2005 AVP Belmar Open: Pro Beach Volleyball returns to the East Coast as Misty May & Kerri Walsh look to start a new streak

The 2005 Belmar Open is the 7th stop of the 2005 AVP season and will be televised on Fox Sports Net and OLN. Tune in as Gold Medalists Misty May & Kerri Walsh hope to rebound from their first loss of the season last week in Cincinnati. Log on to http://avp.com for tickets, TV schedule and additional information

More than 150 of the top professional beach volleyball athletes will descend into Belmar, New Jersey this weekend, July 8th – 10th. The Women’s side features 2004 Olympic gold medal winners May and Walsh, and 2004 Olympic bronze medal winners Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs. On the men’s side, three-time Olympic gold medal winner Karch Kiraly, AVP MVP Mike Lambert and 2000 Olympic gold medalists Eric Fonoimoana and Dain Blanton are sure to bring their best game.

Golden Girls May and Walsh enter Belmar having just lost for the first time in 2005. The duo had not lost a match since the 2004 Chicago Open before falling last weekend in the AVP Championship series in Cincinnati to Youngs and Rachel Wacholder. Youngs and Wacholder ended May and Walsh’s streak of fifty consecutive match wins. May & Walsh hold the record of 89 consecutive wins set during the 2003 and 2004 season.

Mike Lambert, who won four times in 2004, returned to the winners circle for the first time in 2005 at the Cincinnati Open with new partner John Hyden. The AVP Men have now seen five winners in six events in 2005. Olympian Stein Metzger & Jake Gibb won in Fort Lauderdale and Tempe, Nick Lucena & Phil Dalhausser won in Austin, Olympians Jeff Nygaard & Dax Holdren won in Santa Barbara, Casey Jennings & Matt Fuerbringer won in San Diego, and Lambert & Hyden won last weekend in Cincinnati.

The competition will be fierce as $175,000 is on the line in Belmar. Log on to http://avp.com for more details.