Nine Teams to Compete in Beach Grand Slam

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 2, 2011) – Nine U.S. beach volleyball teams will head to Beijing, China for the first FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Grand Slam of the 2011 season, slated for June 6-11.

Competition for the men’s teams of Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Kevin Wong (Honolulu, Hawaii) and also Casey Patterson (Van Nuys, Calif.) and Bradley Keenan (Santa Ana, Calif.) will begin on June 6, as the only teams in the country quota round. The men’s main draw will be played June 8-10 with the medal matches following on June 11.

The women’s team of Angela Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) will take to the sand on June 7 as the only U.S. team in the qualification round. Like the men, the women’s main draw will be held June 8-10 with the medal matches following on June 11.

After a tournament apart, two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (San Jose, Calif.) will return to the sand together. As a result of a knee injury, May-Treanor was forced to sit out of the Myslowice Open. In the absence of May-Treanor, Walsh partnered with Brittany Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.) in Poland where they finished eighth.  

The U.S. women’s duo, Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.), will head into the fifth event on the 2011 World Tour off of a bronze-medal performance at the Myslowice Open, where they defeated the fourth-seeded German team of Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig in the third-place match

Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Brooke Hanson (Woodland Hills, Calif.) are also looking to make an impression in Beijing, after losing in the Myslowice Open semifinal round to compatriots Walsh and Hochevar.

On the men’s side, top-seeded Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) will return to Beijing for their first time since prevailing as the 2008 Olympics Games gold medalists.

Dalhausser and Rogers have medaled in each of the three previous 2011 FIVB World Tour events, taking gold in both the Brasilia and Shanghai Opens. Most recently, the pair fell to Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego in the gold-medal match of the Prague Open, earning them silver.

The U.S. men’s team of Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) is eager for another medal finish after a loss in consolation at the Prague Open. Gibb and Rosenthal had early success on the tour, capturing the silver medal at the Shanghai Open.

Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Santa Barbara, Calif.) are hungry for a top-three finish in Beijing. Fuerbringer and Lucena placed fifth in both the first two tournaments on the tour, but were eliminated in the fourth round at the Prague Open.

The tournament marks the first international beach volleyball tournament in Beijing since the 2008 Olympic game. There will be a total of six grand slams on the 2011 tour, offering a total $600,000 U.S. in prize money.

Immediately following the conclusion of the Beijing Grand Slam, four U.S. men’s and four U.S. women’s teams will fly to Rome for the eighth edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Championships slated for June 14-26.

A total of 48 men’s teams and 48 women’s teams will be competing at the World Championships. U.S. teams from both the men and the women’s side will be defending medals.

In addition to defending their gold-medal Olympic performance, Dalhausser and Rogers, seeded first in the championships, won the 2007 gold medal and 2009 bronze medal at the FIVB World Championships.  

Joining Dalhausser and Rogers will be the U.S. men’s teams of Gibb/Rosenthal, Fuerbringer/Lucena and Jennings/Wong.  

The U.S. women have earned top spots on the podium in the past four installments of the World Championships. Kessy and Ross will return to defend their 2009 gold-medal performance while Walsh and May-Treanor look to capture their fourth gold after three consecutive wins in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Fendrick/Hanson and Akers/Branagh will also be making the quick transition from Beijing to Rome for the championships.  

For more information about the men’s Beijing Grand Slam, click here.
For more information about the men’s Beijing Grand Slam, click here.
For more information about the 2011 FIVB SWATCH World Championships, click here.

Tags: 2011 FIVB World Tour, 2011 SWATCH World Tour, Angie Akers, April Ross, Beach, Brooke Hanson, Casey Jennings, Casey Patterson, Jennifer Kessy, Kerri Walsh, Kevin Wong, Lauren Fendrick, Misty May-Treanor, Nick Lucena, Philip Dalhausser, Sean Rosenthal, Todd Rogers