Gibb, May-Treanor play in last event before Olympics

Costa Mesa residents Misty May-Treanor and Jake Gibb will play in the Long Beach Open this weekend, their final Assn. of Volleyball Professionals event before heading to the Beijing Olympics.

The tourney begins with qualifying action today at 8 a.m. at Marina Green Park.

May-Treanor, the former Newport Harbor High standout, and Kerri Walsh are ranked No. 1 in the world. The duo has won 17 straight tournaments and 96 straight matches. If they go undefeated in early play at Long Beach, their fourth round match would be their 100th straight match win, a benchmark that’s uncharted territory for any team, at any level.

It’s also a homecoming for May-Treanor, who won a national championship in 1998 with Long Beach State. She earned co-MVP honors for the national tournament. That year, her team was one of three in history to go undefeated. She was also named the NCAA Athlete of the Year and was an NCAA first-team All-American 1996-1998.

The men’s final is Saturday at 1 p.m and will be aired on NBC at 1:30 p.m., while the women’s final is set for Sunday at 1 p.m, to be televised by NBC at 1:30 p.m.

— From staff reports