(June 21, 2002)

USA's May & Walsh Advance To Swiss Open Semifinals
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour

GSTAAD SWITZERLAND (June 21, 2002) Second-seeded Misty May and Kerri Walsh continued to prove that they are the top team from the United States on the women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour by advancing to their four-straight international "final four" by winning three matches here Friday (June 21) in the $300,000
event.

In the women's Main Draw, the May (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Saratoga,Calif.) won Pool B with a 3-0 mark by defeating over 31st-seeded Angela Clarke and Tania Gooley of Australia 21-18 and 21-11. In the 16-team elimination bracket Friday afternoon, May and Walsh eliminated 17th-seeded Susanne Glesnes and Kathrine Maaseide of Norway 21-13 and 21-13 and 23rd-seeded Leila Barros and Sandra Pires of Brazil 21-18 and 22-20 to advance to Saturday's semi-finals.

May and Walsh, who won the 2002 women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour season opener in Madrid, Spain June 9, face sixth-seeded Alexandra Fonseca and Mônica Rodrigues of Brazil in Saturday's first semifinal match. Top-seeded Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede of Brazil play fifth-seeded Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst in the second semifinal match. The women's Medal rounds will be played Saturday afternoon.

Winners of 11-straight matches on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour this season, May and Walsh scored a 21-15 and 21-17 win over Alexandra and Mônica in the Madrid semifinals last Sunday. The Americans captured the Spanish Gold Medal by defeating Ana Paula Connelly and Tatiana Minello of Brazil in the Gold Medal match 23-21 and 21-14 for the $22,500 first-place prize.

Alexandra and Mônica eliminated Ana Paula and Minello 25-23, 18-21 and 15-10 Friday to advance to the semi-finals. Ana Paula and Minello are the only team to defeat May and Walsh this season as the Brazilians upset the Americans 16-21, 21-19 and 17-15 in the opening pool play match in Madrid June 7.

Playing in their 10th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event together, May and Walsh placed second to Behar and Bede in their final two events together in 2001 in Japan and Hong Kong. May missed the 2001 season finale in Brazil due to injuries where Walsh teamed with Holly McPeak to place second to Behar and Bede.

May and Walsh earned the Bronze Medal at the 2001 Swiss Open where Behar and Bede won the title by defeating Barbra Fontana and Elaine Youngs of the United States in the finale. Behar and Bede defeated May and Holly McPeak for the 2000 Swiss Open Gold Medal. Mônica and Ana Paula were third in 2000 in the inaugural Swiss event.

Cook and Pottharst, who captured the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games by defeating Behar and Bede in the Gold Medal match, scored a 14-21, 21-14 and 15-12 win over the fourth-seeded McPeak and Youngs to earn their "final four" spot. Cook and Pottharst placed third in Madrid where they lost to Ana Paula and Minello in the semifinals (19-21, 21-14 and 15-8) before capturing the Bronze Medal with a 21-10 and 21-17 win over Alexandra and Mônica.

The defeat was the first in 20 matches for McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Durango, Colo.) this season. McPeak and Youngs entered the Swiss Open after winning three-straight Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour titles this season in California by defeating Dianne DeNecochea and Fontana each time in the championship matches at Huntington Beach (May 26), Hermosa Beach (June 9) and Santa Barbara (June 16).

Behar and Bede, the two-time FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions, advanced to "final four" by eliminating 15th-seeded Carrie Busch and Leanne Schuster of the United States 23-25, 21-17 and 15-11 and eighth-seeded Daniela Gattelli and Lucilla Perrotta of Italy 21-14 and 21-17. Behar and Bede placed ninth in the season opener in Spain after being eliminated by May and Walsh in the first round of the elimination bracket 21-17 and 21-14.

McPeak and Youngs won Pool D Friday to advance to the elimination bracket where they ousted 11th-seeded Eva Celbova and Sona Dosoudilova of Czech Republic. The teams of DeNecochea/Fontana and Busch/Schuster also advanced to the 16-team elimination rounds by finishing second in their pools.

DeNecochea (San Diego, Calif.), who had placed third with Liz Masakayan in the 2001 season finale in Brazil, and Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) edged USA rivals Danalee Bragado (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Rachel Wacholer (El Segundo, Calif.) for the second spot from Pool G. After losing their first match Thursday, DeNecochea won their next two pool play matches over Bragado and Wacholder and a team from Germany. Gattelli and Perrotta eliminated DeNecochea and Fontana 18-21, 21-19 and 15-11 in the first round of the
elimination bracket Friday.

Busch (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) and Schuster (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) finished second behind May and Walsh in Pool B after losing 24-22, 17-21 and 15-11 Thursday afternoon to their American rivals. Busch and Schuster advanced to the elimination match against Behar and Bede with a pool play win over a team
from Japan.

The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour features a "new" format for the 2002
season with the 32 teams in the Main Draw competing initially in eight pools
of four teams each. The top two teams from each of eight pools then advance
to the 16-team single-elimination bracket. The FIVB Tour takes next weekend
off with the Americans returning home to compete in Belmar, N. J. (June
28-30). The next international stop is July 2-7 for a combined men's and
women's event in Stavanger, Norway.

