U.S. Beach Teams Have Strong First Day at NORCECA

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 22, 2011) – U.S. beach volleyball teams playing in the NORCECA Beach Circuit event in the Dominican Republic had a strong first day on Friday in Boca Chica.

The women’s USA-1 team of Ashley Ivy (Arlington, Texas) and Lisa Rutledge (Vista, Calif.) was undefeated after winning pool play matches against Curacao’s Samira Luis and Christine Anthony, 21-14, 21-10, and Trinidad & Tobago’s Elki Phillip and Pauline Woodroffe, 21-14, 21-12.

The USA-2 team of Whitney Pavlik (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Jenny Kropp (Grand Island, Neb.) won its lone pool play match, 22-20, 21-17 over the Canada-1 team of Jamie Broder and Eve Danserau.

On the men’s side, the USA-1 team of Strickland (Malibu, Calif.) and Aaron Wachtfogel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) won two pool play matches on Friday, defeating Ulises Ontiveros and Lombardo Ontiveros of Mexico-2, 18-21, 21-19, 15-11. USA-1 also defeated Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Shawn Seabrookes and St. Clair Hodge, 21-19, 21-8.

The USA-2 team of Mark Van Zwieten (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Stevo VanderWerp (Grand Haven, Mich.) went 1-1 in pool play. The U.S. pair defeated Dominican Republic’s Yewddy Perez and German Recio, 10-21, 22-20, 15-10; but fell to Cuba’s Karel Peña and Javier Jiménez, 21-15, 21-16.

Pool play will continue early Saturday to determine the seeding of teams in the single-elimination bracket.

Tags: Ashley Ivy, Beach, Beach Volleyball, NORCECA Beach Circuit