U.S. Olympic rankings at 2,284 points, and Davis and Johnson Jordan are No. 1 at 2,574 points. The top two U.S. teams will qualify for Sydney.

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The top-seeded Brazilian team of Ze’Marco deMelo and Ricardo Santos advanced to the semifinals by defeating the AVP’s top-ranked team of Emmanuel Rego and Jose Loiola, 15-8, at the FIVB’s Italian Open in Lignano, Italy Saturday.

Americans Kevin Wong and Rob Heidger finished fifth and Sinjin Smith and Carl Henkelninth.

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Fourth-seeded Adam Johnson of San Clemente and Adam Jewell of San Juan Capistrano lost in the second round of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals event Saturday in Muskegon, Mich., falling to Alika Williams and Devon Poolman, 15-13.

Johnson is playing with Jewell because his usual partner, Karch Kiraly, is out with a groin injury.

Huntington Beach’s Brian Lewis and David Swatik, the third-seeded team, lost in the quarterfinals to Lee LeGrande and Franco Neto, 15-11. The second-seeded team of Canyon Ceman and Mike Whitmarsh also lost in the quarterfinals, falling to Dana Point resident Brent Doble and Stein Metzger, 15-7.