David Swatik

For David Swatik, the key to volleyball success has been simple. Life is a beach. For five years, Swatik has spent his summer days walking a few blocks from his home in Manhattan Beach to Marine Avenue to meet friends. They might stop at Sloopy's first, but basically they spend their hours playing pick-up two-man volleyball on one of the 11 sand courts, a place for players who are serious about spikes. "It's the main spot to play," said Swatik, a sophomore-to-be at UCLA.

This could only happen now, with stock portfolios bulging at the seams and power brokers clapping each other on the back at the end of each day. The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals, that wild and woolly gang of bronzed dudes from the dunes, has been bought by Spencer Trask Securities, a New York venture-capital firm. The AVP has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings with a new owner, a new chief executive and, it says, a new product.

David Swatik, a 6-foot-4 junior swing hitter who led UCLA in digs the past two seasons, left the volleyball team after losing his starting position to Kevin Wong.

The Brazilian pair of Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego teamed to win Sunday's $50,000 Miller Lite/AVP Open at Seal Beach, but the buzz afterward revolved around the play of David Swatik. It was Swatik, in his first Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tour final in five years, that turned the event into the best championship final of the season in front of a boisterous crowd of 3,300.

The Brazilian pair of Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego teamed to win Sunday's $50,000 Miller Lite/AVP Open at Seal Beach, but the buzz afterward revolved around the play of David Swatik. It was Swatik, in his first Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tour final in five years, that turned the event into the best championship final of the season in front of a boisterous crowd of 3,300.

Mira Costa, the top-seeded volleyball team in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, not only advanced easily Thursday night but proved Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn a prophet. Before the match-up at Corona del Mar, Glenn predicted that his team would lose if it could not extend the Mustangs to five games. Mira Costa barely broke a sweat in the semifinals, winning 15-5, 15-2 and 15-11 and advancing to the Saturday night championship game against Corona del Mar at Marina High.

With three of the top four seeded teams eliminated, Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson have a great chance to advance to their first tournament final of the season in the $300,000 Miller Lite U.S Championships at Hermosa Beach. Their main competition, top-seeded Kent Steffes and Jose Loiola, was eliminated in a late-afternoon consolation match Saturday. After losing in the morning, Steffes and Loiola fell, 14-12, in overtime to Eduardo Bacil and Brian Gatzke.

This could only happen now, with stock portfolios bulging at the seams and power brokers clapping each other on the back at the end of each day. The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals, that wild and woolly gang of bronzed dudes from the dunes, has been bought by Spencer Trask Securities, a New York venture-capital firm. The AVP has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings with a new owner, a new chief executive and, it says, a new product.

How good is Mira Costa's volleyball team? Coach Mike Cook doesn't know at this point in the season, but he'll have a better idea after his powerful Mustangs face a competitive field in the 25-team Redondo/Mira Costa Varsity Classic on Saturday. "We'll find out a little bit more about ourselves," he said. "From that respect, it will be a very good yardstick." Mira Costa, ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section 4-A Division, has yet to be challenged. The Mustangs improved to 15-0 overall and 10-0 in the Ocean League with a 15-3, 15-5, 15-4 sweep over Culver City on Tuesday.

The comparisons between David Swatik and Kent Steffes were inevitable. Like Steffes, Swatik left UCLA early to compete on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals beach tour. In volleyball circles, the all-around game of Swatik--much like Steffes--gives him an advantage on the beach. Swatik, 20, a former Mira Costa High standout in his rookie season on the AVP tour, dislikes the comparisons. "It bugs me," he said. "I don't want to be Kent Steffes."

With three of the top four seeded teams eliminated, Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson have a great chance to advance to their first tournament final of the season in the $300,000 Miller Lite U.S Championships at Hermosa Beach. Their main competition, top-seeded Kent Steffes and Jose Loiola, was eliminated in a late-afternoon consolation match Saturday. After losing in the morning, Steffes and Loiola fell, 14-12, in overtime to Eduardo Bacil and Brian Gatzke.

The comparisons between David Swatik and Kent Steffes were inevitable. Like Steffes, Swatik left UCLA early to compete on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals beach tour. In volleyball circles, the all-around game of Swatik--much like Steffes--gives him an advantage on the beach. Swatik, 20, a former Mira Costa High standout in his rookie season on the AVP tour, dislikes the comparisons. "It bugs me," he said. "I don't want to be Kent Steffes."

David Swatik, a 6-foot-4 junior swing hitter who led UCLA in digs the past two seasons, left the volleyball team after losing his starting position to Kevin Wong.

For David Swatik, the key to volleyball success has been simple. Life is a beach. For five years, Swatik has spent his summer days walking a few blocks from his home in Manhattan Beach to Marine Avenue to meet friends. They might stop at Sloopy's first, but basically they spend their hours playing pick-up two-man volleyball on one of the 11 sand courts, a place for players who are serious about spikes. "It's the main spot to play," said Swatik, a sophomore-to-be at UCLA.

Mira Costa, the top-seeded volleyball team in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, not only advanced easily Thursday night but proved Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn a prophet. Before the match-up at Corona del Mar, Glenn predicted that his team would lose if it could not extend the Mustangs to five games. Mira Costa barely broke a sweat in the semifinals, winning 15-5, 15-2 and 15-11 and advancing to the Saturday night championship game against Corona del Mar at Marina High.

How good is Mira Costa's volleyball team? Coach Mike Cook doesn't know at this point in the season, but he'll have a better idea after his powerful Mustangs face a competitive field in the 25-team Redondo/Mira Costa Varsity Classic on Saturday. "We'll find out a little bit more about ourselves," he said. "From that respect, it will be a very good yardstick." Mira Costa, ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section 4-A Division, has yet to be challenged. The Mustangs improved to 15-0 overall and 10-0 in the Ocean League with a 15-3, 15-5, 15-4 sweep over Culver City on Tuesday.

Leif Hanson and Wes Welch pulled the biggest upset of the day in the $100,000 Seal Beach Open volleyball tournament, beating fourth-seeded Brent Frohoff and Ricci Luyties, 18-16, in a second-round match. Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes, trying to win their record 14th consecutive tournament, defeated amateurs Canyon Ceman and David Swatik, 15-5, in the first round and 17th-seeded Shawn Davis and Chris Young, 15-4, in the second.

Mike Whitmarsh teamed with David Swatik to defeat Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego, 14-12, to win the Hermosa Beach Open Sunday. The tournament wasn't a standard-setter--Karch Kiraly was ousted earlier and failed in his bid to win his record 140th pro beach volleyball title--but it was entertaining nonetheless, particularly in the championship.