ARCE CLAIMS FIRST TITLE WITH MCPEAK AT COORS LIGHT BEACH VOLLEY '96
CAROLINA, PUERTO RICO - Lisa Arce became a first-time winner on the Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour by capturing the $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volley '96 with Holly McPeak here Sunday (Apr. 28) on Carolina Beach.
Seeded second in the competition after the partnership breakup of the former top-seeded McPeak/Nancy Reno tandem, Arce and McPeak downed third-seeded Patty Dodd and Angela Rock 15-10 in the championship match.
While Arce was claiming her first Evian Tour title, McPeak was winning her 11th after posting her first 10 championships with Reno. Dodd was playing in her first tournament final since June 21, 1991 when she and Elaine Roque lost a double-final to Karolyn Kirby and Rock.
Arce and McPeak, who advanced to the championship finals with a 15- 6 win over fourth-seeded Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley, split the $11,000 first-place prize. Dodd and Rock, who has finished second in all four Evian Tour events this season, shared $8,100.
Kirby and Reno, who dropped a 15-11 match to Dodd and Rock in the Olympic Crossing semi-finals, finished fourth after losing the third-place match 15-12 to Fontana and Hanley. The Fontana/Hanley tandem shared $5,700 for third while Kirby and Reno split $4,100.
The top-seeded Kirby and Reno advanced to the final four with an 18-16 win over Fontana Harris and Hanley after trailing trailing 5- 0 and 14-10 in the 70-minute, 95-sideout match before tying the match at 14-14.
Arce and McPeak advanced to the Olympic Crossing semi-finals with a 15-6 win over Dodd and Rock, who advanced to the final four with a 15-12 win over seventh-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Christine Schaefer. Fontana Harris and Hanley eliminated sixth-seeded Gail Castro and Deb Richardson 15-7 to advance to the final four.
The Evian Tour event was taped by Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., for Prime Network distribution starting Wednesday (May 1). Prime Network is televising eight Evian Tour events season for the fifth-straight campaign.
The Coors Light Beach Volley '96 was the second outdoor event of the 1996 season following the Apr. 5-7 MCI Open at Deerfield Beach (Fla.) when top-seeded McPeak and Reno scored a 15-8 win over second-seeded Liz Masakayan and Rock in the championship match. Masakayan skipped this weekend's event to rest her knees.
Here's the results from Sunday's (Apr. 28) final rounds of competition in $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volley '96.
Championship bracket, semi-finals - Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Elmhurst, Ill. (No. 1-seeded team) def. Barbra Fontana Harris, Laguna Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (4), 18-16; Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (2) def. Patty Dodd, El Segundo, Calif./Angela Rock, Carlsbad, Calif. (3), 15-6. Contender's bracket, fourth-round (losers eliminated, place ninth, split $1,575) - Marie Andersson, Hawthorne, Calif./Pat Keller, Sarasota, Fla. (12) def. Michal Clingman, Raleigh, N. C./Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo. (14), 15-11; Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (7) def. Krista Blomquist, Branford, Conn./Wendy Fletcher, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (9), 15-10; Janice Harrer, Honolulu, Hi./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (10) def. Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (8), 16-14; Gail Castro, Carlsbad, Calif./Deb Richardson, Santa Barbara, Calif. (6) def. Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago (5), 15-13. Contender's bracket, fifth- round (losers eliminated, place seventh, split $2,375) - Poppinga/Schaefer def. Andersson/Pat Keller, 15-10; Castro/Richardson def. Harrer/Stammer, 15-5. Contender's bracket, quarter-finals (losers eliminated, place fifth, split $3,000) - Dodd/Rock def. Poppinga/Schaefer, 15-12; Fontana Harris/Hanley def. Castro/Richardson, 15-7. Olympic Crossing, semi-finals - Dodd/Rock def. Kirby/Reno, 15-11; Arce/McPeak def. Fontana Harris/Hanley, 15- 6. Olympic Crossing, consolation (winners place third, split $5,700; losers place fourth, split $4,100) - Fontana Harris/Hanley def. Kirby/Reno, 15-12. Olympic Crossing, championship (winners place first, split $11,000; losers place second, split $8,100) - Arce/McPeak def. Dodd/Rock, 15-10.
