Keenan, Patterson Win Beijing Country Quota

B.J. Hoeptner Evans June 06, 2011

6-6_keenan_vs_jennings

Photo: Courtesy of the FIVB

Brad Keenan, left, blocks against Casey Jennings during the country quota match on June 6 in Beijing.

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 6, 2011) – The U.S. beach volleyball team of Brad Keenan and Casey Patterson advanced to Tuesday’s men’s qualification round after beating compatriots Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong in the country quota playoff on Monday at the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour Beijing Grand Slam started in China.

With a 21-19, 23-21 victory in 36 minutes, Keenan (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Patterson (Van Nuys, Calif.) gained sweet revenge for their loss to Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Wong (Honolulu, Hawaii) in the Shanghai Open’s country-quota last month.

“It’s a tough match and it’s great to win, last time we played against them we lost,” said Keenan after the only men’s country-quota match. “All the good teams are here and tomorrow is going to be a tough day. Hopefully we can get into the main draw.”

Patterson and Keenan, who tied for ninth at the 2011 FIVB Swatch World Tour event in Brasilia, Brazil in April, are ranked 13th in the qualifying round and will face Australia’s 20th-seeded Christopher McHugh and Josh Slack in the first round of qualifying on Tuesday.

Women’s qualifying also begins on Tuesday. The U.S. beach volleyball team of Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) have received a bye into the second round, where they will play the winner of the match between Great Britain’s 15th-ranked Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney and also Poland’s 20th-ranked Kinga Kolosinska and Monika Brzostek.

More than 110 tandems from 37 countries and regions are expected to take part in the $600,000 double gender event with the Chinese capital welcoming back international beach volleyball for the first time since the 2008 Olympic Games.

The inaugural Beijing Grand Slam is the first Grand Slam and the third of 12 double-gender events on the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour.

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

Tags: Angie Akers, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brad Keenan, Casey Jennings, Casey Patterson, FIVB World Tour, Kevin Wong, Lauren Fendrick, Nicole Branagh