Lambert out of opener

May-Treanor and Walsh were the 2007 Crocs Cup champions after winning 13 of 15 AVP tournaments last season.

Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branaugh, currently second, face stiff competition from April Ross, a 2000 graduate of Newport Harbor, and Jennifer Boss who are in third place, as well as Tyra Turner and Laguna Beach High product Rachel Wacholder.

Ross and Boss are starting the season with a new coach, former indoor Olympian Angela Rock.

“Getting fit, getting strong, making sure we last the whole season injury free,” Boss said. “We just needed someone to really push us into this year, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”

Youngs won the bronze in Athens with then-partner Holly McPeak, who is retiring from the AVP at the end of the season. McPeak will play her final season with Angie Akers.

Not only an international threat, Youngs and Branaugh found themselves battling May-Treanor and Walsh for AVP bragging rights last season. They stunned crowds in Miami when they defeated Ross and Boss in the season opener.

The Southern California AVP tour stops this season are: Huntington Beach (May 1-4); Hermosa Beach (June 6-8); Long Beach (July 25-27); San Diego (Aug. 1-3); Santa Barbara (Sept. 6-7) and Manhattan Beach (Sept. 19-21).

SORAYA MCDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.