TEAM (seed) W-L POINTS MONEY
1st Lisa Arce\Holly McPeak (2) 5-0 80 $11,000
2nd Patty Dodd\Angela Rock (3) 4-2 72 $8,100
3rd Barbra Fontana Harris\Linda Hanley (4) 5-2 64 $5,700
4th Karolyn Kirby\Nancy Reno (1) 3-2 56 $4,100
5th Karrie Poppinga\Christine Schaefer (7) 5-2 48 $3,000
Gail Castro\Deb Richardson (6) 4-2 48 $3,000
7th Marie Andersson\Pat Keller (12) 3-2 40 $2,375
Janice Harrer\Gayle Stammer (10) 3-2 40 $2,375
9th Michal Clingman\Valinda Hilleary (14) 3-2 32 $1,575
Krista Blomquist\Wendy Fletcher (9) 2-2 32 $1,575
Marla O'Hara\Ali Wood (8) 3-2 32 $1,575
Elaine Roque\Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (5) 3-2 32 $1,575
13th Danalee Bragado\Monique Oliver (11) 2-2 24 $1,013
Jackie Campbell\Leanne Schuster (13) 2-2 24 $1,013
Stephanie Nelson\Liz Pagano (19) 1-2 24 $1,013
Alissa Evans-Lund\Lynda Johnson (20) 2-2 24 $1,013
17th Laura Martin\Beth Schuler (17) 0-2 16
Lael Perlstrom-Fresenius\Kristen Schritter (2 1-2 16
Mary Baily\Barbara Belding (21) 1-2 16
Kengelin Gardiner\Dorothy Hert (15) 1-2 16
Evelyn Conley\Erin Deiters (16) 1-2 16
Rhonda Kottke\Veronica Sanchez (27) 1-2 16
Nancy Mason\Jen Murrell (26) 1-2 16
Jackie Auzias de Turenne\Michelle Morse (18) 0-2 16
25th Stacy Kemmes\Amy Peistrup-Matthews (24) 0-2 8
Nanci Boutet\Mary-Ellen Towne (28) 0-2 8
Ashley Wacholder\Wendy Whiting (29) 0-2 8
Nancy Brookhart\Desiree Leipham (22) 0-2 8
Jeanette Kollasch\Marsha Miller (23) 0-2 8
Totals 56-56 840 $50,000
The Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour returns to Hermosa Beach, Calif., May 3-5 for the 10th-straight season for the Evian Hermosa Beach Open at The Pier. The event is the fifth of 16 stops on the 1996 Evian Tour as the domestic tour returns to San Diego (May 18-19) and Austin, Tex. (May 31-June 2) before the United States Olympic Trials June 4-9 in Baltimore, Md.
TOP FOUR SEEDS ADVANCE AS EXPECTED IN COORS LIGHT BEACH VOLLEY '96
CAROLINA, PUERTO RICO - The top four seeded teams lead the field into Sunday's final rounds of the $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volley '96 following play here Saturday (Apr. 27) on Carolina Beach.
The fifth annual event opens at 8 a.m. (AST) Sunday with contender's bracket matches followed by championship bracket semi- final action pitting No. 1 seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno against fourth-seeded Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley with third-seeded Patty Dodd and Angela Rock challenging second-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak.
The Coors Light Beach Volley '96 concludes Sunday on five volleyball courts formed by the WPVA's Operations staff on Carolina Beach. The Evian Tour event is being held in conjunction with West Indies & Grey (Hector Ortiz, 787/292-9000).
The Coors Light Brand at the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colo., and V. Suarez & Co., Inc., of San Juan join forces to sponsor the Puerto Rico event. Coors Light is starting its seventh year of WPVA involvement.
Evian Natural Spring Water is starting its first season as the tour's title sponsor. Evian's tour sponsorship was launched with two indoor events in Fairfax, Va. (Feb. 3) and New York at Madison Square Garden (Feb. 24).
The Evian Tour event is the first of eight 1996 events covered by Prime Network, which is starting its fifth-season of national cable coverage of the WPVA. Prime will air Sunday's final matches starting Wednesday (May 1).
The Coors Light Beach Volley '96 is a double-elimination tournament featuring a 29-team main draw. Twelve (12) teams advance to Sunday's final rounds with the Olympic Crossing semi-final matches set for 12:30 p.m. and the title match scheduled for 3 p.m.
The winning team will split $11,000 for first-place with the second-place finishers sharing $8,100. The third-place team will share $5,700 while fourth-place finishers will split $4,100.
