Punahou School graduate Mike Lambert reunited with beach volleyball partner Karch Kiraly to win the men's final of the AVP Nissan Championship Series Huntington Beach Open yesterday in California.

Kiraly and Lambert were seeded seventh. Kiraly is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, twice winning indoors and once on the beach. Lambert played indoors at the 1996 Olympics and was last year's AVP Most Valuable Player.

They defeated sixth-seeded Sean Rosenthal and Larry Witt in the final, 15-21, 26-24, 17-15. Earlier, they beat second-seeded Stein Metzger — another Punahou graduate — and Jake Gibb, 17-21, 22-20, 15-12.

Kiraly and Lambert are the sixth men's team to win a title this year. Metzger and Gibb have won three, while Lambert won in Cincinnati with John Hyden.

On the women's side, 2004 Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh beat the ninth-seeded Hawai'i team of Tanya Fuamatu-Anderson and Heidi Ilustre, 22-20, 21-10. May-Treanor and Walsh play in the semifinals today.

The AVP season closes Oct. 1 and 2 with the Honolulu Best of the Beach presented by Paul Mitchell. The $200,000 event will be on Queen's Beach.

TENNIS

LAJOLA FALLS IN SEMIS

Third-seeded Steven Forman upset 'Aiea's Dennis Lajola yesterday in the semifinals of the U.S. Tennis Association Boys 16 National Championship at Kalamazoo, Mich.

The scores were 6-3, 6-4. Lajola was the tournament's top seed in singles and doubles and he went on to capture the doubles championship later in the day. He and partner Nathaniel Schnugg defeated the second-seeded team of Johnny Hamui and Tyler Hochwait, 6-1, 6-3.

Lajola also finished his quarterfinal singles match yesterday, beating Dennis Nevolo, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The match was postponed by rain Friday.

SWIMMING

SIMMS PLACES SIXTH

Chris Simms finished sixth in the 50-meter freestyle with a Hawaiian 13-14 age group record time of 26.74 seconds yesterday in the Speedo Junior National Championships at Irvine, Calif.

Two other Hawai'i swimmers also competed in the 50 free, with Meredith Egloria finishing 16th in the women's division and Randall Tom 17th in the men's.

GYMNASTICS

PAMA FINISHES FIFTH

Shantessa Pama of Kona placed fifth in the Junior Women division of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships yesterday at Indianapolis.

Pama scored 72.346 points. Natasha Kelley, of Baton Rouge, La., won the title with 74.681 points.

Randi Lau of Honolulu finished 26th with 66.080 points.

TRACK AND FIELD

UH WAHINE HONORED

The U.S. Collegiate Track Coaches Association recognized the University of Hawai'i's women's track and field team as one of 50 NCAA Division I programs to receive All-Academic team honors.

The Rainbow Wahine had a combined 3.01 grade-point average.

Juniors Patricia Gauthier (3.92 GPA) and Dana Buchanan (3.36) earned All-Academic individual honors.

Gauthier holds the school record in the pole vault, and Buchanan owns the school's 1,500-meter record.