May enjoying final tuneup for Games

Misty May, a former Newport Harbor High volleyball star, will be

playing in her final tuneup for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games today

in the Hermosa Beach Open at the Hermosa Beach Pier.

May, along with her partner, Kerri Walsh, will be in the

quarterfinals, facing Carrie Busch and Nancy Mason. May and Walsh are

the top seed. The main-draw action starts at 8 a.m.

The championship match, which starts at 1:30 p.m. has the

potential to provide a heavyweight-fight-type billing as May and

Walsh, could most likely take on the No. 2 seed, which consists of

Elaine Youngs and May’s former teammate, Holly McPeak. The match will

be televised on NBC. The two teams will be representing the U.S. in

the Olympics, Aug. 14-25. May and Walsh are favored to win gold, but

it’s not a lock, as May endured an injury recently.

However, May, who had been sidelined with an abdominal strain the

past three weeks, has regained her strength and now she wants gold in

Athens next month.

“We want to win the gold medal,” she said.

May also said she feels healthy and is confident she and Walsh can

finish better than May and McPeak did in the 2000 Olympics, when they

finished fifth.

May and Walsh defeated Sarah Stratton and Tammy Liebl, 21-11,

21-17, Friday to advance to the quarterfinals. May and Walsh also

beat Courtney Guerra and Brooke Niles, 21-10, 21-9, and Stacy

Rouwenhorst and Paola Rodriguez, 21-12, 21-9.