The Coors Light Beach Volley '96 is the second outdoor event of the 1996 season following the Apr. 5-7 MCI Open at Deerfield Beach (Fla.) when top-seeded McPeak and Reno scored a 15-8 win over second-seeded Liz Masakayan and Rock in the championship match.
The tandems of Kirby/Reno, Arce/McPeak and Dodd/Rock were unbeaten in two matches Saturday while the Fontana Harris/Hanley team had to win three matches. Kirby and Reno advanced with a 15-5 quarter-final win over ninth- seeded Krista Blomquist and Wendy Fletcher while Fontana Harris and Hanley downed 12th-seeded Marie Andersson and Pat Keller 15-5. Dodd and Rock overcame a 6-1 deficit to defeat sixth-seeded Gail Castro and Deb Richardson while Arce and McPeak downed 10th-seeded Janice Harrer and Gayle Stammer.
In Sunday's opening matches, 14th-seeded Michal Clingman and Valinda Hilleary play Andersson and Keller while seventh-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Christine Schaefer face Blomquist and Fletcher. Eighth-seeded Marla O'Hara and Ali Wood face Harrer and Stammer with fifth-seeded Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, who celebrated her 40th birthday Saturday, playing Castro and Richardson.
Here's the results for Saturday's (Apr. 27) opening six rounds of competition in $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volley '96.
Championship bracket, first-round - Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Elmhurst, Ill. (No. 1-seeded team) had a bye; Evelyn Conley, South Pasadena, Calif./Erin Deiters, Green Bay, Wisc. (16) def. Laura Martin, San Diego/Beth Schuler, Raleigh, N. C. (17), 15-11; Krista Blomquist, Branford, Conn./Wendy Fletcher, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (9) def. Stacy Kemmes, El Segundo, Calif./Amy Peistrup-Matthews, Gurnee, Ill. (24), 15-4; Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (8) def. Lael Perlstrom-Fresenius, Laguna Beach, Calif./Kristin Schritter, San Diego (25), 15-8; Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago def. Nanci Boutet, Saco, Me./Mary-Ellen Towne, Aquadilla, P. R., 15-2; Marie Andersson, Hawthorne, Calif./Pat Keller, Sarasota, Calif. (12) def. Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Barbara Belding, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (21), 15-3; Alissa Lund, El Segundo, Calif./Lynda Johnson, San Diego (20) def. Jackie Campbell (101st), Santa Barbara, Calif./Leanne Schuster (13th), Mesa, Ariz. (13), 15-9; Barbra Fontana Harris, Laguna Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (4) def. Ashley Wacholder, Laguna Beach, Calif./Wendy Whiting, Corona Del Mar, Calif., 15-5; Patty Dodd, El Segundo, Calif./Angela Rock, Carlsbad, Calif. (3)had a bye; Michal Clingman, Raleigh, N. C./Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo. (14) def. Stephanie Nelson, Monarch Beach, Calif./Liz Pagano, Seattle, Wash. (19), 15-13; Danalee Bragado, Honoolulu, Hi./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. def. Nancy Brookhart, Glen Ellyn, Ill./Desiree Leipham, Reardon, Wash. (22), 15-1; Gail Castro, Carlsbad, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (6) def. Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn./Veronica Sanchez, Santa Monica, Calif. (27), 15- 2; Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (7) def. Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill./Jen Murrell, Redondo Beach, Calif. (26), 15-1; Janice Harrer, Honolulu, Hi./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (10) def. Jeanette Kollasch, Palatine, Ill./Marsha Miller, Henrietta, N. Y. (23), 15-1; Kengy Gardiner, North Kingstown, R. I./Dorothy Hert, Wellesley, Mass. (15) def. Jackie Auzias deTurenne, Raleigh, N. C./Michelle Morse, Fort Rucker, Ala. (18), 15-13; Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (2) had a bye. Championship bracket, second-round - Kirby/Reno def. Conley/Deiters, 15-1; Blomquist/Fletcher def. O'Hara/Wood, 15-12; Andersson/Keller def. