Three U.S. Women's Beach Teams in Third Round

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 19, 2011) – Three U.S. women’s beach volleyball teams have advanced to Wednesday’s third round of the Brasilia Open, the first event of the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Tour, in Brazil.

Meanwhile, the U.S. men’s team of Brad Keenan (Westminster, Calif.) and Casey Patterson (Van Nuys, Calif.) has qualified for the main draw.

In their first FIVB match as a team since 2008, the seventh-ranked team of Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (San Jose, Calif.) will face China’s second-ranked Chen Xue and Xi Zhang in Wednesday’s third round after winning two matches on Tuesday.

“I don’t have any word to express my happiness to be back to the FIVB World Tour, especially in Brazil,” said Walsh after her team’s second win of the day. “I was missing this atmosphere very much. (Top-ranked Brazilians) Juliana (Felisberta Silva) and Larissa (Franca) are great players and great opponents. Today they are the best in the world and this is exactly where Misty and I want to be again.

“Physically I feel great. I think that the mental part of the game, the nerves, the stress, I need to get used to it again. Although I've been training since January, I need more competitions to feel more comfortable. It’s different competing and training. But my body is ok.”

May-Treanor and Walsh opened with a 23-21, 19-21, 15-11 victory in 56 minutes over Brazil’s 26th-seeded Priscilla Lese Lima and Angela Vieira in the first round. They followed that with a 21-12, 21-14 victory over China’s 23rd-ranked Ying Huang and Yuan Yue in the second round.

The U.S. team of Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.), ranked 12th, also advanced to the third round with victories over Italy’s 21st-ranked Daniela Gioria and Giulia Momoli (21-14, 21-19 in 39 minutes) in the first round and Brazil’s fifth-seeded Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado (19-21, 23-21, 11-15 in 57 minutes) in the second.

Akers and Branagh will face Germany’s fourth-ranked Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig in Wednesday’s third round.

The 22nd-seeded U.S. team of Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Brooke Hanson (Woodland Hills, Calif.), who had to win a country quota match on Sunday and two qualifying matches on Monday, made it to the third round with two upset wins on Tuesday.

In the first round, Fendrick and Hanson topped Brazil’s 11th-seeded Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima, 21-19, 21-18 in 38 minutes. In the second round, they defeated Austria’s Doris and Stefanie Schwaiger, 29-27, 21-14 in 43 minutes.

On Wednesday, Fendrick and Hanson will play Brazil’s third-seeded Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes in the third round.

While the U.S. had three teams advance to the third round, host Brazil has two and China, Germany and Brazil each has one.

The eighth-seeded U.S. team of Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) is still alive in consolation despite losing in the first round to Australia’s 25th-seeded Louise Bawden and Becchara Palmer, 21-18, 21-12 in 38 minutes.

Kessy and Ross came back in the first round of consolation to defeat Austria’s ninth-seeded Barbara Hansel and Sara Montagnolli, 21-17, 21-15 in 36 minutes.

On Wednesday, Kessy and Ross will play China’s Huang and Yue in the second round of consolation.

In men’s qualifying on Tuesday, Keenan and Patterson, ranked fourth in qualifying, got a first-round bye and defeated Great Britain’s 29th-ranked John Gooding and Gregg Weaver in the second round, 21-17, 21-12 in 32 minutes. In the second round, Keenan and Patterson beat Venezuela’s 20th-ranked Jackson Henriquez and Farid Mussa, 21-16, 21-11, 28 minutes.

The men’s main draw will begin on Wednesday.

Complete information about the FIVB World Tour is available on the FIVB web site.

Tags: Angie Akers, April Ross, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brad Keenan, Brooke Hanson, Casey Patterson, FIVB beach, FIVB World Tour, Kerri Walsh, Lauren Fendrick, Misty May-Treanor, Nicole Branagh