COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 29, 2018) – U.S. beach volleyball teams are in the Southern Hemisphere this week to compete on Feb. 1-4 at the FIVB World Tour one-star event in Shepparton, Australia.

Teams from 17 different countries are expected to compete.

A 500-seat grandstand will be erected at the Victoria Park Lake precinct in Shepparton to accommodate fans. The temporary stadium will feature two competition courts and a warm-up court. A beach carnival will take place alongside the tournament from Friday afternoon through to Sunday afternoon.

U.S. Women’s Teams

Amanda Dowdy and Irene Pollock
Jace Pardon and Caitlin Ledoux

U.S. Men’s Teams

Eric Zaun and Adam Roberts
Chase Frishman and Avery Drost

NEW ZEALAND SUCCESS

Two U.S. beach teams traveling to Shepparton won gold at the New Zealand Beach Volleyball Open.

Amanda Dowdy and Irene Pollock won the women’s event, defeating New Zealand’s Kelsie Wills and Shaunna Polley in the final, 21-12, 21-18.

Adam Roberts and Eric Zaun won the men’s event, beating New Zealand’s Rene Kapa and Morgan Seymour in the final, 21-17, 27-25.

NEW TEAMS

Sean Rosenthal and Trevor Crabb announced that they have found new partners. Rosenthal, a two-time Olympian, will play with Chase Budinger, who was a up-and-coming volleyball player at La Costa Canyon High School before playing basketball at the University of Arizona and in the NBA.

Crabb will join forces with Colorado native Skylar Del Sol.

FENDRICK BLOG

Did you know that beach Olympian Lauren Fendrick has a blog? Check out her tips for sleep optimization at http://laurenfendrick.com/blog/.