(August 13, 2002)                                                                                             Hot News Main Page 

Thunder's Kessy Finishes 9th at AVP Stop
Wins Three Matches With New Partner At Manhattan Beach

OAKBROOK TERRACE IL (August 13, 2002) Chicago Thunder outside hitter Jennifer Kessy and new teammate Cary Wendell won three matches and placed ninth at the recent Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Michelob Light Manhattan Beach Open at Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Kessy's ninth place finish is the second highest of her pro beach volleyball career. Kessy and Heather Lowe (Redondo Beach, Calif.) won the 2001 Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Thailand Challenger.

Kessy (San Diego, Calif.) now has eight match victories on the AVP tour this season. The Manhattan Beach finish netted Kessy a season-high $1,120 in prize money.

After winning their opening round match, Kessy and Wendell (San Clemente, Calif.), seeded 16th in the event, lost to the top-seeded duo of Holly McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Elaine Youngs (Durango, Colo.) 13-21, 18-21.

McPeak and Youngs, who had won the previous four AVP tour titles this season, later were upset by 2000 Olympians Annett Davis (Tarzana, Calif.) and Jenny Johnson (Tarzana, Calif.) for the $20,000 first place prize. McPeak and Youngs had a 25-match domestic winning streak snapped.

Kessy and Wendell rebounded to win their next two matches, before losing to the third-seeded duo of Carrie Busch (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Leanne Schuster (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 21-13, 14-21, 15-13.

Busch and Schuster went on to place third in the event and split $8,130 in prize money.

The next AVP tour stop is August 22-25 in Chicago for the Nissan U.S. Championships of Beach Volleyball.

The 2002 tour wraps up with the Paul Mitchell AVP Shoot Out September 5-7 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

For more information on the USPV, which recently doubled in size from four to eight teams with the additions of expansion entries in Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, visit www.uspv.com.

[Source: Mike Miazga, Director Media Relations, USPV/Chicago Thunder (630) 575-8827 (office), (847) 344-6554 (cell), mmiazga@uspv.net, visit www.avp.com]