First-round (losers eliminated, place ninth, split $3,900)
· Alexandra Fonseca/Mônica Rodrigues, Brazil (No. 6-seeded Main Draw Team)
def. Lina Yanchulova/Petia Yanchulova, Bulgaria (21), 21-17 and 24-22 (47 minutes)
· Ana Paula Connelly/Tatiana Minello, Brazil (3) def. Stephanie Pohl/Okka Rau, Germany (20), 21-17 and 21-14 (34)
· Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs, United States (4) def. Eva Celbova/Sona Dosoudilova, Czech Republic (11), 21-16 and 21-15 (38)
· Natalie Cook/Kerri Pottharst, Australia (5) def. Tamara Fernandez Grasset/Yoselin Roque Palacios, Cuba (22), 21-18 and 21-11 (36)
· Misty May/Kerri Walsh, United States (2) def. Susanne Glesnes/Kathrine Maaseide, Norway (17), 21-13 and 21-13 (34)
· Leila Barros/Sandra Pires, Brazil (23) def. Nicole Benoît/Simone Kuhn, Switzerland (9), 18-21, 21-13 and 15-13 (55)
· Daniela Gattelli/Lucilla Perrotta, Italy (8) def. Dianne DeNecochea/Barbra Fontana, United States (7), 18-21, 21-19 and 15-11 (54)
· Adriana Behar/Shelda Bede, Brazil (1) def. Carrie Busch/Leanne Schuster, United States (15, No. 10-seeded Qualification Tournament Team), 23-25, 21-17 and 15-11 (56).

Quarterfinals (losers eliminated, place fifth, split $6,675)
· Alexandra/Mônica, Brazil (6) def. Ana Paula/Minello, Brazil (3), 25-23, 18-21 and 15-10 (62);
· Cook/Pottharst, Australia (5) def. McPeak/Youngs, United States (4), 14-21, 21-14 and 15-12 (47);
· May/Walsh, United States (2) def. Barros/Pires, Brazil (23), 21-18 and 22-20 (39);
· Behar/ Bede, Brazil (1) def. Gattelli/Perrotta, Italy (8), 21-14 and 21-17 (31).

June 22 Women's Main Draw Bracket Schedule

Semifinals
· May/Walsh, United States (2) vs. Alexandra/Mônica, Brazil (6)
· Behar/ Bede, Brazil (1) vs. Cook/Pottharst, Australia (5).

Bronze Medal Match (winners place third, split $11,940; losers place fourth,
split $9,300
· May/Walsh, United States (2), Alexandra/Mônica, Brazil (6) or Ana Paula/Minello, Brazil (3) loser vs. Behar/ Bede, Brazil (1) / Cook/Pottharst, Australia (5) loser.

Gold Medal Match (winners place first, split $22,500; losers place second,
split $15,000)
· May/Walsh, United States (2), Alexandra/Mônica, Brazil (6) or Ana Paula/Minello, Brazil (3) winner vs. Behar/ Bede, Brazil (1) /Cook/Pottharst, Australia (5) winner.

NOTE: Third-place finishers in each pool will place 17th and split $2,520;fourth-place finishers in each pool will place 25th, split $1,650.

Women's Main Draw Seedings (Qualification Tournament seed)

1. Adriana Behar/Shelda Bede, Brazil
2. Misty May/Kerri Walsh, United States
3. Ana Paula Connelly/Tatiana Minello, Brazil
4. Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs, United States
5. Natalie Cook/Kerri Pottharst, Australia
6. Alexandra Fonseca/Mônica Rodrigues, Brazil
7. Dianne DeNecochea/Barbra Fontana, United States
8. Daniela Gattelli/Lucilla Perrotta, Italy
9. Nicole Benoît/Simone Kuhn, Switzerland
10. Danalee Bragado/Rachel Wacholder, United States
11. Sylvia Gintzburger/Annik Skrivan, Switzerland
12. Laura Bruschini/Annamaria Solazzi, Italy
13. Rebekka Kadijk/Marritt Leenstra, Netherlands
14. Eva Celbova/Sona Dosoudilova, Czech Republic
15. Carrie Busch/Leanne Schuster, United States (10)
16. Nicole Sanderson/Annette Huygens, Australia (18)
17. Susanne Glesnes/Kathrine Maaseide, Norway
18. Chiaki Kusuhara/Ryoko Tokuno, Japan
19. Tian Jia/Wang Fei, China
20. Stephanie Pohl/Okka Rau, Germany
21. Lina Yanchulova/Petia Yanchulova, Bulgaria
22. Tamara Fernandez Grasset/Yoselin Roque Palacios, Cuba
23. Leila Barros/Sandra Pires, Brazil
24. Marika Teknedzjanova/Tereza Tobiasova, Czech Republic (1)
25. Caterina Del Core/Antonella De Marinis, Italy (67)
26. Andrea Ahmann/Jana Vollmer Germany (15)
27. Ina Maser/Ulrike Schmidt, Germany (16)
28. Esther Alcon/Catalina Pol, Spain (29)
29. Valle Crespo/Dalixia Larrea Peraza, Cuba
30. Belkis Palacio/Maria Quevedo, Cuba (44)
31. Angela Clarke/Tania Gooley, Australia (4)
32. Mayra Garcia/Hilda Gaxiola, Mexico

[Tim Simmons, 9655 Yellowstone Road, Longmont, CO 80504-9740, 303/678-8484; 303/678-7474 (FAX)]