OLYMPIC SPORT PREVIEW: BALL IS BACK IN U.S. COURT MCPEAK-MAY, DAVIS-JORDAN ARE MEDAL HOPEFULS.Byline: Scott Magoloff Staff Writer Personal differences crept into play during the 1996 Atlanta Games. Holly McPeak Holly McPeak (born May 15, 1969 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) is an American beach volleyball player. As of 2005, McPeak has 72 career beach volleyball titles and $1. and Nancy Reno crumbled - as did the medal hopes of the American favorites in 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. - from their rift. And it happened in the public eye and on U.S. sand. McPeak and Reno, considered the gold-medal favorites in `96, instead finished fifth in the sport's Olympic debut. This time around, McPeak has undertaken the challenge of redeeming herself - as well as U.S. women's beach volleyball. And she does so with partner Misty May, who's only in her first full year on the beach circuit. Joining McPeak and May in the quest to restore pride to the American beach volleyball movement is the No. 1 team of Jenny Johnson Jordan Jenny Johnson Jordan (born June 8, 1973) is an American beach volleyball player, who won the silver medal at the 1999 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Marseille, alongside Annett Davis. and Annett Davis Annett Davis (born September 22, 1973) is an American beach volleyball player, who won the silver medal at the 1999 Beach Volleyball World Championships, alongside Jenny Johnson Jordan. , both residents of Tarzana and 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 All-Americans. Jordan and Davis will not only try to correct the U.S. team's failure in 1996, they have the added pressure of possibly becoming the first African- Americans to medal in the sport's short history. ``I've thought about it a little bit,'' said Jordan, who played alongside Davis for three years at UCLA. ``That's not really our motivation behind us playing - it would be an added bonus.'' Davis said the idea wasn't as motivational as some might think because beach volleyball is so new to the Olympics. She looks at the 24-team competition as a means to further her team's dramatic three-year rise in international beach volleyball and reestablish the U.S. as a world leader. ``We like to win,'' Davis said. ``If we can bring back a medal, that would be great for our country, but there's no pressure on us.'' Should the pressure build at Bondi Beach, the Olympic beach volleyball site, Jordan and Davis might be the two most qualified to handle it based on their connections to big-time sports. Jordan's father, Rafer Johnson Rafer Lewis Johnson (born August 18, 1935) is a former American decathlete. Johnson was born in Hillsboro, Texas, but moved to Kingsburg, California at age 9. In high school, he played on the school's football, baseball and basketball teams. , won Olympic gold Olympic Gold is the official video game of the XXV Olympic Summer Games, hosted by Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was released for the Sega consoles, Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System, and Sega's handheld, Game Gear. in the decathlon decathlon (dĭkăth`lŏn), in modern Olympic games, a contest for men held over two days and composed of 10 track-and-field events. in 1960 and the silver in 1956. He is often in the stands at his daughter's BVA BVA British Veterinary Association (London, UK) BVA Blinded Veterans Association BVA Board of Veterans' Appeals BVA Bond Van Adverteerders (Dutch Association of Advertisers) BVA British Video Association Tour stops. Davis' father, Cleveland Buckner Cleveland Buckner (born August 17, 1938 in Yazoo City, Mississippi) is a retired American basketball player. He played collegiately for the Jackson State University. He was selected by the New York Knicks in the 6th round (51st pick overall) of the 1961 NBA Draft. , played for the NBA's New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Knicks. His 33 points in a game against the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2, 1962, was somewhat overshadowed by the record 100 points poured in by Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999), nicknamed Wilt the Stilt and The Big Dipper, was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player for the Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors, the . ``If we do well it's just an added bonus,'' Jordan said. ``It's something that (my father and I) have in common, the Olympic experience, that we can share together. Not many fathers and daughters have that in common, so that will be special.'' McPeak is determined to make 2000 the year she figured 1996 would be. Heavily favored to finish among the top three in `96, McPeak's and Reno's inability to work toward a common goal cost them and took some luster from the sport in the U.S. McPeak is convinced the compatibility between her and May will be evident in their performance. Just as the team was approaching its peak on the U.S. and international tours, McPeak and May must now battle through a torn muscle in May's abdomen, which will keep the former Long Beach State star out until the Olympics. McPeak has been playing U.S. events with different partners since the injury. May has been taking advantage of her partner's relationship to Leonard Armato, the agent for Shaquille O'Neal. McPeak's fiancee arranged to have May visit with the specialist who treated O'Neal when he suffered a similar injury. ``This has to be the chance for (McPeak) to make up for (1996),'' said Gene Selznick, McPeak's coach. ``If Misty's healthy, we'll just dominate and get a gold medal.'' WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL Competition dates: Sept. 16-25 Teams: 24 History: Beach volleyball made its debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Favorites: In addition to the two U.S. teams, Brazil's Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede have been dominant on the (international) tour. Behar and Bede have won four of the Olympic qualifying events on the world tour. How U.S. will fare: Should Misty May's injured abdominal muscle hold up, both teams could wind up on the medal platform. May and Holly McPeak were the hottest team in the world until May's injury. The only other team nearly as hot was No. 1 Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis. McPeak and May won two international tour events and Jordan and Davis one. Did you know? Jordan and Davis are devout Christians who meet for weekly Bible studies. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: UCLA All-American Annett Davis, who lives in Tarzana, will try to help restore U.S. dominance in beach volleyball. Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News Box: WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL (See text) |
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