MANHATTAN BEACH OPEN:Made in Manhattan

MANHATTAN BEACH — Maybe Misty May-Treanor should take up art when her professional volleyball days are over.

After all, May-Treanor is getting mighty used to etching her name in the Manhattan Beach pier, the tradition for winning the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ Manhattan Beach Open.

The Newport Harbor High alumna and partner Kerri Walsh had to sweat for it, but they did it again after winning the tour’s most prestigious tournament for the third straight year. The top-seeded duo outlasted No. 2-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs, 15-21, 14-7 (ret.), 15-10 in the final on Saturday.

Quite a dramatic victory for May-Treanor and Walsh, who said after the match that they were basically running on fumes after traveling back and forth to Federation Internationale de Volleyball events in Europe.

“We’ll take it,” said Walsh, who split $28,000 with May-Treanor. “It’s been a crazy tournament, and I think Misty and I are fried in so many different ways. I don’t know when I’ve been this tired when I’ve played volleyball. I’m really proud of this win, because I’m dead tired.”

But their effort was good enough to become the first women’s team to win the Manhattan Beach Open three straight years since Jean Brunicardi and Johnette Latreille, from 1966-68.

The victory marked the fourth time that May-Treanor and Walsh have won here; they also captured the title in Manhattan Beach in 2003. And, this year, they were apparently inspired by a pre-match speech by legend Karch Kiraly, the eight-time event champion who was unable to play the tournament in his last year on tour due to injury.

“It’s like Kerri and I are following in his footsteps,” May-Treanor said. “It’s a real honor.”

The final also featured a key injury. Elaine Youngs, who has now lost in the Manhattan Beach final five of the last six years, said she aggravated her strained left calf during the very first point of the second game.

That required an injury timeout, as did a left thigh cramp with May-Treanor up 14-7 in the game. Because teams are only allowed one injury timeout per game, Branagh and Youngs were forced to forfeit the second game and go to a third game.

“It’s something I’ve dealt with since [the] Long Beach [Open in July],” Youngs said. “It just took me out of my game entirely. I couldn’t jump-serve. Any time I jumped, it just locked up.”

But that’s when Branagh took over, or at least tried to. The player from nearby Torrance had six kills in the third game alone, and Branagh and Youngs took a 9-6 lead in the deciding game.

“I had to step it up,” Branagh said, smiling. “I should play like that every weekend.”

May-Treanor and Walsh said it was tough to adjust to Youngs’ injury.

“It’s definitely tougher,” May-Treanor said. “It definitely got us out of our rhythm. But I thought we did a good job getting refocused … You want to show your concern, but we still have a match to play. With [Youngs], it’s not over until they carry her off the court. You have to stay in that mind frame.”

But May-Treanor, who added to her pro volleyball women’s record with her 84th victory and 48th on the AVP tour, did just that. May-Treanor and Walsh, who had also lost the first game in their 16-21, 21-15, 15-11 semifinal win over No. 4-seeded Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder, adjusted.

May-Treanor started hitting her looping lob shots, as opposed to going for a straight kill. The strategy change came on purpose, to make the injured Youngs move more.

And the shot, which May-Treanor has struggled with this tournament, came at the right time.

“I’ve been waiting for that all tournament,” May-Treanor said. “I don’t know where it’s been; maybe overseas.”

It worked, as May-Treanor and Walsh battled within 12-11 in the deciding game. A lob kill by May-Treanor and a kill by Walsh would give the duo a match point, which they converted, May-Treanor angling a shot over the net and into a corner.

May-Treanor and Walsh, who have now won the last 10 AVP events they’ve played in, will now prepare for a tour stop in Boston next weekend.

“I’ve never been to Boston, so I’m really excited,” May-Treanor said.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.