Huntington Beach Open qualifying begins today

Qualifying begins today at 8 a.m. at the Huntington Beach Pier for the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Cuervo Gold Crown Huntington Beach Open, the first stop in Southern California this year for the AVP Crocs Tour.

Main-draw matches begin Friday and continue on Saturday, with the men’s final scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday and the women’s final at 4 p.m. Newport Harbor High product Misty May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh, who have won the first two tour events this season, are also the defending women’s tournament champions. On the men’s side, Costa Mesa resident Mike Lambert and partner Stein Metzger are scheduled to make their season debut after Lambert has been battling a right knee injury. Lambert and Metzger are defending champions at Huntington Beach.

There’s an added bonus this year, because Huntington Beach is the third and final stop of the Cuervo Gold Crown series. On Sunday, the top four women’s and men’s teams after those three events — also including the Miami Open and Dallas Open — will compete in a winner-takes-all tournament Sunday with a $25,000 check at stake.

— From staff reports