McKinney, VanderWerp Win Men'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 26, 2011) – The beach volleyball team of Stevo VanderWerp (Grand Haven, Mich.) and Matt McKinney (Santa Ynez, Calif.) won the first 2011 USA Volleyball men’s international development qualifier (IDQ) on Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

VanderWerp and McKinney defeated Mark VanZwieten (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Joe Dykstra (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) in the final, 14-21, 21-17, 16-14.

“My goal coming into this event was just to win more than we lost; I guess we did that," said McKinney, who is still very new to the beach game. He is rehabbing a broken finger and suffered leg cramps throughout the final. "The only reason I am here today is because of Stevo. He is so driven to succeed, and his motivation motivated me."

VanderWerp, along with second-place finishers VanZwieten and Dykstra, have been members of USAV's Beach High Performance Program for several years.

"I am very proud of the continuing development of our young athletes,” said Ali Wood Lamberson, USA Volleyball Director of Beach Programs. “To get to the final, they had to knock off some very established pros, Austin Rester and Adam Roberts; Evan Engle and Andrew Fuller and more."

Third place went to Jesse Rambis (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Reuben Danley (Anaheim, Calif.), who beat Fuller (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Engle (Cedarville, Mich.), 21-16, 21-15.

Nine teams competed in the tournament. 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.

"Mark and I are hoping to get to go to the Dominican Republic,” VanderWerp said. “Representing the USA in the FIVB Continental Cup would be incredible."

For full results, click here.

Tags: Ali Wood Lamberson, Beach, Beach Volleyball, International Development Qualifiers, Matt McKinney