Walsh, Branagh Advance in Consolation Bracket

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 5, 2010) – The women’s beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh and Nicole Branagh is the last U.S. team standing at the US$190,000 Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT, the last event on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour.

Walsh (San Jose, Calif.) and Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) won three matches in the consolation bracket on Friday, but will have to win two more matches on Saturday to advance to the semifinals, which will also be played on Saturday.

The medal matches will be played on Sunday.

Walsh and Branagh opened Friday with a 21-16, 21-15 victory in 34 minutes over Finland’s 14th-seeded Erika Nystrom and Emilia Nystrom.

In the next round, they defeated their U.S. compatriots, sixth-ranked Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Tyra Turner (Fort Meyers Beach, Fla.), 21-12, 21-14 in 31 minutes, eliminating them from the tournament with a 13th-place finish.

In their third match Friday, Walsh and Branagh beat Canada’s 26th-seeded Heather Bansley and Elizabeth Maloney, 21-16, 21-18 in 41 minutes.

On Saturday, Walsh and Branagh will open against Austria’s third-seeded Stefanie Schwaiger and Doris Schwaiger. The winning team will play Spain’s 13th-ranked Liliana Fernandez Steiner and Elsa Baquerizo, who defeated Walsh and Branagh in the second round, sending them to consolation.

Two other U.S. teams finished the tournament on Friday in 13th place.

Seventh-seeded Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) won their first match on Friday, defeating 24th-ranked Irina Chaika and Ekaterina Khomyakova of Russia, but lost their second match to 18th-seeded Daniela Gioria and Giulia Momoli of Italy, 21-15, 21-18 in 38 minutes.

Ashley Ivy (Arlington, Texas) and Lisa Rutledge (Vista, Calif.), seeded 20th, won their first match over Netherlands’ 19th-ranked Danielle Remmers and Sophie van Gestel, 21-10, 21-17 in 31 minutes. But they lost their next match to 27th-seeded Roos Van der Hoeven and Jantine van der Vlist of Netherlands, 2-1 (21-19, 19-21, 15-12) in 1 hour, 2 minutes.

Akers and Turner also won their first match on Friday, before losing to Walsh and Branagh, defeating Greece’s 12th-seeded Maria Tsiartsiani and Vassiliki Arvaniti, 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 15-12) in 50 minutes.

For the FIVB’s tournament page for Phuket, click here.

Tags: Angie Akers, April Ross, Ashley Ivy, Beach, Beach Volleyball, FIVB World Tour, Jennifer Kessy, Kerri Walsh, Nicole Branagh, Tyra Turner