Huntington Beach Open begins today

The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series Pro Beach

Volleyball Tour will present the Huntington Beach Open beginning

today on the south side of the pier.

The tournament is the seventh stop of the tour, which is

celebrating its 20th year.

The four-day event will feature the world’s top men and women’s

pro beach volleyball players with 32 men’s teams and 24 women’s teams

competing.

The winning teams in both men’s and women’s competition will

receive a first-place prize of $17,400.

Among the men competing are 2002 Olympic Gold medalists Eric

Fonoimoana and Dain Blanton and three-time Olympic Gold medalist

Karch Kiraly.

Top women’s team members include Misty May and Kerri Walsh, Holly

McPeak and Elaine Youngs and Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis.

Fonoimoana teamed with Dax Holdren last August to win the men’s

title, and McPeak and Youngs took the women’s crown.

At last weekend’s Manhattan Beach Open, Fonoimoana, the 2002 AVP

men’s MVP, teamed with Kevin Wong to win the men’s title.

Kerri Walsh and Misty May won the women’s title.

The match marked the first time that Fonoimoana and Wong played

together.

Saturday’s women’s final and Sunday’s men’s final will be telecast

live by NBC.

Schedule

Today

Local qualifier, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday

Main draw competition, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday

Women’s final, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday

Men’s final, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.