Akers, Branagh Advance at A1 Grand Slam

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

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 1, 2011) - The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Angie Akers and Nicole Branagh won the U.S. country quota by defeating Lisa Rutledge and Brittany Hochevar on Monday at the 2011 A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank in Klagenfurt, Austria.

The tournament is part of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour.

Akers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) outplayed Rutledge (Vista, Calif.) and Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.), 21-16, 21-12 in 34 minutes to advance into the qualification rounds.

Akers and Branagh most recently defeated Rutledge and Hochevar in the U.S. country quota at the Mazury (Poland) Orlen Grand Slam.

Akers and Branagh earned a bye in the first round of Tuesday’s qualification rounds and will play in the second round against the winner of the match between Slovakia’s Martina Slavikova and Zuzana Sajmovicova and Finland’s Emilia and Erika Nystrom.

The women’s event spans from Aug. 1-6 with the men’s event slated for Aug. 2-7. This will be the final Grand Slam of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour.

Three other U.S. women’s beach teams will compete in Wednesday’s man draw including Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.), who earned the silver medal at last week’s Mazury Orlen Grand Slam in Poland. Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (San Jose, Calif.) along with Lauren Fendrick (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Brooke Hanson (Woodland Hills, Calif.) are also scheduled to represent the United States in the main draw.

May-Treanor and Walsh have pocketed four gold medals on top of the Austrian podium in the 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 editions of the Grand Slam.

In the men’s event Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Kevin Wong  (Honolulu, Hawaii) will play compatriots Casey Patterson (Van Nuys, Calif.) and Bradley Keenan (Santa Ana, Calif.) on Tuesday in the U.S. country quota for a chance to go to the qualifying round.  

Competing in the men’s main draw, which will begin Thursday, will be Quebec and Poland champions Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.); Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) along with Matthew Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Nick Lucena (Santa Barbara, Calif.).

In last year’s edition of the A1 Grand Slam, Dalhaussers and Rodgers captured the gold over compatriots Fuerbringer and Lucena who earned the silver. Dalhausser and Rodgers have won the Klagenfurt Grand Slam in 2006, 2009 and 2010. 

For more information on the A1 Grand Slam, click here.

Tags: Angie Akers, Beach, Beach Volleyball, Brittany Hochevar, Lisa Rutledge, mobile, Nicole Branagh