LONG BEACH OPEN:She’s Misty-fying

LONG BEACH — Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh received an ideal sendoff for the Fédération de Volleyball’s World Championships Saturday afternoon.

Not only did the pair win the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ Long Beach Open before a rowdy crowd of May-Treanor’s hometown supporters, they also received a small reprieve in the semifinals.

May-Treanor and Walsh were scheduled to play Nicole Branaugh and Elaine Youngs, who forfeited due to injury. Youngs injured her calf muscle and the team pulled out to avoid worsening the problem according to AVP reports. Branaugh and Youngs still plan to compete in Gstaad, Switzerland at the World Championships, which start Tuesday.

May-Treanor — a Newport Harbor High alumna who won an NCAA championship with the Long Beach State volleyball team — and Walsh handily defeated Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder, 21-10, 21-14.

“I’m not going to lie, it was nice for me,” May-Treanor said about not having to play a semifinal match. “I personally, am just tired. I need a personal timeout. It’d be nice to get a spa day in there, just one day.

“It’s unfortunate because Kerri and I love playing, but I’m sure we would have played well and hopefully had the same result.”

May-Treanor was hitting 27.5%, scoring 15 kills on 40 attempts. Walsh was 11 of 15 for a 73.3 hitting percentage.

The pair quickly hustled out of the stadium Saturday to prepare and catch a 7:40 p.m. flight to Switzerland.

May-Treanor and Walsh are attempting to qualify for the Beijing Olympics this season to avoid playing next year. It lessens the chance of injuries, and would allow them to peak at the right time, May-Treanor said. The defending world and Olympic champions have three gold medals and one bronze in four FIVB appearances this season. USA Volleyball determines who gets the two Olympic team berths by looking at the team’s best eight FIVB finishes.

“Because of the way the process is set up, it seems like we have more targets on our backs from the Americans,” May-Treanor said of the international competition. “We’re almost fighting with the Americans to get a spot as opposed to other countries. But yes, definitely, other countries do want to beat up on the U.S.A.”

May-Treanor is not shy about admitting that’s she tired, but she compared the rigors of competing domestically and internationally to playing with an injury.

“Athletes when they’re injured, you tend to focus on little things and fine-tuning,” she said. “You really have to focus on doing little things well. For Kerri and I, it’s been a long season, but we’re at that point where we’re finding that consistency in our game. But also, because we are tired, it makes us calm down a little bit more … I think being a little tired or having to go different time zones, it’s really working on our concentration, and I think we’re doing a good job at it.”

Saturday’s win was May-Treanor and Walsh’s 75th career victory together (domestic and international), which ties them with Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes for most as a team. Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos, who won 114 times, are the all-time men’s leaders.

May-Treanor and Walsh have won nine of 10 AVP tournament titles.

The day started off overcast, and in a few FIVB tournaments this year, May-Treanor and Walsh have played in the rain, but the sun started to creep out just as the women’s final match began.

Adrian Grenier, who plays Vincent Chase on HBO’s “Entourage,” was spotted in the stands at the women’s event.

April Ross, also out of Newport Harbor, and Jennifer Boss lost in a rematch of Friday’s contest against Turner and Wacholder, falling 22-20, 21-12, while Turner and Wacholder advanced to the women’s final.

“Every time I play in Long Beach — and it hasn’t been since ’98 — it holds a special place in my heart,” May-Treanor said. “The fans are great. I thought these were some of the best fans we’ve had this year. You could tell they were very knowledgeable, and they come out here to see great volleyball.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].