BEACH VOLLEYBALL : Top-Seeded Smith-Stoklos Avenge Loss, Win Title

A steady rain fell on the final of the $100,000 Seal Beach Open pro beach volleyball tournament Sunday, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos.

They enjoyed beating Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes too much to notice.

Top-seeded Smith and Stoklos rebounded from a loss in the championship game with a 7-2 victory over second-seeded Kiraly and Steffes in the sudden-death final of the two-day, double-elimination tournament.

Smith and Stoklos, both of Pacific Palisades, took home $10,000 each for the victory. They also won their 107th tournament as a team, including 11 this season, and an additional $70,000 each for clinching the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ points title.

Kiraly and Steffes, who won $6,000 each, forced the sudden-death final with a 15-7 victory in the championship game. They avenged a 15-7 loss to Smith and Stoklos in the winners’ bracket finals earlier in the day.

The victory ended a six-tournament losing streak for Smith and Stoklos, who said they were upset by Kiraly and Steffes calling them “whiners” during recent radio and television interviews.

Kiraly and Steffes have beaten Smith and Stoklos three times in five meetings this season.

“There’s a lot of jealousy on the tour from us winning so much,” Stoklos said. “Players take shots at us, but I thought Karch was bigger than that.

“I love playing against Karch. He’s an excellent player and he raises my ability.”

Said Smith: “There’s nothing wrong with a rivalry. Everyone has known for years that Tim Hovland-Mike Dodd and Smith-Stoklos are the top teams. But we get along away from the court, too. I don’t know what it is with these guys (Kiraly and Steffes).”

Kiraly, a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, said Stoklos made the difference in the sudden-death final. Stoklos finished with 11 kills, and Smith added four.

“Randy picked up his game and we slacked off a bit,” he said. “We won the first game serving to Randy, but we lost the second one serving to him, too.”

Stoklos said the key to the match came when Kiraly made two errors with his team trailing, 4-2, in the sudden-death final.

Kiraly was called for a net violation, then hit the ball out on the next play. Smith ended the match with a kill.

“The difference in the last game was we went to Karch a couple of times and he made a couple of errors,” Stoklos said. “Kent was in a groove by then.”

Steffes, who had 36 kills in the championship game, had five in the sudden-death final. Kiraly had 10 kills in sudden death.