Kropp, Pavlik Win Women's Beach IDQ

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 20, 2011) – Braving cool temperatures and the threat of rain, beach volleyball players Jenny Kropp (Grand Island, Neb.) and Whitney Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.) won the first 2011 USA Volleyball women’s international development qualifier (IDQ) on Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

Kropp and Pavlik defeated Jennifer Snyder (Glendale, Ariz.) and Tracy Jones (Fountain Valley, Calif.) in Sunday’s final, 21-11, 21-15.

Kropp and Pavlik opened Sunday by beating Kelly Schumacher (Miami Beach, Fla.) and Angela McHenry Bryan (Covina, Calif.), 21-11, 21-12 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they topped Kathryn Babcock (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Erin Gray (Orland Park, Ill.), 21-14, 21-14.

Kropp and Pavlik were already scheduled to compete in the NORCECA Beach Circuit event in Guatemala on April 6-11, based on their USA Volleyball rankings.

The top three teams get to choose between NORCECA Beach Circuit events in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic (April 20-25), Morelia, Mexico (May 11-15) and Chiapas, Mexico (May 4-8). The Dominican Republic event includes the first leg of the Central Zone of the FIVB Continental Cup, part of the new FIVB Olympic process. This event is played in a country vs. country team format

“We’re just so happy to be able to compete,” Kropp said. “The opportunity to represent the United States in NORCECA events is icing on the cake.”

In the third-place match, Gray and Babcock beat top-seeded Tealle Hunkus (Girard, Ohio) and Heather Lowe (Cypress, Calif.), 21-13, 19-21, 15-13.

“The level of play this week is higher than we have ever seen in previous IDQ events,” said Ali Wood Lamberson, USA Volleyball director of beach programs. “While the top seeds all came through to the final four, I was really impressed with some of our young talent.”

Heather Hughes (Fallbrook, Calif.), a former member of USAV’s indoor national team program, showed a lot of promise with new partner Jessica Gysin (Los Gatos, Calif.). Beach veterans Josie Schatz (Honeoye, N.Y.) and Anne McArthur (Los Angeles, Calif.) surprised several teams by winning their pool and taking second-seeded Snyder and Jones to three sets (17-21, 21-10, 15-8).

“The feedback we are getting on the new USAV beach volleyball training center at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista has been great,” Lamberson said. “Many of the athletes have requested to train here on a regular basis. Our plan is to keep these courts very busy with training, camps and competitions year round.”

The first men’s IDQ of 2011 will be March 26-27 in Chula Vista. Early entries indicate showcase of the United States’ young up-and-coming beach stars. Deadline to register is March 21 at midnight PT. To register, click here.

To view complete IDQ tournament results, click here.

Teams travelling to the first two NORCECA Beach Circuit events:

Grand Cayman (March 24-27)
Women
Team 1: Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.)/Brooke Hanson (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
Team 2: Brittany Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.)/Jen Fopma (Bellflower, Calif.)
Men
Team 1: Will Strickland (Malibu, Calif.)/Lucas Wisniakowski (Houston, Texas)
Team 2: Jon Mesko (Traverse City, Mich.)/Paul Baxter (Columbia Heights, Minn.)

Guatemala (April 7-10)
Women
Team 1: Jenny Kropp (Grand Island, Neb.)/Whitney Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.)
Team 2: Jennifer Snyder (Glendale, Ariz.)/Erin Gray (Orland Park, Ill.)

Men
Team 1: Mike Bruning (Tucson, Ariz.)/Jason Wight (West Springfield, Va.)
Team 2: Stevo Vanderwerp (Grand Haven, Mich.)/Matt McKinney (Santa Ynez, Calif.)

Tags: Beach, Beach Volleyball, International Development Qualifiers