In the first part of our TV Schedule, we showed you four matches featuring local athletes, and now we’re pleased to report that after the first two days of competition, all Long Beachians currently competing in Beijing are still undefeated!  Here’s your Long Beach rundown.

Note: All times/dates given are the times/dates these games aired in America, to try and cut down on some of the cross-time zone confusion.

USA Men’s Volleyball

Playing with heavy hearts and in a difficult situation following the fatal stabbing of their head coach’s father-in-law, the US Men’s Volleyball team triumphed Sunday morning over Venezuela, winning in five sets.  LBSU grad David Lee turned in a great performance with 14 points (8 kills, a match-high five blocks, and one ace), the third highest score on the team.  LBSU grads Tom Hoff and Scott Touzinsky had a solid match with frequent contributions from the bench—Hoff, the team captain, played in three of the five sets, and Touzinsky in four of them.  As captain, Hoff led his teammates in a moment of silence prior to the matches start, in honor of their absent coach and his family.

USA Women’s Volleyball

Feeling for the tragic loss on the men’s side of the volleyball family, the women’s team also beat its first opponent on the opening weekend of Olympic action, beating Japan handily in four sets.  The two LBSU grads on the team, Danielle Scott-Arruda and Tayyiba Haneef-Park, had the two best individual performances on the entire team.  Scott-Arruda, who is playing in a record-tying fourth Olympics, led the team with 22 points off 16 kills and 6 blocks.  Haneef-Park followed closely with 19 points, with 14 kills, four blocks, and an ace.  The team will next face Cuba as pool play continues.

Men’s Water Polo

The Men’s Water Polo team is considered the unofficial “Long Beach Olympic Team,” with six (six!) players and coaches coming from Long Beach high schools.  Well, behind superstar and Wilson alum Tony Azevedo, they showed why Long Beach is one of the best sports cities in America, cruising to a victory over China in their first match of the Olympics this weekend, winning 8-4.  Azevedo scored five of Team USA’s goals, including the first two.  There was some trouble early: after USA jumped out to a 3-0 lead, China tied the score.  Azevedo put in one more goal before halftime, and then USA outscored China 3-1 in the second to bring home the victory.  After the match, Azevedo gave credit to USA’s goalie, Merril Moses, and the team’s defense.  “Defense is what will carry us through this tournament,” he said.

Women’s Beach Volleyball

This was so expected it’s hardly news, but the USA’s Women’s Beach Volleyball team of LBSU grad Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh crushed Japan in straight sets in their debut match of the 2008 Olympics.  Playing in driving rain, the duo seemed unfazed, as May had 10 digs, nearly twice as many as both Japanese players had.  Walsh, for her part, played so hard at the net that she actually had her wedding ring fly off—it was found later by a team of volunteers armed with metal detectors.  May and Walsh, defending their 2004 gold medals, are expected to advance easily—in fact, they’re such superstars that even superstars come to watch them play, as Jason Kidd braved the rain in a poncho to see them win their first (but not last) match of these Olympics.

Stay tuned for a preview of the first half of next week’s action!