U.S. Teams Set Stage for Sweep in Phuket

B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 7, 2009) – The U.S. beach volleyball team of Jen Kessy and April Ross will play U.S. teammates Angie Akers and Tyra Turner for the gold medal while the U.S. team of Lauren Fendrick and Ashley Ivy will play for bronze on Sunday at the Phuket Thailand Open, part of the Swatch FIVB World Tour.

Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.), the event’s top seeds and defending champions, advanced to their 12th SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal match in 32 international starts together with a 21-18, 21-14 semifinal win in 40 minutes over 17th-seeded Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Ivy (Arlington, Texas). It was Kessy and Ross’ fifth-straight win over their American rivals, including three wins on the SWATCH tour.

The second-seeded Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Turner (Fort Myers Beach, Fla.), who will be competing in their first gold medal match – domestic or international – scored a 22-20, 17-21, 21-19 win in 63 minutes over 22nd-seeded Maria Bratkova and Evgenia Ukolova of Russia in the first SWATCH meeting between the two teams. Akers secured her first-ever SWATCH FIVB World Tour medal last week in China with a third-place as she and Turner dropped a three-set semifinal match to Kessy and Ross in Sanya.

Before Kessy and Ross play Akers and Turner for the gold medal on Sunday, Fendrick and Ivy will play Bratkova and Ukolova for bronze.

Play opened on Saturday with Fendrick and Ivy fighting their way through the consolation bracket. First they defeated 19th-seeded Chen Xue and Linjun Ji of China, 21-19, 21-16 in 41 minutes.

In the next round, they beat 30th-seeded qualifiers Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez Steiner of Spain, 21-19, 18-21, 15-11 in 61 minutes to advance to the semifinals.

The three American teams in the semifinals marks the 16th time in the 18-year history of the women’s SWATCH FIVB World Tour that three pairs from the United States have reached the semis. The Brazilian women have accomplished the feat 37 times. The Americans have had two SWATCH podium sweeps at events in Norway (2004) and France (2008) with Brazilians finishing 1-2-3 in a women’s event 18 times.

More information and complete results and photos are available at www.fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyball/index.asp.

Tags: Angie Akers, April Ross, Ashley Ivy, Beach Volleyball, FIVB beach, Jennifer Kessy, Lauren Fendrick, Tyra Turner