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop, 15-3; Fontana Harris/Hanley def. Lund/Johnson, 15-6; Dodd/Rock def. Clingman/Hilleary, 15-9; Castro/Richardson def. Bragado/Oliver, 15-5; Harrer/Stammer def. Poppinga/Schaefer, 15-9; Arce/McPeak def. Gardiner/Hert, 15-5. Championship bracket, quarter-finals (advance to championship bracket semi-finals, 9 a.m. AST, Sunday) - Kirby/Reno def. Blomquist/Fletcher, 15-5; Fontana Harris/Hanley def. Andersson/Keller, 15-5; Dodd/Rock def. Castro/Richardson, 15-10; Arce/McPeak def. Harrer/Stammer, 15-8. Contender's bracket, first-round (losers eliminated, place 25th) - Martin/Schuler had a bye; Perlstrom-Fresenius/Schritter def. Kemmes/Peistrup-Matthews, 15-11; Baily/Belding def. Boutet/Towne, 15-4; Campbell/Schuster def. Wacholder/Whiting, 15-5; Nelson/Pagano had a bye; Kottke/Sanchez def. Brookhart/Leipham, 15-13; Mason/Murrell def. Kollasch/Miller, 15-5; Auzias de Turenne/Morse had a bye. Contender's bracket, second-round (losers eliminated, place 17th) - Clingman/Hilleary def. Martin/Schuler, 15-11; Bragado/Oliver def. Perlstrom-Fresenius/Schritter, 16-14; Poppinga/Schaefer def. Baily/Belding, 15-6; Campbell/Schuster def. Gardiner/Hert, 15-2; Nelson/Pagano vs. Conley/Deiters, 15-8; O'Hara/Wood def. Kottke/Sanchez, 15-13; Roque/Shupryt-Knoop def. Mason/Murrell, 15-2; Evans-Lund/Johnson def. Auzias de Turenne/Morse, 15-6. Contender's bracket, third-round (winners advance to contender's bracket fourth-round, 8 a.m., Sunday; losers eliminated, place 13th, split $1,012.50) - Clingman/Hilleary def. Bragado/Oliver, 15-5; Poppinga/Schaefer def. Campbell/Schuster, 15- 5; O'Hara/Wood def. Nelson/Pagano, 15-8; Roque/Shupryt-Knoop def. Evans-Lund/Johnson, 15-12. Contender's bracket, fourth-round schedule (8 a.m., Sunday) - Clingman/Hilleary vs. Andersson/Keller; Poppinga/Schaefer vs. Blomquist/Fletcher; Nelson/Pagano vs. O'Hara/Wood vs. Harrer/Stammer; Roque/Shupryt-Knoop vs. Castro/Richardson. Championship bracket, semi-final schedule (9 a.m., Sunday) - Kirby/Reno vs. Fontana Harris/Hanley; Dodd/Rock vs. Arce/McPeak.
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
TEAM (seed) W-L POINTS MONEY
1st - 80 $11,000
2nd - 72 $8,100
3rd - 64 $5,700
4th - 56 $4,100
5th - 48 $3,000
- 48 $3,000
7th - 40 $2,375
- 40 $2,375
9th - 32 $1,575
- 32 $1,575
- 32 $1,575
- 32 $1,575
13th Danalee Bragado\Monique Oliver (11) 2-2 24 $1,013
Jackie Campbell\Leanne Schuster (13) 2-2 24 $1,013
Stephanie Nelson\Liz Pagano (19) 1-2 24 $1,013
Alissa Evans-Lund\Lynda Johnson (20) 2-2 24 $1,013
17th Laura Martin\Beth Schuler (17) 0-2 16
Lael Perlstrom\Kristen Schritter (25 1-2 16
Mary Baily\Barbara Belding (21) 1-2 16
Kengelin Gardiner\Dorothy Hert (15) 1-2 16
Evelyn Conley\Erin Deiters (16) 1-2 16
Rhonda Kottke\Veronica Sanchez (27) 1-2 16
Nancy Mason\Jen Murrell (26) 1-2 16
Jackie deTurenne\Michelle Morse (18) 0-2 16
25th Stacy Kemmes\Amy Peistrup-Matthews (24) 0-2 8
Nanci Boutet\Mary-Ellen Towne (28) 0-2 8
Ashley Wacholder\Wendy Whiting (29) 0-2 8
Nancy Brookhart\Desiree Leipham (22) 0-2 8
Jeanette Kollasch\Marsha Miller (23) 0-2 8
Totals 56-56 840 $50,000
CAROLINA BEACH, PUERTO RICO - Here's the schedule for Saturday's opening six rounds of competition in $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volley '96. The event is the second of 14 outdoor events on the 1996 Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
