Million-dollar Misty

Leonard Armato made a few bold statements ? and rightly so ? as he addressed the massive crowd that had gathered for the Cuervo Gold Crown Huntington Beach Open Sunday at the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

“Summer is officially open,” the commissioner of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals told a sun-drenched crowd of 5,000 who sat at center court for the men’s and women’s finals of the fourth stop on the 2006 ASP Crocs Tour. “It just keeps getting better and better here in Huntington Beach.”

On a day when history was made and one player officially joined the $1-million club, the sun contributed to a successful Memorial Day weekend at the Huntington Beach Open, just one week after cloudy skies had shrouded the Santa Barbara Open.

Prior tour opens this year had been held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Tempe, Ariz.

In the men’s final, the team of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers captured their third-straight title of the current AVP tour by sweeping past an exuberant and unexpected finals opponent in Brent Doble and Ryan Mariano, 21-17, 21-18.

In the women’s final, which capped a three-day open that began with qualifying round action Friday, the world’s No. 1 team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh made amends for last year’s showing in Surf City by sweeping the team of Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder, who beat them a year earlier, 21-16, 21-12.

“You just witnessed history in the making,” Amato said after May-Treanor and Walsh cruised to victory. “They’re having an amazing run.”

For May-Treanor and Walsh, Sunday’s triumph was their record 51st team title and fourth in four tour events this year. The win also pushed May-Treanor, who starred at Newport Harbor High School and Cal State Long Beach, into the women’s $1-million dollar club when it comes to earnings in beach volleyball. She joins veteran Holly McPeak, who has earned more than $1.3 million in her career, at that level.

“I wouldn’t call it revenge,” May-Treanor said after she and Walsh atoned last year’s defeat in the Huntington Beach Open final to Youngs and Wacholder, who handed them the worst defeat of their career. “They beat us here last year. It’s nice to come back and get a win here.”

Walsh said that Sunday’s win ? their second in two weeks over Youngs and Wacholder in an open finals ? was sweet.

“I wanted to win this very badly,” she said. “They beat us badly last year, and we wanted to come back and get a victory here.”

The women’s final, which featured three players who grew up in Orange County in May-Treanor, Wacholder (Laguna Beach) and Youngs (El Toro), was never in doubt.

After pulling away from a tight start to win the first game, 21-16, May-Treanor and Walsh turned a 12-10 lead in the second game into a runaway. They scored six consecutive points to open up an 18-10 lead before coming away with a match-clinching 21-12 win.

As for reaching the $1-million mark, May-Treanor said she plans to extend the club to three soon.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” she said of her earnings. “Kerri got me to the million-dollar mark, and I want to get her there, too.”

The men’s final pitted the red-hot duo of Dalhausser and Rogers against the up-and-coming tandem of Doble and Marino, who rose from a No. 14 seed to become the lowest seed to make a men’s final since 18th-seeded Roberto Lopes and Franco Neto reached a championship final in May 1998.

It was the first final for Mariano, but Dalhausser and Rogers became the first men’s team to win three straight opens since 1998, when Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson accomplished the feat.

“It was a tough road but no one out there had more fun than us. No one,” Doble said.

With the crowd behind them, Doble and Mariano hung tough in both games, yet each spirited effort ended on a kill by the 6-foot-9 Dalhausser.

The loss could not dampen the thrill of the day for Mariano, who grew up in Lake Forest. He still smiled after the match.

“To have my first final played right here at home ? well, I really can’t explain it,” he said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. My best friends and my parents were sitting up there watching. I’m going to take this moment and love it.” (LA)Misty May-Treanor, left, digs the ball as partner Kerri Walsh backs her up during the finals of the AVP Huntington Beach Open on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier on Sunday. hbi.01-avp-1-kt-CPhotoInfo2S1RG7GL20060601j03hr0ncPHOTOS BY KENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)ahbi.01-avp-5-kt-CPhotoInfo2S1RG7H520060601j03ht3ncTREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)Above, Kerri Walsh, right, hugs partner Misty May-Treanor after winning the AVP Huntington Beach Open. Left, Ryan Mariano dives for the ball. hbi.01-avp-2-kt-CPhotoInfo2S1RG7GS20060601j03hrnnc(LA)Above, Kerri Walsh, right, hugs partner Misty May-Treanor after winning the AVP Huntington Beach Open. Left, Ryan Mariano dives for the ball.