BEACH VOLLEYBALL: DRAWING LINES IN THE SAND UNIQUE TOURNAMENT BILLED TO BE BETTER THAN OLYMPICS.Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer CARSON - Tournament officials were so giddy about the prospects for tonight's beach volleyball For the ball used in this sport, see . Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport played on sand. Two teams, positioned on either side of a net which divides a rectangular court, hit a volleyball, usually using the hands or arms. matches that one official twice exclaimed, ``What a great story!'' The Swatch-FIVB World Tour Nissan Grand Slam grand slam n. 1. The winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand in bridge and other whist-derived card games. 2. Sports The winning of all the major or specified events, especially on a professional circuit. Olympic Qualifier - an international beach volleyball tournament the likes of which not seen in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in many years - will begin today at Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box Center. The tournament runs until Sunday, and qualifying for final positions in the 32-team men's and women's fields was Thursday. There hasn't been a tournament of this magnitude since 1997, when it was at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . For volleyball fans, the event is considered a dream, and it also sounds like a dream to AVP AVP arginine vasopressin. commissioner Leonard Armato. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if people fully realize the uniqueness of this event,'' Armato said. ``It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to see an Olympic-style competition featuring our stars of the AVP versus the very best in the world. In fact, it's even a better tournament than they'll see at the Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in Athens because there's a limited field.'' With that limited field, the competition likely will be less diluted than at the Olympics. All the big names in domestic and international beach volleyball are in Carson. At 7:30 p.m., Karch Kiraly and Brent Doble will take on one of the world's top Brazilian teams. That those two teams are in the same pool happened because Kiraly and Doble do not have international points, earning the pair a low seed. Although that seed might be low, Kiraly is a volleyball legend, and he and Doble are feared in the draw. But the Brazilians are feared, too. ``I would love to beat them anywhere we play them because that's an accomplishment,'' Kiraly said. ``The Brazilians have three of the top four ranked teams in the world. They're the strongest country in FIVB FIVB Federation of International Volleyball style of volleyball, on the men's side. And I haven't played out there (in Brazil) for three years, so I'm looking forward to seeing how we measure up.'' Other marquee matches on center court include Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs at 5:40 p.m.; Misty May/Kerri Walsh at 6:30 p.m.; after Kiraly/Doble, Jeff Nygaard and Dain Blanton at 8:20 p.m. In addition, there is volleyball all day, starting at 8 a.m. During Thursday's qualifying, there were few fans in the 8,000-seat Home Depot Center tennis stadium that has been converted for the beach volleyball. Armato said he expects good crowds for tonight's matches. One team that advanced through the qualifiers was Dax Holdren and Stein Metzger. Both said it was different to play in such a large stadium, though they have played in similar stadiums overseas. Metzger was asked about the talent level of the event, and without a hint of exaggeration, he said, ``This may be the best tournament of all time.'' Joe Stevens, (562) 499-1338 joe.stevens(at)dailynews.com AT A GLANCE --What: Swatch-FIVB World Tour Nissan Grand Slam Olympic Qualifier --When: Today through Sunday --Where: Home Depot Center, Carson --Who: American legend Karch Kiraly and most of the world's best international players, competing in men's and women's 32-team fields --History: The last time this event was played in the U.S. was in 1997, at UCLA CAPTION(S): box Box: AT A GLANCE (see text) |
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