May-Treanor, Gibb remain alive at Santa Barbara stop

SANTA BARBARA — Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are trying to respond to their first loss in over a year with a title at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Crocs Cup Shootout in Santa Barbara.

May-Treanor, a former Newport Harbor High standout, and Walsh, the two-time Olympic gold medalists, advanced to today’s semifinal and could potentially meet up with Jen Boss and April Ross, another Newport Harbor alumna. Ross and Boss, the No. 3-seeded team, take on No. 5 seeds Holly McPeak and Agnie Akers in a contender’s bracket quarterfinal with the winner moving on to play against May-Treanor and Walsh.

The top team in the AVP had little trouble in its first match Saturday. May-Treanor and Walsh easily dispatched No. 16 seeds Sara Dukes and Chrissie Zartman, 21-17, 21-12, then sent No. 9 seeds Jenny Kropp and Nancy Mason to the contender’s bracket, winning, 21-16, 21-14.

Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, the No. 4 seeds, gave May-Treanor and Walsh a scare, but the top-seeded duo won, 18-21, 21-16, 19-17.

On the men’s side, Costa Mesa resident Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal will try to advance to today’s semifinals when they play in a contender’s bracket quarterfinal. Gibb and Rosenthal will face the No. 4-seeded team of Stein Metzger and Mark Williams with the winner advancing face Olympic gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in a semifinal.

Gibb and Rosenthal, the No. 2 seeds, defeated Newport Harbor product Ty Tramblie and Mike Morrison in the first round, 21-18, 21-19, and then took out Matt Olson and Kevin Wong in the second, 21-13, 21-19. They lost to John Hyden and Brad Keenan, the No. 6 seeds, 20-22, 21-6, 15-7.

Tramblie and Morrison bowed out in the contender’s bracket first round, as did Newport Beach’s Jason Ring and Costa Mesa’s Hans Stolfus. Matt Fuerbringer, a former Estancia standout, and Casey Jennings, the No. 5 seeds, were upset in the first round when Dax Holdren and Will Strickland, the No. 12 seeds, won, 16-21, 21-17, 15-8. Fuerbringer and Jennings also lost in three games in the contender’s bracket first round.

— From staff reports