Three U.S. Women's Teams in Gstaad Main Draw

B.J. Hoeptner Evans July 05, 2011

6-28-11_rutledge_receives_vs_gbr2

Photo: Courtesy of the FIVB

Lisa Rutledge stretches for the ball during the qualifying round of the FIVB World Tour event on June 28 in Stavanger, Norway.

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 5, 2011) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Lisa Rutledge and Brittany Hochevar advanced from the country quota bracket but did not qualify for the main draw on Tuesday in Switzerland at the $600,000 1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam in Gstaad, part of the 2011 FIVB Swatch World Tour.

In Monday’s country quota match, Rutledge (Vista, Calif.) and Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.) defeated the U.S. team of Angie Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.), 21-19, 15-21, 16-14 in 49 minutes.

In Tuesday’s first round of qualifying, Hochevar and Rutledge, ranked 18th, defeated Britain’s 15th-ranked Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton, 19-21, 21-17, 15-12 in 45 minutes.

In the second round, Rutledge and Hochevar fell to Finland’s second-ranked Erika and Emilia Nystrom, 21-18, 21-18 in 35 minutes.

The women’s main draw begins on Wednesday. With their victory in Stavanger on Saturday, the U.S. beach team of Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) has taken over as the tournament’s top seed while the Brazilian duo of Juliana Felisberta Da Silva and Larissa Franca is now second.

Kessy and Ross will compete in Pool A and will open on Wednesday against Norway’s 32nd-ranked Kathrine Maaseide and Ingrid Torlen. Later in the day, they will face Czech Republic’s Kristyna Kolocova and Slukova Marketa, seeded 17th. On Thursday, they will finish pool play against Brazil’s 16th-seeded Taiana Lima and Vivian Cuhna.

Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (San Jose, Calif.), ranked third, will play in Pool C Switzerland’s 30th-seeded Isabelle Forrer and Anouk Vergé-Dépré and also Australia’s 19th-ranked Louise Bawden and Becchara Palmer on Wednesday. On Thursday, May-Treanor and Walsh will finish pool play against Czech Republic’s 14th-ranked Hana Klapalova and Lenka Hajeckova.

Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Brooke Hanson (Woodland Hills, Calif.), seeded 11th, will play in Pool F. On Wednesday, they will open against Germany’s 22nd-ranked Karla Borger and Britta Büthe followed by Spain’s 27th-seeded Liliana Fernández Steiner and Elsa Baquerizo Macmillan. They will complete pool play on Thursday against Brazil’s sixth-ranked Talita Da Rocha Antunes and Maria Antonelli.

The men’s qualifying round also begins on Wednesday. Casey Patterson (Van Nuys, Calif.) and Brad Keenan (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked 12th in qualifying, will face 21st-ranked Fabien Dugrip and Yannick Salvetti.

For more information on the 2011 FIVB Swatch World Tour, visit the FIVB web site.

Tags: April Ross, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brad Keenan, Brittany Hochevar, Brooke Hanson, Casey Patterson, Jennifer Kessy, Kerri Walsh, Lauren Fendrick, Misty May-Treanor