Team’s Debut a Winner

In the best of all worlds, the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series would have ended with a bang -- maybe a crowd-thrilling Mike Lambert stuff block or a booming kill by Eric Fonoimoana.

But it was fitting Sunday when a service error by Sean Scott finished a 21-18, 21-17 victory by Lambert and Fonoimoana over Scott and Todd Rogers in the season-ending Santa Barbara Invitational at West Beach.

The anticlimactic match point, played in front of a sellout crowd that appeared less than inspired, capped a long season that for some couldn’t have ended soon enough.

“For this season to finally come to an end is almost a relief,” Fonoimoana said. “Some seasons you don’t want to end, but this season a lot of guys are like ‘Let’s get in the off-season.’ ”

The Olympics, a boon for beach volleyball because of the additional exposure, lengthened the season for many players. The AVP did not hold a tournament in August, normally its busiest month, and that dragged the season into October.

Additionally, many players traveled the globe playing international events to accumulate Olympic qualifying points for much of the year. It all added up to a welcome end to the season, even for those who did not leave with a victory.

“It’s been a long season,” said Scott, who with Rogers battled for an Olympic spot all the way to the end of qualifying but came up short.

Added Rogers: “I’m ready for the season to be over. It would have been nice to end with a win, but to be honest, I didn’t really train for this.”

Lambert and Fonoimoana, who were playing together for the first time, became the fifth team in the last five years to win their debut. Fonoimoana has been on three of those teams.

He was filling in for Karch Kiraly, Lambert’s regular partner who had season-ending shoulder surgery last month. Lambert’s victory, his tour-leading fourth of the season, all but cemented his selection as the AVP’s most valuable player.

“On paper you know who you match up well with,” Lambert said of picking Fonoimoana to replace Kiraly. “It’s such a cool feeling to be able to put that stuff that’s on paper on the court in a tournament and make it successful.”

Lambert reiterated that he would play with Kiraly again next season, but Fonoimoana said he would lobby for that spot.

“I would be stupid not to,” Fonoimoana said. “I hope Karch comes back strong, but my selfish self would like to play with Mike again.”

The women’s final, as expected, came down to a matchup of U.S. Olympians. Gold-medal winners Kerri Walsh and Misty May defeated bronze medalists Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs, 14-21, 21-14, 15-13.

Walsh became ill immediately after the match.

“That’s what happens when you play Holly and Elaine,” May said. “She’s just so energetic. She gets going and sometimes, it just happens.”

May’s year included the highs of a gold medal and her engagement to Florida Marlin catcher Matt Treanor and planning her November wedding, and the lows of a grueling travel schedule and a nagging abdominal injury that threatened to jeopardize her Olympic appearance.

“It’s had its ups and downs,” May said of the season. “I’m pretty tired, and I’m definitely going to enjoy the off-season.”