Shuffle Leads to New Pairs

Misty May and Kerri Walsh have lost only one match on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series in the last two seasons -- and the team that beat them is taking the year off. But that doesn’t mean the Olympic gold medalists are resting easy.

When the AVP season begins this weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., May and Walsh will face several new alliances designed specifically to knock them off.

Partner swapping is the talk of the men’s and women’s tours as the AVP kicks off its 14-tournament season. A long list of teams have split up, including three of the four that represented the U.S. in Athens last summer. May and Walsh are the only Olympians sticking together.

“It’s going to be tougher this year because there are a lot of new teams out there that we need to deal with and get a feel for,” May said. “They know how we play together, but we don’t know how they play together. Plus, we know they all want to play their best against us.”

May and Walsh have been dominant since teaming up in 2002. They had a 90-match worldwide victory streak and won 15 consecutive tournaments before a midseason loss to Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan last year. At the Olympics, they won gold without losing a game.

Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs, the Olympic bronze medalists and a formidable duo during their three-year partnership, have split up, each acknowledging that finishing second on a regular basis was not enough.

McPeak has joined forces with rising star Jen Kessey, the AVP’s most improved female last year. Youngs will play with Rachel Wacholder, who won two international tournaments with Walsh when May was injured last season.

“We were consistently the second best,” McPeak said of her association with Youngs. “But after three years of struggling against that team, we just felt like, gosh, we need to do something to mix it up.”

Davis and Johnson Jordan are starting the season on the sidelines because Johnson Jordan is pregnant. She is due in late June or early July. The team also skipped the 2001 season when both players were pregnant.

Karch Kiraly and AVP most valuable player Mike Lambert, the top men’s team last season, are still together, but Olympians Stein Metzger, Dax Holdren, Dain Blanton and Jeff Nygaard all have new partners.

Metzger is playing with Jake Gibb, Holdren and Nygaard will play together and Blanton has teamed with Kevin Wong. All of those new partnerships follow the formula that Lambert and Kiraly used in a tour-best three victories last year: a tall blocking presence at the net coupled with an agile player focused on digging balls.

“Everyone is trying to find the right connection,” Blanton said. “The past few years there has been so much parity on the men’s side, so I think everyone is trying to find the partner that gives them the edge.”

Blanton and Nygaard went 0-3 at the Olympics, and their strained relationship wasn’t much of a secret, so their split came as no surprise. Both said the ill feelings have subsided, but that a difference in personalities wouldn’t allow them to continue.

“Finding the right chemistry is just as important as the talent,” Nygaard said. “The bottom line is that everyone out here is just trying to win and if you think you can upgrade your chances by switching partners, then you have to go for it.”

Metzger and Holdren advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals but split up seeking more consistent success. They are both 6 feet 3 and had a difficult time dealing with the 6-8 blockers they often faced.

“It felt like we had to work twice as hard as other teams because we didn’t have that net presence,” Metzger said. “It’s like we were down 0-5 to start each game. I can’t tell you how many times we felt like we outplayed a team and lost.”

Metzger is now with the 6-7 Gibb and Holdren is with Nygaard, who is 6-8.

Lambert’s phone was among the busiest during the off season. At 6-6, he was the most coveted big man because others were unsure of his plans after Kiraly had season-ending shoulder surgery in September.

Lambert said he was flattered but that he would remain loyal to Kiraly, the winningest player in beach volleyball history -- especially after Kiraly took a chance on Lambert entering the 2004 season. Lambert had shoulder surgery in 2003.

“There really wasn’t any question,” Lambert said. “We have a formula that works and if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. The only question was if he would be healthy for the start of the season.”

Kiraly, 44, said rehab went better than expected and that he is close to 100%. “I didn’t expect to be feeling this good,” he said. “It’s nice to know I’ll be able to swing without any pain.”

Teams have more at stake than they did last season. The schedule includes two additional stops and prize money has doubled, from $1.5 million to $3 million.

There will also be 14 hours of live coverage on NBC, up from 10.5 last year, and 60 hours of coverage on Fox Sports Net. Outdoor Life Network recently signed a deal to broadcast 28 hours of semifinal action.

“It shows that the tour continues to grow and be strong,” Kiraly said. “But it also makes it tougher out there. More and more teams are going to be hungry.”

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AVP Schedule

Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series 2005 season schedule. Note: The FSN West matches are subject to change to FSNW2:

*--* Dates Location TV Fri.-Sun. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. FSNW April 22-24 Tempe, Ariz. FSNW April 29-May 1 Austin, Texas FSNW May 20-22 Santa Barbara FSNW June 10-12 San Diego FSNW June 30-July 3 Cincinnati Ch. 4 July 8-10 Belmar, N.J. FSNW July 21-24 Hermosa Beach Ch. 4 Aug. 11-14 Huntington Beach Ch. 4 Aug. 18-21 Manhattan Beach Ch. 4 Aug. 26-28 Boulder, Colo. FSNW Sept. 1-4 Chicago Ch. 4 Sept. 8-10 Las Vegas FSNW Sept. 30-Oct. 2 Honolulu FSNW

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