U.S. Beach Teams Begin Competition in Moscow

Erin Campbell
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6864
E-Mail: erin.campbell@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 8, 2010) –  The U.S. women’s beach team of Brooke Hanson (Woodlands Hills, Calif.) and Lisa Rutledge (Vista, Calif.) made it to the qualifying round but did not advance at the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam Presented by Seat on Tuesday in Moscow, Russia.

Hanson and Rutledge, ranked 17^th in the qualifying round, faced Poland’s 16^th-ranked Monika Brzostek and Korlina Sowala and lost, 18-21, 21-17, 12-15 in 44 minutes on Tuesday.

On Monday, Rutledge and Hanson faced off against compatriots Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Ashley Ivy (Arlington, Texas) in the country-quota round. Rutledge/Hanson defeated Fendrick/Ivy in straight-sets, 21-7, 21-16 in 44 minutes.

Three other U.S. women’s teams will play in the event’s main draw, which begins Wednesday. Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.), seeded second in the tournament, enter with some momentum carried from both the FIVB World Tour Seoul Open on May 30 in Seoul, Korea, where they finished third, and the AVP Nivea Tour Huntington Beach Open on June 6 in Huntington Beach, Calif., where the duo took home the grand prize.  They are scheduled to play Great Britain’s Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton, ranked 31st, at 2 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday.

Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Tyra Turner (Fort Meyers Beach, Fla.), ranked third in the event, join them in the main draw and hope to continue their FIVB success following their second-place finish at the Seoul Open. They will face 29th-ranked Ying Huang and Yue Yuan of China at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

Fifth-ranked Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) and partner Misty May-Treanor (Newport Beach, Calif.) are on track to continue their hot streak of top-five finishes in the 2010 season. The team is five for five in AVP and FIVB events, including one tournament victory at the AVP Nivea Tour Gatorade Fort Lauderdale Open on April 18. The pair will play 28th-ranked Isabelle Forrer and Sarah Schmocker of Sweden in the first round at 4 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday.

On the men’s side, the only team set to play in the qualification round Wednesday is Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), ranked sixth in the qualifying round.  They will play Andrey Belov and Ruslan Dayanov of Russia, ranked 27th, at noon (local time) on Wednesday.

Three men’s teams have already guaranteed their position in the main draw, including the dynamic-duo, Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who not only have continued their winning ways on the 2010 FIVB World Tour with three titles, but have also dominated the 2010 AVP Nivea Tour with three wins in three appearances.

Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) are looking to finish higher than their season-best ninth, a position they’ve landed in twice through five 2010 FIVB events.

Coming off a fifth-place finish at the AVP Huntington Beach Open, Casey Jennings (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Brad Keenan (Westminster, Calif.)  hope this new momentum carries them and finish higher than their season-best ninth place at the FIVB World Tour Brasilia Open on April 25.

Tags: Angie Akers, April Ross, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brad Keenan, Casey Jennings, FIVB World Tour, Jake Gibb, Jennifer Boss, Lauren Fendrick, Lauren Fendrick, Matt Fuerbringer, Misty May-Treanor, Nick Lucena, Phil Dalhausser, Sean Rosenthal, Todd Rogers, Tyra Turner