Gail Castro

With the world's top players participating, the women's portion of the FIVB beach volleyball tournament in Hermosa Beach this weekend figures to be a preview of the Olympics. The top U.S. team of Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno is seeded second behind Brazilians Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires. Silva and Pires have won the first two FIVB tournaments of the 1996 season, in Macelo and Recife, Brazil. McPeak and Reno defeated Silva-Pires in the final of this event last year. America's No.

On the last day of the Olympic beach volleyball trials, top-seeded Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes took the last spot on the men's team Sunday by trouncing Adam Johnson and Randy Stoklos, 15-3, at Baltimore. Gail Castro and Deb Richardson secured the last slot on the U.S. women's team by outlasting Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, 15-13. The men's and women's Olympic Beach Volleyball in Atlanta will each feature three U.S. teams.

The season-ending $75,000 Women's Professional Volleyball Assn. World Championship will be held on Friday through Sunday at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas. There will be 32 teams in the field, led by top-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Angela Rock, who have each earned $64,440 and won 12 of the tour's 16 events this year. Janice Opalinski-Harrer and Elaine Roque, who have not won a tournament but placed in the top four of 16, are seeded second. Lori Kotas and Gail Castro are seeded third.

Top-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Angela Rock of San Diego continued to dominate the Women's Professional Volleyball Assn. tour at the $40,000 Camp Pendleton Open Saturday. Kirby and Rock, the leading money winners on the tour with $44,340 each, breezed into today's winner's bracket semifinals with a 15-12 quarterfinal victory over Gayle Stammer and Alison Johnson at Club del Beach in Camp Pendleton. Kirby and Rock will play Lori Biller and Patty Dodd in the semifinals.

Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes powered past Italy's Andrea Ghiurghi and Nicola Grigolo, 15-7, and the two other American teams also won opening-round men's matches at Jonesboro, Ga. Sinjin Smith and Carl Henkel, the highest-seeded U.S. men's team, won, 15-7, over Portugal's Luis Maia and Joao Brenha. Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh were 15-10 winners over Australia's Julien Prosser and Lee Zahner.

Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh, who were anything but favorites coming into the U.S. Olympic beach volleyball trials, buried the second-seeded team of Randy Stoklos and Adam Johnson, 15-7, to become the first men's team to qualify for the Games. The third-seeded team's victory erased the doubts of many who considered their victory Friday over top-seeded Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes a fluke.

The top-seeded team of Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno advanced to the quarterfinals of a women's pro beach volleyball event Friday at Hermosa Beach. McPeak and Reno defeated Kristine Middeler and Maggie Philgence, 15-4, and Jenny Griffith and Pat Keller, 14-7, in a match called because of time. The second-seeded team of Linda Hanley and Angela Rock beat Erin Deiters and Shannon Vessup-Millen, 15-3, and Krista Blomquist and Gayle Stammer, 15-9. Minda Rich and Teri Schroeder, seeded No.

Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires, both of San Clemente, won the women's title at the $100,000 Miller Lite Open Pro Beach volleyball tournament Sunday in Milwaukee. Silva and Pires, originally from Brazil, beat Linda Chisholm and Linda Hanley, 11-10, 7-6. Both are from Pacific Palisades. It was the 46th victory for Silva and the first for Pires who split $5,714. Adam Johnson of San Clemente and teammate Randy Stoklos (Pacific Palisades) lost in the men's final.

Playing in her first tournament since the death of her mother last month, Krista Blomquist and partner Danalee Bragado upset eighth-seeded Gail Castro and Gayle Stammer, 15-9, Friday in the second round of the Women's Professional Volleyball Assn. Evian National Championships at the Huntington Beach Pier. Play today will begin at 8 a.m., and Blomquist and Bragado, seeded ninth, will play top-seeded Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley in the championship bracket quarterfinals at 10 a.m.