LONG BEACH, Calif. – July 25, 2008 – The AVP Crocs Slam Bud Light Long Beach Open main draw kicked off Friday at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, seeing United States Beach Volleyball Olympians breeze through the day unscathed in their final tune-up before Beijing.    After a first-round bye in the 24-team draw, top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh added yet another win to their record consecutive match win streak, upping it to 97. The duo downed 17th-seeded Ashley Ivy and Heather Lowe, 21-10, 21-12 to move on to the third round Saturday at 9 a. m.  And while they rewrite history on the AVP Crocs Tour and in international play – in addition to 97 straight matches, they’ve also won an unprecedented 17 straight tournament titles – May-Treanor and Walsh are chasing history as well. If they successfully defend as gold medallists in the Olympic Games, they’ll also become the first ever repeat winners in beach volleyball’s young history in the Games.  The records they are breaking are their own marks of 89 straight match wins and 15 straight tournaments, set before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. However, even if all signs point to gold, four years can make a difference.  “I think the (Olympic Games) field is a lot stronger, but I think we are older, wiser and more mature as a team,” said May-Treanor, who returns to her adopted hometown this week – she led California State University, Long Beach to a national indoor title in 1998. “I think we are better and more consistent coming in. Also, experience-wise, we are four years stronger and more experienced, which will really help us. ” Men’s No. 1 seed and men’s Olympic Games gold-medal contenders Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers also moved on undefeated, despite a slightly busier day. Also receiving a first-round bye, Dalhausser/Rogers then beat 16th-seeded Paul Baxter and Matt Prosser, 21-14, 21-13, and eighth-seeded Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings, 21-19, 21-14 to move on to the fourth round at 8 a. m. Saturday.  The other men’s Olympic Games representatives Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, seeded third this week, beat 14th-seeded Billy Allen and Braidy Halverson, 21-17, 21-12, then four-year Long Beach State starter Ryan Mariano and partner Ed Ratledge, the 11th seed, 21-14, 17-21, 15-11, after their first-round bye. They’ll play in bottom half of the winners’ bracket at 8 a. m. Saturday.  The second women’s team, Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs, seeded third this week, moved on to the third round after defeating 19th-seeded Erin Byrd and Stephanie Chapek, 21-7, 21-9. They’ll play at 10 a. m. Saturday.  The men’s final will begin at approximately 1 p. m. Saturday and will air on NBC at 1:30 p. m. PDT/4:30 p. m. EDT.  This is the final chance for fans across the nation to see the Olympic Beach Volleyball athletes compete live on NBC Sports before they depart for Beijing. Coverage of the women’s finals will begin Sunday at 1:30 p. m. PDT/ 4:30 p. m. EDT.  The AVP Crocs Slam Bud Light Long Beach Open runs Friday through Sunday at Marina Green Park, at 700 E. Shoreline Drive in Long Beach. Saturday’s main draw play begins at 8 a. m. Tickets start at just $20 and are available at www. avp. com/longbeach, or at the box office located at the main entrance of the event.    Fans of the AVP Crocs Tour are encouraged to donate their worn-out Crocs to SolesUnitedSM – a first-of-its-kind recycled footwear donation program from Crocs, Inc. , dedicated to providing new quality footwear to people in need worldwide. Used Crocs™ shoes will be collected at every AVP Crocs Tour stop and participating retail locations, after which the Crocs™ shoes are cleaned, ground into new material and made into new recycled shoes.   To date, Crocs has donated over one million pairs of shoes. In 2008, the goal is to donate 2 million pairs of recycled shoes to those in need.