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**truebluefan** · 07-04-2008, 03:06 PM

Marina Green Park Long Beach CA

**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:00 AM

The warm sun and peaceful breeze here in Long Beach is a familiar thing to many players on the AVP tour. That's because five of them graduated from California State University Long Beach.

One of the things that Long Beach State is known for are the high caliber volleyball teams that it produces. The men have one national title, won the 2008 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and are ranked third going into this season. The women's squad is consistently ranked in the top-25 in the nation and they have three national titles.

Arguably the most well-known beach volleyball player, Misty May-Treanor, graduated from CSULB. Her huge impact on the sport of beach volleyball is similar to the impact that she had on her Long Beach varsity team as she helped to lead "The Beach" to a 1998 NCAA title and was named NCAA Tournament Co-MVP.

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**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:01 AM

Teams in any sport are always looking for momentum, and no men's beach volleyball team in the world had more of that than Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. Until Saturday.

The world's No. 1 team met its fellow Olympic squad, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, in the final of the AVP Tour's Long Beach Open on Saturday, and was denied its fourth straight AVP title. Gibb and Rosenthal won in two games (21-14, 21-14) to secure their second AVP crown of the year, and third title overall this season. They also won the AVP event in Atlanta in June, and the FIVB event in Prague in May.

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**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:02 AM

It was Phil Dalhausser's first time to Dodger Stadium. Most people's first time at the stadium involves seeing the Dodgers play while they sit in the stands and enjoy their peanuts. However, Dalhausser, along with fellow beach volleyball Olympians Nicole Branagh and Misty May-Treanor, got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The Dodgers invited the players to participate and, after introducing them, wished them luck in the upcoming competition in Beijing.

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**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:03 AM

Each week as he packs his bags for the next AVP Tour stop, Matt Olson receives some silent treatment and big sad eyes from one of the members of his family.

"We have a little dog Playa, a female German Sheppard and Labrador mix, who will see me start seeing me packing each week and goes and lays down with her ball and gives me the look," said Olson, who finished in fifth place in Long Beach this weekend.

Olson and his wife Lindsey have only had Playa for a few months, but it has been Olson's commitment to the AVP since the 2000 season that has helped him get other kinds of looks from his fellow players.

"He is a young guy who works hard and has really good skills," said partner Kevin Wong. "I was talking to Matt Gage about some players and he told me that Matt was one of those guys who makes his partners play better."

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**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:04 AM

With the Olympics two weeks away, it was the way No. 3 seed Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb handily beat No. 1 seed -- and current No. 1 team in the world -- Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser 21-14, 21-14 in the finals of the Long Beach Open that showed why both men's beach volleyball teams from the USA will be tough to beat in Beijing.

"It's kind of fun winning and funny how that works," said Gibb, who took off last week's Brooklyn Open to get some rest and relaxation before this weekend's tournament.

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**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:05 AM

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, the world's No. 1 women's beach volleyball team, won their 98th and 99th consecutive matches Saturday to breeze into Sunday's semifinals of the Long Beach Open.

The top-seeded team beat No. 8 Angie Akers and Holly McPeak, 21-18, 21-14, and then advanced again when fourth-seeded Jennifer Boss and April Ross forfeited the quarterfinal match.

**truebluefan** · 08-05-2008, 07:06 AM

The world's No. 1 women's team and reigning gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh went undefeated to win the AVP Long Beach Open on Sunday in their last tournament before the Olympic Games in Beijing.

The duo continued their record streaks of 101 straight matches and 18 straight tournaments.

"We don't think about them," Walsh said. "Misty and I, we have one job to do, and that's to win every time we step on the court, and we're very focused on that. It sounds impressive, but we're not done yet."

May-Treanor and Walsh beat fourth-seeded Jennifer Boss and April Ross 21-14, 21-18 in the final.

Boss and Ross stayed close early, with the first game tied 10-10 before the champions pulled away.

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