Roenicke, Ross Win Historic Gold Medal at Worlds

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 19, 2010) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Tara Roenicke and Summer Ross made history on Sunday as the pair won the gold medal at the 2010 SWATCH FIVB Junior (Under-21) World Championships in Alanya, Turkey.

Roenicke (Alta Loma, Calif.) and Ross (Carlsbad, Calif.) defeated Italy’s Marta Menegatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth in the final match, 19-21, 26-24, 15-13 in 1 hour, 14 minutes, the longest match in the entire tournament for either gender. The U.S. team had leads in all three sets and had to fight back to stay in the match and win the final two sets over the more experienced Menegatti and Orsi Toth.

Roenicke, 19, and Ross, 17, are the first U.S. team of either gender to medal at the FIVB Junior World Championships. Ross also became the first athlete of either gender to win both the FIVB Youth World Championships and the FIVB Junior World Championships in the same year.

Ross won the youth title with Jane Croson (Lakewood, Calif.) in July in Porto, Portugal before returning to Alanya where she finished fifth in last year’s junior tournament with Jazmin Machado (Encinitas, Calif.).

“I am speechless, I almost don’t know what to say I am so happy,” Ross said. “Tara and I tried to stay calm, be focused and just play point by point and somehow in the end it worked for us although the Italians were as tough a team to beat as I can remember playing at this level.

“Tara works so hard and makes so many great plays and between her and Jane I am know a double FIVB World Champion. I am really humbled and wouldn’t be here without them.”

After the Italians won the first set, the Americans had several leads evaporate in the second set. After eight ties the U.S. team finished it on a Roenicke kill off of an Orsi Toth block attempt. In the third set, the Italians overcame an 11-6 deficit to tie the score at 13-13 before the United States secured the gold medal on Ross’ kill to the back line followed by her stuff of Menegatti’s block attempt at the net.

Climbing to the top of the podium, Roenicke and Ross marched to the gold medal by first beating Check Republic’s Eliska Galova/Adela Machova (21-12, 21-18 in 33 minutes), then besting Spain’s Maria Corral/Paula Soria (21-17, 26-24) and Poland’s Beata Galek/Kinga Kolosinka (19-21, 21-14, 15-9 in 48 minutes) in pool play.

In the single-elimination bracket play, the champions defeated Mexico’s Paola Avalos/Ana Rios (21-16, 21-15 in 29 minutes) in the round of 16. They beat Czech Republic’s Martina Bonnerova/Barbora Hermannova (21-16, 19-21, 15-13 in 53) in the quarterfinals and Brazil’s Fabi Boogaerdt/Julia Schmidt (21-15, 21-18 in 36 minutes) prior to their stunning gold medal victory over Menegatti/Orsi Toth.

In the bronze medal match, Brazil’s Boogaerdt Schmidt came from way behind and then held off Germany’s Victoria Bieneck and Chantal Laboureur in three sets (11-21, 21-18, 16-14) to capture the bronze medal, in 51 minutes.

To view a tournament photo gallery, click here.

To read Ali Wood Lamberson’s blog from Turkey, click here.

For more information on the men’s bracket of the SWATCH FIVB Beach Junior World Championships, click here.

For more information on the women’s bracket of the SWATCH FIVB Beach Junior World Championships, click here.

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, FIVB, FIVB beach, FIVB World Championship, Summer Ross, SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships, SWATCH FIVB Youth World Championships, Under 21 World Championships