Beach Volleyball: Huntington Beach Open

Misty starts strong

Misty May-Treanor has won in Huntington Beach five times during her illustrious career. Based on how she kicked off the AVP Tour Huntington Beach Open on Friday, she could be on her way to a sixth.

On Friday, the Newport Harbor High alumna and partner Nicole Branagh swept their first two matches of the tournament, beating 32nd-seeded Kim Whitney and Carrie Wright, 21-13, 21-13 and toppling 17th-seeded Jennifer Snyder and Christal Morrison, 21-11, 22-20.

The Huntington Beach Open continues today starting at 9 a.m. and runs through Sunday on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. Tickets are available on-site or online.

Another former Sailor, April Ross, is seeded second in the women’s bracket with partner Jen Kessy. They won both of their first two matches easily

One significant upset did shake up the men’s side. Third-seeded Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena dropped their first-round match, 21-16, 15-21, 20-18, to 30th-seeded Seth Burnham and Aaron Mansfield, and will try to battle all the way back through the contenders’ bracket.

— From staff reports