Volleyball: One of Those Stages
By Todd Balf (with Jim Hage)

Having been to the winner's podium as often as he has, you might think Karch Kiraly would have the hang of it by now. However, Kiraly took a scary fall last August after he and partner Kent Steffes had wrapped up a season's worth of domination by drubbing Brazil's Eduardo Bacil and José Loiola in the finals of the AVP International Championships at Hermosa Beach, California. Apparently Kiraly lost his balance while changing places on the stand with Steffes, fell off the stage, and spiked his head against the asphalt below. X rays showed no serious injury, and Kiraly made it without incident through the next day's ceremony in which he was named MVP for 1994. Of course, one pair even more familiar with the podium than Kiraly and Steffes is the team of Liz Masakayan and Karolyn Kirby, who won their 42d consecutive match en route to the women's national title at Manhattan Beach. The pair, 79-3 on the year, hasn't lost a domestic tournament since May 29.