Pair Almost Misses Start of AVP Match

Starting this morning and through Sunday, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour is making its 2007 stop in New York City with the AVP Brooklyn Open. In it's 2nd year in NYC, the Brooklyn Open features over 150 beach volleyball players, a temporary 4,000-seat stadium, and 13 outer courts that will offer general admission seating (ticket info). Qualifying round play began today at 8 a.m.

One of the teams this morning almost missed its 8 a.m. match when they took the local train to Coney Island instead of the express. Laura Ratto and Colleen Smith, who stayed in the city over the weekend, jumped on the subway and arrived only 7 minutes before their match. Ratto said, "We took the subway here and it took us like an hour and 40 minutes. So we thought we were going to have plenty of time, but we realized we were stuck because it wasn't an express; it stopped at every stop." Hmm...does that mean they're going to take car service for their matches in the main draw, or make sure they're on an express.

Today's matches conclude at about 6 p.m. and main draw competition is from 9 a.m. tomorrow until 6:30 p.m. The men's final is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and women's play continues until 6:30 p.m. Saturday with the finals on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. While Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (best known in some circles for their skimpy summer Olympics outfits in 2004 and rolling gold medal celebrations) are the #1 seeds on the women's side, they lost just last week to Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh. It was only their 2nd tournament this season that they didn't win. Karch Kiraly, who at 46 is retiring after this season, is sitting the Brooklyn Open out with a strained left calf.

Also in Coney Island today and tomorrow is Paul Lo Duca. The Brooklyn-born Lo Duca is scheduled to play in a rehab assignment with the Brooklyn Cyclones while on the way back from a hamstring injury.

Photo of Misty May-Treanor via AVP.com