ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. - Second-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno jumped to a quick 9-3 lead enroute to a 15-11 win over top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak to capture the $50,000 Evian Open presented by the Atlantic City Hilton here Sunday (June 22).

The win was the sixth Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour title for the Kirby/Reno tandem as Arce and McPeak saw their three-event, 22-match winning streak end on the beachfront at the Atlantic City Hilton.

ABC Sports, which is covering six Women's Professional Volleyball Association events this summer, taped the championship match for replay June 28 at 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Kirby and Reno shared the $11,000 first-place prize while Arce and McPeak split $8,100 for second. The all-time series between the two teams is tied 3-3 as Arce and McPeak had defeated Sunday's winners in 1997 championship matches at Miami Beach, Fla. (April 6, 15-12) and Irving, Tex. (June 15, 15-13). The win also marked Kirby and Reno's second Atlantic City title as the pair won here in 1992 in their first first event together. Kirby has now won 60 Evian Tour titles and 66 overall as a professional while Reno netted her 34th pro title and 19 on the domestic circuit.

The 46-minute title match featured 44 side-outs, two ties and two lead changes as Kirby and Reno won the title on their fifth-match point on a Kirby dig and kill.

Kirby and Reno, who won the Cybergenics Open earlier this season at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., advanced to the championship match with a 15-11 win over seventh-seeded Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson. Arce and McPeak advanced to the finals with a 15-9 win over third- seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley, who finished fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Fontana and Hanley shared $5,700 by defeating Chisholm and Richardson 15-11 in the third-place match. Chisholm and Richardson split $4,100 for fourth as they advanced to the final rounds by eliminating fourth-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock 15-10.