The AVP Nissan Series expanded by two tournaments for 2005, adding Cincinnati and Boulder as new stops on the Tour. This week’s AVP Boulder Open marks the first time the pro beach volleyball has visited this high-altitude college town since 1996.

Colorado was one of the first states to host a pro tournament outside of California with the 1979 event, won by the two career victory leaders, Karch Kiraly and Sinjin Smith. When the AVP first began in 1984, Boulder was a regular tour stop, continuing until the demise of that organization. But just as the new AVP has returned with a solid footing, so has the Tour returned to Boulder.

Kiraly won the last five AVP events in Boulder, which all occurred before beach volleyball became an Olympic sport. Since then, much has changed in the sport. One thing hasn’t however, and that is that Kiraly is still winning beach volleyball events. Having won at least one tournament in 24 of the 27 years he has competed on the sand, the three-time Gold Medalist remains a strong contender with partner Mike Lambert.

Lambert won in the other new event of 2005, giving John Hyden his first career title. That event in Cincinnati was unique in that both the men’s winner and the women’s winners were first-time champions as teams. Rachel Wacholder / Elaine Youngs broke into the winner’s circle with a come-from-behind three-game win over Misty May-Treanor / Kerri Walsh.

Having two teams win for the first time in Boulder will not be an easy feat. On the men’s side, all top seven seeds have won a tournament together, while the women’s have been dominated by the top two teams. In fact, Wacholder / Youngs and May-Treanor / Walsh have lost just a total of three matches to teams besides each other this season, and none of those have happened since San Diego in the middle of June.

That being said, however, Jen Kessy / Holly McPeak have been in the Final Four in all but one AVP event this season, so they are a constant and real threat. Eight other teams have reached the semifinals this year, including Tyra Turner / Makare Wilson, who had career bests with third-place finishes in two of the last three events.

Some indicators point to Wacholder / Youngs winning this event. Their first win, in Cincinnati, came in one of the two new stops on the Tour. Their last win, in Huntington Beach, came in the same county that both players grew up in (Orange County). The tournament in Boulder is also a tie for these athletes, as Youngs lives in Durango, Colo., and Wacholder was a star player at the University of Colorado.

Chances are one of the top two teams will win. It has been over four years since a women’s team seeded lower than second won a team event on the AVP Tour, when seventh seeded Dianne DeNecochea / Liz Masakayan won in Santa Barbara. Since that time, 38 straight team events have been won by either the first or second seeds.

Of course, with Jake Gibb / Stein Metzger breaking the curse of the men’s number one seed last week, anything is possible. The men’s top seed had endured 26 straight events of finishing lower than first place.

The race for the Nissan Championship Series title, which goes to the player(s) with the most points for the season, is weighted greatly in favor of May-Treanor / Walsh. The men’s race is close between Gibb / Metzger and Dax Holdren / Jeff Nygaard, who have reached the Final Four nine and eight times respectively. A total of 12 different teams have advanced to the semifinals this season, with eight of those playing in the championship match. All 10 of the Final Fours this season have been unique combinations of teams. While the men’s side has been more wide-open, Gibb / Metzger and Holdren / Nygaard have been the most consistent teams, and therefore lead in the quest for the Nissan vehicle and special trophy to be awarded following the AVP Chicago Open presented by McDonald’s.

With the smaller fields of 24-team main draws, teams can win the title with just five match victories. But they will have to overcome not just the opposing teams, but playing a mile above sea level where Oxygen seems to be at a premium in the third game of a grueling match, especially given that this is the third straight week of competition (more so for those playing on the international tour). So like the weather in Colorado, expect the unexpected.