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A look ahead to the Glendale Open
Arizona is next stop on AVP Tour
By Monique Moyal / AVP.com

After its past success in Tempe, Ariz., the 2007 AVP Crocs Tour will make
its first ever stop in Glendale, Ariz., during the weekend of May 10-13.

The finals in the last Arizona trip, the 2006 AVP Tempe Open, featured many
familiar names, as Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh sent home Jen Boss and
Nancy Mason on one side, and to no one's surprise, Phil Dalhausser and Todd
Rogers left Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal without a title.

As for the men this year, three teams will be itching for victory --
especially last year's Arizona finalists -- Rosie/Gibb and Rogers/Dalhausser
-- who both walked away without the title in Huntington Beach.

Yet a third team, second-seeded Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger has a new
spring in its step after getting back on their usual winning track.

For the women, the biggest story is Misty May-Treanor's quest to surpass
Holly McPeak's 72 all-time beach titles. If she and partner Kerri Walsh can
take their third-straight victory of the year, May-Treanor will tie McPeak's
record as the all-time winningest female on the beach, matching the mark in
Arizona of all places.

And like always, the other top-seeded teams below May-Treanor/Walsh will be
right there to keep them in check. After tasting victory in Miami and
receiving the largest purse in AVP history, No. 2 Elaine Youngs and Nicole
Branagh are hungering for more.

Other usual challengers include No. 6 April Ross and Jen Boss as well as
third-seeded Rachel Wacholder and Tyra Turner, who have all made their
appearances in the semifinals at some point this season.

The desert backdrop should also provide more stable playing conditions, as
the ocean wind and deep sand will not be a factor. Without those conditions,
upsets from qualifying teams might go back to being an anomaly as they were
in the first two tournaments of the year.

Milestones: The first time McPeak ever tasted one of her 72 victories came
on the desert sands of Arizona during the 1993 Phoenix Open.

As for May-Treanor and Walsh, they have yet to taste defeat in Tempe's four
tournaments and will look to continue that trend into 2007. Outside of
Tempe, there have been seven other opportunities for the women to capture a
title, and Walsh has perfected that art in Arizona.

On the men's side, the last player to claim the title in Tucson was Karch
Kiraly the Great back in 1998.

Locals and alumni: Of all the main draw and qualifying players currently on
tour, 10 claim Arizona towns as home. Seven players who now live in
California polished their volleyball skills and earned degrees from Arizona
State University, the University of Arizona or Northern Arizona University.

Among them is Matt Olson who resides in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., and earned
his degree from the University of Arizona.

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