(August 24, 2002)                                                                                             Hot News Main Page

Davis & Johnson Jordan Capture Women's 
Chicago Pro Beach Volleyball Title Match

CHICAGO IL (August 24, 2002) For the second-straight event, Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan upset top-seeded Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs to capture the women's title here Saturday (August 24) at the $150,000 AVP Nissan US Championships of Beach Volleyball.

The AVP Nissan US Championships of Beach Volleyball also features men's competition on North Avenue Beach. The 24-team women's Main Draw bracket concluded Saturday with the second-seeded Davis (Tarzana, Calif.) and Johnson
Jordan (Tarzana, Calif.) sharing the $17,400 first-place prize. The women's title match was taped for NBC's national telecast Sunday from 2-4 p.m. (EDT).

Competing in their 47th pro beach event together, Davis and Johnson Jordan rallied from a first set loss (19-21) to defeat McPeak and Youngs 21-16 and 18-16 in the 65-minute championship match. McPeak and Youngs led 8-4 in the
deciding set. It marked the second straight Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour stop where Davis and Johnson Jordan defeated McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Durango, Colo.) for a domestic title.

Davis and Johnson, who have won two of five meetings with the top-ranked AVP women's team, became one of three teams to defeat McPeak and Youngs this season by defeating the AVP Tour's top-ranked team 13-21, 23-21 and 15-9 in
the 59-minute Manhattan Beach finale (August 11). The Southern California win for Davis and Johnson Jordan snapped McPeak and Youngs' four-event, 25-match domestic winning streak.

Winners of 26 of 32 matches this season with $ $65,790 in earnings, Davis and Johnson Jordan dropped an AVP Tour finale to McPeak and Youngs June 30 in Belmar, N. J. Davis and Johnson Jordan have now posted a 216-67 match mark
in 47 career events together. The pair has shared $487,366 in earnings to rank second domestically behind McPeak and Lisa Arce's $628,650 partnership
total.

Davis and Johnson, who missed the 2001 season to give birth to their first children, have now won back-to-back event titles for the second time in their pro beach careers. The pair captured two straight titles in May 2000 as Davis and Johnson prepared for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games where they placed fifth for the United States. Saturday's title was the eighth for the
Davis/Johnson Jordan partnership.

While Davis and Johnson Jordan placed third in the first three AVP Tour events this season, DeNecochea and Fontana were losing California title matches to McPeak and Youngs in Huntington Beach (May 26), Hermosa Beach (June 9) and Santa Barbara (June 16).

With both teams winning twice each Saturday morning, McPeak and Youngs advanced to their sixth-straight Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour finale this season while Davis and Johnson Jordan were playing in
their third-straight domestic title match. For placing second, McPeak and Youngs shared $11,700.

Davis and Johnson Jordan earned their spot in the finale by defeating sixth-seeded Dianne DeNecochea (San Diego, Calif.) and Barbra Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 21-17 and 21-15 and third-seeded Carrie Busch
(Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Leanne Schuster (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) 21-13 and 21-17 in the semifinals.

McPeak and Youngs advanced to Saturday's title match by defeating fourth-seeded Arce (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Linda Hanley (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) 21-14 and 21-19 and fifth-seeded Nancy Mason (Hermosa
Beach, Calif.) and Rachel Wacholder (El Segundo, Calif.) 21-11 and 21-16 in the semifinals.

McPeak and Youngs, who won seven of their first nine events this season, have now placed third, second, second and second in four August tournaments. Winners of 29 of 31 AVP Tour matches in 2002, McPeak and Youngs captured
titles earlier this season in May (one), June (three) and July (three).

Combined with their efforts on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, McPeak and Youngs have won 72 of 77 matches in 2002 with international titles in Norway, France and Greece. McPeak and Youngs have now combined to earn
$96,600 on the AVP Tour this season and $221,115 pro beach volleyball events in 2002.

McPeak and Youngs' other four defeats this season have been on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour to United States rivals Misty May/Kerri Walsh and 2000 Sydney Olympic Gold Medallists Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia.
McPeak and Youngs are 1-3 against May and Walsh this season and 4-1 against Cook and Pottharst.

After placing third in Austria where they dropped an August 3 semifinal match to May (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.), McPeak and Youngs returned to California to see their domestic winning streak snapped in the
finals of the Manhattan Beach Open.

After defeating Cook and Pottharst in the semifinals of last Sunday's Chinese Open, McPeak and Youngs were defeated by May and Walsh in the 51-minute Gold Medal match 12-21, 21-15 and 19-17. McPeak and Youngs defeated May and Walsh in July's French Grand Slam event Gold Medal Match.

The Chicago event will also determine the top eight women's teams for the AVP Tour's season finale at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. (September 5-7). The 2002 women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World
Tour concludes in September with events in Spain (Mallorca, 3-7) and Brazil (Vitoria, 17-22).

[Source: Tim Simmons, 303/678-8484; 303/678-7474 (FAX)]