Championship bracket, first-round schedule - Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Elmhurst, Ill. (No. 1-seeded team) had a bye; Evelyn Conley, South Pasadena, Calif./Erin Deiters, Green Bay, Wisc. (16) vs. Laura Martin, San Diego/Beth Schuler, Raleigh, N. C. (17); Krista Blomquist, Branford, Conn./Wendy Fletcher, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (9) vs. Stacy Kemmes, El Segundo, Calif./Amy Peistrup-Matthews, Gurnee, Ill. (24); Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (8) vs. Lael Perlstrom-Fresenius, Laguna Beach, Calif./Kristin Schritter, San Diego (25); Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago vs. Nanci Boutet, Saco, Me./Mary-Ellen Towne, Aquadilla, P. R.; Marie Andersson, Hawthorne, Calif./Pat Keller, Sarasota, Calif. (12) vs. Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Barbara Belding, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (21); Jackie Campbell (101st), Santa Barbara, Calif./Leanne Schuster (13th), Mesa, Ariz. (13) vs. Alissa Lund, El Segundo, Calif./Lynda Johnson, San Diego (20); Barbra Fontana Harris, Laguna Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (4) vs. Ashley Wacholder, Laguna Beach, Calif./Wendy Whiting, Corona Del Mar, Calif.; Patty Dodd, El Segundo, Calif./Angela Rock, Carlsbad, Calif. (3)had a bye; Michal Clingman, Raleigh, N. C. /Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo. (14) vs. Stephanie Nelson, Monarch Beach, Calif./Liz Pagano, Seattle, Wash. (19); Danalee Bragado, Honoolulu, Hi./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. vs. Nancy Brookhart, Glen Ellyn, Ill./Desiree Leipham, Reardon, Wash. (22); Gail Castro, Carlsbad, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (6) vs. Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn./Veronica Sanchez, Santa Monica, Calif. (27); Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (7) vs. Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill./Jen Murrell, Redondo Beach, Calif. (26); Janice Harrer, Honolulu, Hi./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (10) vs. Jeanette Kollasch, Palatine, Ill./Marsha Miller, Henrietta, N. Y. (23); Kengy Gardiner, North Kingstown, R. I./Dorothy Hert, Wellesley, Mass. (15) vs. Jackie Auzias deTurenne, Raleigh, N. C./Michelle Morse, Fort Rucker, Ala. (18); Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (2) had a bye.
Championship bracket, second-round schedule - Kirby/Reno vs. Conley/Deiters vs. Martin/Schuler winner; Blomquist/Fletcher vs. Kemmes/Peistrup-Matthews winner vs. O'Hara/Wood vs. Perlstrom- Fresenius/Schritter winner; Roque/Shupryt-Knoop vs. Boutet/Towne winner vs. Andersson/Keller vs. Baily/Belding winner; Campbell/Schuster vs. Lund/Johnson winner vs. Fontana Harris/Hanley vs. Wacholder/Whiting winner; Dodd/Rock vs. Clingman/Hilleary vs. Nelson/Pagano winner; Bragado/Oliver vs. Brookhart/Leipham winner vs. Castro/Richardson vs. Kottke/Sanchez winner; Poppinga/Schaefer vs. Mason/Murrell winner vs. Harrer/Stammer vs. Kollasch/Miller winner; Gardiner/Hert vs. Auzias de Turenne/Morse winner vs. Arce/McPeak.
Championship bracket, quarter-finals schedule (advance to championship bracket semi-finals, 9 a.m. AST, Sunday) - Kirby/Reno, Conley/Deiters or Martin/Schuler winner vs. Blomquist/Fletcher, Kemmes/Peistrup-Matthews, O'Hara/Wood or Perlstrom- Fresenius/Schritter winner; Roque/Shupryt- Knoop, Boutet/Towne, Andersson/Keller, or Baily/Belding winner vs. Campbell/Schuster, Lund/Johnson, Fontana Harris/Hanley or Wacholder/Whiting winner; Dodd/Rock, Clingman/Hilleary or Nelson/Pagano winner vs. Bragado/Oliver, Brookhart/Leipham, Castro/Richardson or Kottke/Sanchez winner; Poppinga/Schaefer, Mason/Murrell, Harrer/Stammer or Kollasch/Miller winner vs. Gardiner/Hert, Auzias de Turenne/Morse winner or Arce/McPeak winner.
