Three U.S. Women’s Beach Teams Continue to Battle in China

Becky Murdy
Assistant, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: becky.murdy@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 29, 2011) – Three U.S. women’s beach volleyball teams are still alive in consolation at the Olympic Bay Sanya Open in China, a women’s event on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour.

The U.S. team of Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (San Jose, Calif.), seeded fifth, remained undefeated until the fourth round, Friday, where they fell to the No. 1 seed, Larissa Franca and Juliana Delisberta Da Silva of Brazil. The three-set match lasted nearly 50 minutes with scores falling at 16-21, 21-16, 15-12. 

To reach the fourth-round, May-Treanor and Walsh beat their U.S. teammates, Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.), seeded 13th, 15-21, 21-16, 15-11. 

After the loss, Akers and Branagh went on to battle in consolation against Finland’s 18th- seeds, Emilia Nystrom and Erika Nystrom, winning the match, 21-14, 28-26. The win will send the U.S. team against more familiar faces on Saturday when they play the sixth-ranked U.S. team of Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.). The winner of that match will then play the third-seeded team of Talita Da Rocha Antunes and Maria Antonelli of Brazil for a spot in the semifinals.

Following its second-round defeat against Mexico, the U.S. team of Kessy and Ross won all three of their matches Friday, keeping it alive for at least one more day of competition. Kessy and Ross defeated the 28th-seed from Germany, Jana Kohler and Julia Sude, 15-21, 21-18, 19-17, in a tight match spanning an hour and 1 minute. Kessy and Ross then conquered the 19th-seeded Louise Bawden and Becchara Palmer of Australia 21-12, 21-16. The 26th-seeded Sanne Keizer and Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands were their last opponents and victory of the day, 19-21, 21-19, 15-11.

May-Treanor and Walsh will duel in consolation against the winners in the match of Australia’s Hinchley and Rohkamper, seeded 29th, and Austria’s Doris Schwaiger and Stefanie Schwaiger, seeded seventh.  The winner of that match will go on to compete in semifinals against China’s Chen Xue and Xi  Zhang, ranked second.

Two rounds of consolation and semifinals will be held Saturday, April 30.

The third-place and championship matches are slated for Sunday, May 1.

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

Tags: 2011 SWATCH World Tour, Beach, Beach Volleyball, U.S. Women's Beach Team