HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF. - After capturing another "major" title Sunday on Long Island, the tandem of Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak will be seeking a record-tying sixth-straight Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour grand slam championship here this weekend (August 8-10).

The Women's Professional Volleyball Association returns to The Pier for the 11th-straight season for the $60,000 Evian National Championships. Depending on the number of entries, a qualifier will be held Friday to determine the final four spots in the 11th annual Evian National Championships' 32-team main draw.

Championship play starts at 9 a.m. (PDT) Saturday at The Pier with six rounds of main draw competition. Twelve (12) teams advance to Sunday's final 14 matches starting at 8 a.m. The Evian National Championships semi-finals will be played at approximately 11:30 a.m. Sunday with the tournament finals set for 3 p.m. as the final two teams battle for the $13,200 first-place prize.

By downing Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno 15-9 Sunday (August 3) to win the Evian Invitational in East Quogue, N. Y., Arce and McPeak will be trying to join the names of Kirby/Liz Masakayan in the WPVA record book.

Kirby and Liz Masakayan, who won eight "major" titles from 1993 through 1995, set the record with six-straight grand slam wins during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. The Kirby/Masakayan streak was snapped in September, 1994 at the inaugural Best of the Beach competition when the WPVA's winningest team ever (26 titles) finished third in Las Vegas, Nev.

Arce and McPeak, the only team to win all four Evian Tour grand slam titles (Ocean Pacific U. S. Open, Evian Invitational, Evian Nationals and Best of the Beach), will also be defending their Evian National Championships as the pair downed Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley 13-12 to win the 1996 title.

The Evian National Championships will be the fifth Evian Tour event aired by ABC Sports this season with championship match to be televised August 16. Terry Gannon of Santa Monica, Calif. and Maria Barnes of Irvine, Calif., will handle the commentary.

Arce and McPeak have now won 10 of the last 14 Evian Tour events in the last 12 months. Kirby and Reno have won two titles in the last year with third-ranked Fontana/Hanley and 10th-ranked Masakayan/Elaine Youngs each capturing one title.

The Arce/McPeak tandem has defeated three different teams for Evian Tour titles this season, including title wins over second-ranked Kirby and Reno at Miami Beach, Fla. (15-12, April 6) and Irving, Tex. (15-13, June 15). Arce and McPeak lead the series between the two top Evian Tour teams 5-3 as Kirby and Reno scored a 15-11 win over Arce and McPeak to win the Evian Open at Atlantic City, N. J.

Fontana and Hanley, the last team to win a "major" title (1996 Ocean Pacific U. S. Open at Ocean City, Md.) before the current Arce/McPeak streak, has faced the WPVA's top team in seven championship finals. Arce and McPeak have won 13 of 16 matches against Fontana and Hanley, including title match wins this season in Austin, Tex., San Diego, Calif. and Huntington Beach, Calif.