May-Treanor, Walsh move into FIVB final

PARIS, France — Newport Harbor High product Misty May-Treanor and her partner, Kerri Walsh, won two matches Saturday to advance to today’s championship match of the Swatch Federation Internationale de Volleyball world tour beach volleyball event.

May-Treanor and Walsh defeated fellow Americans Nicole Branaugh and Elaine Youngs, 21-18, 21-18, in the semifinals, after earning a 21-16, 21-18 quarterfinal triumph over former Newport Harbor standout April Ross and Jen Boss.

May-Treanor and Walsh have now won 54 straight matches on the swatch tour, where they have also won 67 of their last 68. They will try to extend the winning streak today when they face Americans Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder in the title match.

?Meanwhile, in Assn. of Volleyball Professionals beach action in Belmar, N.J., a pair of locals tied for ninth place in men’s and women’s play.

Ty Tramblie, a Newport Harbor alumnus, teamed with Mike Morrison to split $2,875 for sharing ninth place in the men’s bracket. Tramblie and Morrison won by forfeit over Costa Mesa resident Mike Lambert and Aaron Wachtfogel in the first round of the contender’s bracket Saturday.

Lambert and Wachtfogel finished tied for 13th and split $1,700.

UC Irvine product Whitney Pavlik and her partner, Stacy Rouwenhorst lost, 25-23, 21-19, to Angela Lewis and Priscilla Lima in the second round of the women’s contender’s bracket to wind up tied for ninth. They split $2,875.

— From staff reports