Contender's bracket, first-round schedule (losers eliminated, place 25th) - Conley/Deiters vs. Martin/Schuler loser has a bye; Blomquist/Fletcher vs. Kemmes/Peistrup-Matthews loser vs. O'Hara/Wood vs. Perlstrom-Fresenius/Schritter loser; Roque/Shupryt- Knoop vs. Boutet/Towne loser vs. Andersson/Keller vs. Baily/Belding loser; Campbell/Schuster vs. Lund/Johnson loser vs. Fontana Harris/Hanley vs. Wacholder/Whiting loser; Clingman/Hilleary vs. Nelson/Pagano loser has a bye; Bragado/Oliver vs. Brookhart/Leipham loser vs. Castro/Richardson vs. Kottke/Sanchez loser; Poppinga/Schaefer vs. Mason/Murrell loser vs. Harrer/Stammer vs. Kollasch/Miller loser; Gardiner/Hert vs. Auzias de Turenne/Morse loser has a bye.
Contender's bracket, second-round schedule (losers eliminated, place 17th) - to be determined with Contender's bracket, first-round winners against losers of Championship bracket, second-round.
Contender's bracket, third-round schedule (winners advance to contender's bracket fourth-round, 8 a.m., Sunday; losers eliminated, place 13th, split $1,012.50) - to be determined with winners of Contender's bracket, second-round winners.
PARTNERSHIP CHANGES HIGHLIGHT COORS LIGHT BEACH VOLLEY '96 SEEDINGS
CAROLINA, PUERTO RICO - With four partnership changes among the top eight seeded teams, the Coors Light Beach Volley '96 has attracted a 29-team field here this weekend on the international courts at Carolina Beach.
When the Coors Light Beach Volley '96 opens at 9 a.m. (AST) Saturday (Apr. 27), a new top-seeded team will take center court when Karolyn Kirby joins Nancy Reno as the top-rated Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour team.
With Reno splitting with Holly McPeak, the changing of the No. 1- seeded team marks only the third-time in the 10-season history of the Women's Professional Volleyball Association that the top-seeded tandem has changed during the season.
The first change at the top occurred near the end of the 1991 season when Patty Dodd and Jackie Silva split after finishing second at Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Evian Tour event No. 32, Aug. 20).
The second change of a No. 1-seeded team happened following a 1992 ninth-place finish by Kirby and Angela Rock at Cape Cod, Mass. (Evian Tour event No. 78, June 28).
The initial in-season switch at the top resulted in a 1991 win for Silva with Rita Crockett on the beach at Will Rogers State Park in California (Aug. 27) while Dodd finished tied for fifth with Liz Masakayan.
Following the Kirby/Rock split in 1992, Kirby teamed with Reno the next week in Atlanta City (July 5) to capture the New Jersey shore title while Rock and Janice Harrer tied for ninth.
Despite the changes, McPeak and Reno will still compete together in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games as the No. 1 beach team for the United States after finishing second on the 1995-96 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship-Series circuit.
The McPeak/Reno split for the $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volleyball '96 finds McPeak playing with Lisa Arce as the No. 2-seeded tandem. Both Arce and McPeak are 1987 graduates of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif. The pair also played collegiately together at Cal-Berkeley before McPeak finished her career at UCLA.
With Masakayan resting her knees, Rock will team for the first-time ever with Dodd as the No. 3 seeded-team. Dodd and Arce finished third in the first 1996 outdoor event Evian Tour earlier this month in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
With the changes, Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley drop to the fourth-seeded tandem followed by the teams of Elaine Roque/Dennie Shupryt-Knoop and Gail Castro/Deb Richardson. Shupryt-Knoop, who finished fourth with Roque in Deerfield Beach, will celebrate her 40th birthday Saturday.
Following an impressive seventh-place in last weekend's Brazil international event, Karrie Poppinga and Christine Schaefer will form the seventh-seeded team this weekend. Schaefer had played the first three Evian Tour events this season with Kirby while Poppinga played with Danalee Bragado at Deerfield.
Bragado, who had finished fifth and seventh with Poppinga in the last two Evian Tour outdoor events in Hawaii last September and Deerfield Beach, will team with Monique Oliver as the 11th-seeded Coors Light Beach Volleyball '96 tandem.
The $50,000 Coors Light Beach Volley '96 will be staged on five volleyball courts will be formed by the WPVA's Operations staff on Carolina Beach. The Evian Tour event is being held in conjunction with West Indies & Grey (Hector Ortiz/Wanda Ferrer Gregory, 787/292-9000).
