Lewis advances at King of the Hill

      When Brian Lewis was a teenager, his father used to take him to Laguna Beach, Calif., to see some of beach volleyball's finest players -- Mike Dodd, Tim Hovland, Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos. Little did Lewis know that his first of five career victories would come against Smith and Stoklos.
      Lewis said that victory in the 1992 Jose Cuervo Gold Crown in Clearwater, Fla., represents his finest moment on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
      "Playing with Pat Powers and beating Randy and Sinjin, who as a kid growing up I watched play over and over, was like a dream come true," said Lewis. "I was sitting there, and I just couldn't believe that I had won the tournament."
      Lewis and Eric Fonoimoana beat out six rivals Friday to advance to today's second round of the Miller Lite King of the Beach Invitational at the Hard Rock Hotel.
      They will join the AVP's top six-ranked players -- defending champion Karch Kiraly, Kent Steffes, Adam Johnson, Jose Loiola, Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh -- in today's competition.
      As the No. 2 qualifier, Lewis' first match will be with Steffes against Loiola and Whitmarsh at 10 a.m. Fonoimoana will team with Kiraly at 11 against Johnson and Dodd. The last match of the day is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with the top four players advancing to Sunday's final.
      Lewis, from Corona del Mar, Calif., won $4,000 Friday to push his career earnings to $710,790. He joined the AVP Tour full time in 1990.
      "The indoor game is extremely hard on the body, and for someone my size, it's even harder with all that pounding," said the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Lewis. "I didn't really see myself being an Olympic volleyball player. I could play back row or something like that, but I knew I wasn't going to excel.
      "So I said, `I can come out (on tour) and play and be halfway decent.' I took my lumps for the first couple years, but I think I made the right choice."
      As one of the shortest players on tour, Lewis said he relies on his exceptional vertical leap and work ethic to stay competitive.
      "(Taller players) wake up in the morning and they have an advantage on me," he said. "When you're tired, you're still 6-6. When I'm tired, I'm 6-1. So, I just make sure that I stay on top of my workout regimen."
      AVP advisory board member Dr. Laszlo Kiraly agreed that Lewis is a hard working player.
      "He is one of the best jump servers on tour, if not the best," Dr. Kiraly said. "He works hard, he has a nice arm swing, he's a great defensive player and he has wonderful hands. I really like seeing a smaller player do so well."
      Lewis will team with setting sensation Scott Ayakatubby for a second season. The AVP's co-No. 7-ranked players won twice last year, including a memorable victory at Grand Haven, Mich.
      "I've never blocked before, but in that tournament I blocked six balls in the finals," Lewis said. "That was just ridiculous. No one in their right mind would ever have predicted that."
      -- NOTES -- Fonoimoana went 3-0 Friday to win $6,000. ... Stoklos hurt his left thumb and withdrew after his second match. He was replaced by alternate Canyon Ceman. ... Less than 100 tickets remain for today's action at the 5,000-seat stadium.