Injury Sidelines Kiraly Again

You could hear it in his short, choppy sentences. The only three-time gold-medalist in Olympic volleyball history was frustrated. Angry, even.

Karch Kiraly was supposed to return to action Saturday at the Huntington Beach Open, capping his rehabilitation from a dislocated shoulder he suffered last August while trying to qualify for a fourth Olympics.

But Kiraly aggravated a week-old calf injury Thursday and will pull out of the tournament, the second stop on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tour. Kiraly’s partner, Brent Doble, will play with Matt Lyles instead.

“It’s been far too long since I’ve played in a tournament,” Kiraly said. “[But] I’ll have to wait until next month.”

Kiraly, 40, planned to return for the Hermosa Beach Open last weekend but strained his left calf muscle a few days before the event began and withdrew.

With several of the top men’s teams playing in an international tournament in Spain, Kiraly was expected to be the main attraction at Huntington Beach. Kiraly, who has won 142 tournaments and earned $2.95 million in prize money, won’t play again until July 13-15 in Muskegon, Mich.

Mike Whitmarsh and Canyon Ceman will be the top-seeded team at Huntington Beach, which will have a different look from years past--smaller courts, rally-scored games and heavier balls--and a different attitude.

Some familiar faces won’t be around including Huntington Beach’s Brian Lewis, who won this tournament last year with Ceman. Adam Johnson, from USC and Laguna Beach High, has been a longtime partner of Kiraly’s, but both he and Lewis haven’t signed with the AVP.

The AVP was purchased on May 31 by agent Leonard Armato, who is attempting to reverse the tour’s negative financial trend of recent years.

The new AVP debuted last weekend as part of the Mervyn’s Beach Bash, which also featured in-line skating and biking.

A truer test for Armato’s acquisition will come at Huntington Beach.

There are no side attractions to boost attendance and, unlike last weekend, the AVP, not Mervyn’s, is footing the bill for the event.

Armato, who represents Laker center Shaquille O’Neal, is up for the challenge. He likes what he sees and hears so far.

But do corporate sponsors?

Admission is free at Huntington Beach, like it is at other AVP tournaments, placing a premium on revenue from big-name sponsorship.

Throughout the Hermosa Beach Open, Armato was seen meeting with potential sponsors while wearing an AVP T-shirt and khakis. His message to them had a similar theme: the AVP’s problems are a thing of the past.

“I’m confident we’re going to make substantial progress in building this sport quickly,” he said. “Our goal when we took over was to stabilize things for this year and architect for the future. We’re in the process of creating that blueprint.”

In terms of on-court play, it didn’t get much better than Hermosa Beach.

The men’s and women’s championship each went three games, including a final-game comeback by Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers over Olympic gold medalists Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana.

But Huntington Beach, one of three tournaments on the eight-stop tour that does not have a women’s division, will miss one other thing: Kiraly.

“I’d love to be out there,” he said. “But I’ve got to figure out what’s going on with my calf.”