The Coors Light Brand at the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colo., and V. Suarez & Co., Inc., of San Juan join forces to sponsor the Puerto Rico event. Coors Light is starting its seventh year of WPVA involvement.
Evian Natural Spring Water is starting its first season as the tour's title sponsor. Evian's tour sponsorship was launched with two indoor events in Fairfax, Va. (Feb. 3) and New York at Madison Square Garden (Feb. 24).
The Evian Tour event will also be the first of eight 1996 events covered by Prime Network, which is starting its fifth-season of national cable coverage of the WPVA.
The Coors Light Beach Volleyball '96 is a double-elimination tournament featuring a 29-team main draw. Championship play opens Saturday with 12 teams advancing to Sunday's final rounds.
The final rounds Sunday start at 9 a.m. on Carolina Beach. The Olympic Crossing semi-final matches start at 12:30 p.m. with the title match scheduled for 3 p.m.
The winning team will be split $11,000 for first-place with the second-place finishers sharing $8,100. The third-place team will share $5,700 while fourth-place finishers splitting $4,100.
The Coors Light Beach Volley '96 is the second outdoor event of the 1996 season following the Apr. 5-7 MCI Open at Deerfield Beach (Fla.) when top-seeded McPeak and Reno scored a 15-8 win over second-seeded Masakayan and Rock in the championship match.
McPeak and Reno had played together in 17 of the past 18 Evian Tour events. The only miss was last July in Pismo Beach, Calif., when McPeak and Reno were winning an international event at Pusan, Korea.
Since April, 1995, McPeak and Reno have shared $251,080 in a combined 27 domestic (17) and international (10) events with 16 firsts, five seconds, three thirds, a fourth, a fifth and a ninth. The McPeak/Reno tandem has won 86.7 percent of their matches (137- 21). In 17 Evian Tour events, McPeak/Reno shared $166,080 with 10 firsts and an 82-11 match mark.
Reno, the Evian Tour's top hitter and blocker in 1996, joins forces with Kirby for their seventh domestic event together and 11th overall. Kirby and Reno played together in the final six Evian Tour events of the 1992 season when the pair won three titles and finished second once enroute to a 21-4 match mark together while sharing $64,776.
The Kirby/Reno tandem won three of four international stops, including last November's FIVB Beach stop on Carolina Beach in Puerto Rico. The pair also won the first-ever international stops in Almeria, Spain (Aug. 16, 1992) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Feb. 14, 1993).
Reno, who had won six-straight 1995 FIVB events with McPeak, and Kirby have combined to win six of 10 overall pro beach events to share $110,776.
McPeak, the most valuable player and top defender on the 1995 Evian Tour, is with Arce for the first-time. Arce was the top rookie in 1994 and most improved player in 1995.
Kirby, the winningest women's player in pro beach volleyball history (62 event titles and $557,599.13), and Schaefer won the event opener in Fairfax. McPeak and Reno captured the New York to split the biggest paycheck ($31,500) in women's beach history.
The 1996 Evian Tour season helps prepare the WPVA players for the United States Olympic Trials and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games when 16 international teams will vie in the inaugural beach volleyball "gold medal" competition.
Evian Tour tandems will fill three of the 16 Atlanta Olympic Games beach spots. The other two teams will be determined at the United States Olympic Trials June 4-9 at the Harborview Complex in Baltimore, Md. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games' beach volleyball competition will be July 23-28 at Atlanta Beach in Clayton County, Ga.
Led by Kirby, nine players are starting their 10th-season on the Evian Tour. Kirby is the winningest player with 56 Evian Tour career titles enroute to 514 career match wins and $377,224.13 in earnings. Other 10-season veterans are Jackie Campbell, Castro (three Evian Tour titles, $179,281.63 Evian Tour career earnings), Forsythe (seven titles, $188,599.88), Lucy Han, Harrer (12 titles, $169,257.25), Charlotte Roach, Roque (three titles, $203,392.21) and Gayle Stammer (one title).
1992 (Evian Tour Event No. 68, Apr. 11-12) - 1, Linda Chisholm/Masakayan; 2, Harrer/Roque; 3, Kirby/Rock; 4, Richardson/Silva.
1993 (No. 84, Apr. 17-18) - 1, Kirby/Masakayan; 2, Castro/Roque; 3, Harrer/Richardson; 4, Lori Biller/Roach.
