Misty stars in return

Misty May-Treanor, a former Newport Harbor High standout, was perfect in her return to Long Beach Saturday.

May-Treanor, a former Long Beach State star, and teammate Nicole Branagh won three times to secure a spot in today’s semifinals at the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals NIVEA Tour Long Beach Open.

May-Treanor, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Branagh, the No. 2-seeded team, beat 15th-seeded Claire D’Amore and Nancy Reynolds, 21-16, 21-13, topped seventh-seeded Ashley Ivy and Lisa Rutledge, 21-14, 21-16, and bested third-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, 22-20, 21-16.

Rachel Scott and Elaine Youngs, seeded first in the women’s bracket, also advanced to the semifinals.

April Ross, a former Newport Harbor standout, and Jennifer Kessy are not playing in Long Beach, as they instead competed in the FIVB Marseille Open, where they finished fifth Saturday. They had won four straight times on the AVP Tour.

International play will most likely occupy American top-tier players’ schedules, as the AVP alerted its players the tour could be cut short this year because of financial struggles, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. The AVP has been struggling to close sponsorship deals.

— From staff reports

Locals head for zonals

Newport Beach area residents Meredith Xepoleas, Kate Knight, Henry Gordon, Jenna Moustafa and Garrett Kurtz have all been selected to play in the upcoming junior tennis western zonals.

Newport Beach residents Xepoleas and Knight, in the girls’ 14s division, will be playing July 27-Aug. 1 in Colorado Springs, Colo. So will Corona del Mar resident Henry Gordon. Knight is an incoming freshman at Newport Harbor High.

Newport Coast resident Moustafa (girls’ 12s) and Corona del Mar resident Kurtz (boys’ 12s) will be in the zonals in Tucson, Ariz., on the same dates.

The zonals are a team competition that pits a group of top-ranked Southern California juniors against teams from other regions including Northern California, Hawaii, the Intermountain Region and the Pacific Northwest. The tournament format features singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions.

— From staff reports

CdM alumni tournament

Corona del Mar High will hold its 22nd annual Jack Errion Memorial alumni basketball tournament Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m. in the boys’ and girls’ basketball gyms at the school.

There will also be a silent auction to raise funds for the basketball program. The championship game is expected to take place at approximately 3:30 p.m.

For information, contact tournament director Rob Hess at rhess@bargerwolen.com.

— From staff reports

Newport alumni tournament

The 10th annual Newport Harbor High basketball alumni tournament is set for Saturday at the school’s main gym.

Check-in is at 8:00 am and the games are expected to tip-off at 9:00 am.

The entry fee is $25 per player and includes a commemorative t-shirt.

For information contact tournament director Jaime Holmes at (714) 915-2252.

— From staff reports