Ivy, Rutledge Win Country Quota Match

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 24, 2010) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Ashley Ivy and Lisa Rutledge advanced out of the country quota qualifier on Tuesday at the US$380,000 Milner Open, part of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour, in The Hague, Netherlands.

Ivy (Arlington, Texas) and Rutledge (Vista, Calif.) defeated U.S. compatriots Brooke Hanson (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.), 21-18, 21-19 in 39 minutes in the country quota qualifier.

Ivy and Rutledge move on to Wednesday’s main draw qualifier. The team is ranked third in qualifying and has a bye in the first round. In the second round, Ivy and Rutledge will play the winner of the match between 35th-seeded Elwin Miller and Henriette Iatika of Vanuatu and 30th-ranked Polina Bratuhhina and Natalja Bratuhhina of Estonia.

The women’s main draw will begin Thursday. The U.S. women’s teams of Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)/April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.), Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.)/Tyra Turner (Fort Meyers Beach, Fla.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.)/Misty May-Treanor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) are scheduled to compete.

The men’s qualifying round also begins on Wednesday. The U.S. men’s beach teams of Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.)/Kevin Wong (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Eyal Zimit (Kibbutz Ein Hamifratz, Israel)/Mike Morrison (Detroit, Mich.) are scheduled to play.

Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) make up the only U.S. men’s team entered in Thursday’s main draw.

For more information on this and other SWATCH FIVB World Tour events, click here.

Tags: Angie Akers, April Ross, Ashley Ivy, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brooke Hanson, Casey Jennings, FIVB beach, FIVB World Tour, Jennifer Kessy, Lauren Fendrick, Matt Fuerbringer, Misty May-Treanor, Nick Lucena, Nicole Branagh, Tyra Turner