U.S. Beach Teams win Gold, Silver and Bronze

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 30, 2010)  –  Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers picked up their second straight SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal, and third of the season, on Sunday in Poland while Angie Akers and Tyra Turner secured silver in Korea and Jen Kessy and April Ross won bronze.

At the US$190,000 Myslowice Open, a men’s event, top-seeded Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) took a 21-15, 21-13 win in 36 minutes over fourth-seeded Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera of Spain to share the $30,000 first-place prize while avenging a Friday afternoon setback to the Spaniards in the fourth-round of the winner’s bracket.

Dalhausser and Rogers opened the 2010 season with a gold medal last month in Brazil (Brasilia) followed by a fourth-place finish in China (Shanghai) at the start of May. Since returning to Europe last week in Italy, Dalhausser and Rogers captured the season’s first SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam in Rome followed by Sunday’s success in Myslowice.

“With fewer events on our domestic tour this season, we are playing more internationally this season,” said Rogers, who has won 11 SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medals, 10 with Dalhausser.  “We have found our comfort zone with all the travel and are playing pretty consistently most of the time.  The SWATCH tour has a lot of great teams, so consistent play is a must.”

At the US$190,000 Crown Seoul Open for women, held at the Han River Jamsil Citizen Park courts, Brazil’s top-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca outlasted fourth-seeded Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Turner (Fort Myers Beach, Fla.), 21-11, 21-18 in the 33-minute championship final.

Akers and Turner won their third FIVB career medal and second silver in 15 tournaments together and will split a $21,000 purse.

In the bronze medal match, second-seeded Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) came from behind to defeat Brazil’s Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes, 15-21, 22-20, 15-8 in a 53-minute medal match.

Since October of 2008, the Americans Ross and Kessy have played for a medal in 16 of their 19 FIVB events (including Seoul), winning seven gold medals, five silvers and three bronzes

For more information about the FIVB World Tour event in Brazil, visit the SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour web site.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, FIVB beach