DALLAS, May 23, 2003/ FW/ --- Everyone has played volleyball at one time or another. Sometimes, you even become good at it and become a pro. "It's just for fun," you say. Not anymore! Nautica just signed up four professional volleyball players for endorsement deals.

In a company release yesterday, Nautica Enterprises, Inc announced that Eric Fonoimoana, Dax Holdren, Elaine Youngs and Misty May are new spokesmodels for Nautica's men's sportswear and women's swimwear line, respecively.

(Photo by PRNewsFoto)

Eric Fonoimoana, who won the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Gold Medal in beach volleyball honed his volleyball prowess in Manhattan Beach's Mira Costa High School and University of California Santa Barbara where he earned a degree in Sociology. He is currently the head coach of Mira Costa Varsity Volleyball Team.

Dax Holdren, Gold Medal winner of the 2000 FIVB (Federation Internationale de Volleyball) competion, has captured an event title in ech of the four domestic seasons.

In 2002, Holdren and Fonoimoana forged an alliance, and as a result, they won four of the seven volleyball tournaments held by the Association of Volleyball Professionals.

California native Elaine Youngs holds 23 first place titles during her career. Her titles include: AVP Best Blocker 2002, AVP Best Offensive Player 2002, AVP Most Valuable Player 2002. She was also a member of the U.S. Volleyball Olympic Team during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Misty May, another California native, represented the U.S. during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and ranked the top player in the world on the FIVB World Tour.

All players are under contract through the 2004 season. Financial details were not released.