1994 (No. 98, Apr. 16-17) - 1, Kirby/Masakayan; 2, Castro/Roque; 3, Fontana Harris/Forsythe; 4, Wendy Fletcher/Marla O'Hara.
1995 (No. 115, Apr. 29-30) - 1, Hanley/Rock; 2, McPeak/Reno; 3, Richardson/Shupryt-Knoop; 4, Arce/Schaefer.
Official Seedings - Apr. 25, 1996
SEED TEAM1. Karolyn Kirby (111th), Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno (58th), Elmhurst, Ill. (seventh Evian Tour event, three Evian Tour titles, 21-4 Evian Tour match mark). 2. Lisa Arce (29th), Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak (57th Evian Tour event), Manhattan Beach, Calif. (first). 3. Patty Dodd (92nd), El Segundo, Calif./Angela Rock (78th), Carlsbad, Calif. (first). 4. Barbra Fontana Harris (78th), Laguna Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley (48th), Pacific Palisades, Calif. (4th, 3-4). 5. Elaine Roque (126th), Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (108th), Chicago (4th, 10- 7). 6. Gail Castro (126th), Carlsbad, Calif./Deb Richardson (100th), Minneapolis, Minn. (2nd, 2-2). 7. Karrie Poppinga (17th), Mililani, Hi./Christine Schaefer (42nd), Florence, Ky. (first). 8. Marla O'Hara (98th), Agoura Hills, Calif./Ali Wood (60th), Redondo Beach, Calif. (15th, 37-27). 9. Krista Blomquist (43rd), Branford, Conn./Wendy Fletcher (69th), Manhattan Beach, Calif. (6th, 11-10). 10. Janice Harrer (120th), Honolulu, Hi./Gayle Stammer (108th), San Antonio, Tex. (2nd, 3-2). 11. Danalee Bragado (29th), Honoolulu, Hi./ (3rd, 6-5)/Monique Oliver (82nd), Santa Monica, Calif. (fifth, 8-7). 12. Marie Andersson (78th), Hawthorne, Calif./Pat Keller (55th), Sarasota, Calif. (4th, 4-6). 13. Jackie Campbell (101st), Santa Barbara, Calif./Leanne Schuster (13th), Mesa, Ariz. (2nd, 3-2). 14. Michal Clingman (37th), Raleigh, N. C./Valinda Hilleary (38th), Littleton, Colo. (3rd, 2-4). 15. Kengy Gardiner (27th), North Kingstown, R. I./Dorothy Hert (2nd), Boston, Mass. (2nd, 0-2). 16. Evelyn Conley (75th), South Pasadena, Calif./Erin Deiters (45th), Green Bay, Wisc. (8th, 10-14). 17. Laura Martin (26th), San Diego/Beth Schuler (20th), Raleigh, N. C. (first). 18. Jackie Auzias deTurenne (20th), Raleigh, N. C./Michelle Morse (15th), Fort Rucker, Ala. (2nd, 1-2). 19. Stephanie Nelson (28th), Monarch Beach, Calif./Liz Pagano (23rd), Seattle, Wash. (6th, 5-10). 20. Alissa Lund (15th), El Segundo, Calif./Lynda Johnson (4th), San Diego (first). 21. Mary Baily (33rd), Calabasas, Calif./Barbara Belding (19th), Manhattan Beach, Calif. (first). 22. Nancy Brookhart (14th), Glen Ellyn, Ill./Desiree Leipham (9th), Reardon, Wash. (2nd, 1-2). 23. Jeanette Kollasch (5th), Palatine, Ill./Marsha Miller (5th), Henrietta, N. Y. (1st). 24. Stacy Kemmes (2nd), El Segundo, Calif./Amy Peistrup-Matthews (6th), Gurnee, Ill. (2nd, 0-2). 25. Lael Perlstrom-Fresenius (6th), Laguna Beach, Calif./Kristin Schritter (3nd), San Diego (2nd, 0-2). 26. Nancy Mason (8th), Belleville, Ill./Jen Murrell (1st), Redondo Beach, Calif. (first). 27. Rhonda Kottke (8th), Minneapolis, Minn./Veronica Sanchez (14th), Santa Monica, Calif. (2nd, 0-2). 28. Nanci Boutet (2nd), Saco, Me./Mary-Ellen Towne (1st), Aquadilla, P. R. (1st). 29. Ashley Wacholder (1st), Laguna Beach, Calif./Wendy Whiting (1st), Corona Del Mar, Calif. (1st).
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