Pires & Samuel Survive FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Upsets

Marseille, France (July 22, 1999) - Third-seeded Sandra Pires and Adriana 
Samuel was the only team of the top 12-seeded teams to survive the first two 
days of the women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship unbeaten as the 
Brazilians lead 12 tandems into the final rounds of play.

Unheralded Ulrike Schmidt and Gudula Staub of Germany, Liz Masakayan, Elaine 
Youngs of the United States and Yukiko Takahashi and Teru Saiki of Japan head 
into the fourth-round of the winner's bracket unbeaten with Pires and Samuel, 
who are trying for their second-straight title on Marseille's Plage du Prado.

Seeded 16th in the competition, Schmidt and Staub scored a 15-12 win over 
eighth-seeded Annett Buckner Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan as Thursday's 
matches were played under sunny skies (26ŚC), but with 27-35 miles per hour 
gusty wind conditions.

The 13th-seeded Masakayan and Youngs advanced to a Friday meeting against the 
Germans by defeating 21st-seeded Adriana Bento and Monica Paludo of Brazil 
15-3. Thursday's win was the third-straight of the FIVB Beach Volleyball 
World Championships for Maskayan and Youngs, who dropped both of their 
matches in the last international event in Canada last month to finish 25th.

Schmidt and Staub, who upset top-seeded Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of 
Brazil 15-10 in a second-round match Wednesday, are aiming for their first 
semi-final appearance in a FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event. The pair 
is now guaranteed their biggest payday of their career with $13,500 in their 
pocket.

Takahashi and Teru Saiki, the 15th-seeded team, scored a 15-7 win over 
10th-seeded Maike Friedrichsen and Danja Musch, Germany to advance to 
Friday's final winner's bracket match against Pires and Samuel. The 
Brazilians, who will be trying for their third-straight semi-final appearance 
this season after advancing to the final rounds in Mexico and Canada, 
defeated sixth-seeded Debora Schoon Kadijk and Rebekka Kadijk of the 
Netherlands 15-6.

Bede and Behar are still alive in the competition after defeating 18th-seeded 
Sona Dosoudilova and Eva Celbova of the Czech Republic 15-4 and 26th-seeded 
Vassilik Karadassiou and Efrosyni Sfyri of Greece 15-10 advance to a Friday 
meeting with Schoon Kadijk and Rebekka Kadijk. Bede and Behar had won 
five-straight women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events before losing 
to McPeak and Reno in last month Canadian Open final.

Australia bested the United States in three opening elimination matches with 
second-seeded Pauline Manser and Kerri Pottharst posting two of the wins over 
the Americans. Manser and Pottharst, who were upset 16-14 by Takahashi and 
Teru Saiki Wednesday, scored a 16-14 over 17th-seeded Holly McPeak and 
Gabrielle Reece before eliminating seventh-seeded Linda Hanley and Nancy Reno 
15-4.

Manser and Pottharst, who finished second to Bede and Behar in the 1999 
women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour opener in Mexico before missing 
June's Canada event with due to Manser's knee surgery, play Adriana Bento and 
Monica Paludo.

Nineteenth-seeded Annette Huygens Tholen and Sarah Straton scored a 16-14 win 
over fourth-seeded Lisa Arce and Barbra Fontana of the United States to 
advance to a Thursday afternoon match where they lost 17-16 to 11th-seeded 
Natalie Cook and Angela Clarke in an All Australian match. Cook and Clarke 
had eliminated fifth-seeded Laura Bruschini and Annamaria Solazzi of Italy 
15-12 earlier Thursday.

England's Amanda Glover and Audrey Cooper, the 29th-seeded team, plays 
Buckner Davis and Johnson Jordan and Cook and Clarke challenge Friedrichsen 
and Musch in other elimination matches Friday morning. Glover and Cooper 
upset 14th-seeded Jackie Silva and Ana Paula Connelly 15-10 and 22nd-seeded 
Daniela Gattelli and Lucilla Perrotta of Italy 15-4 to advance. Silva had 
teamed with Pires to win the 1997 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships 
in Los Angeles.

The Women's Main Draw continues Friday at 8 a.m. The women's semi-finals will 
be played at 12 and 1 p.m. Saturday. The Bronze Medal match is set for 4 p.m. 
Saturday with the winning team earning $24,000 for third-place. The Gold 
Medal match will start at 5 p.m. with the final two teams battling for the 
$60,000 first-place prize.

FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships
Women's Main Draw Results

Marseille, France (July 22, 1999) - Here are the Main Draw results from the 
second of four days of the 1999 women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World 
Championships here Thursday (July 22). The $600,000 (US FIVB Beach Volleyball 
World Championships, the third of six women's events on the 1999 FIVB Beach 
Volleyball World Tour, concludes Saturday.

Thursday's Loser's Bracket, Second-Round (losers eliminated, place 17th, 
split $4,500)
+ Pauline Manser/Kerri Pottharst, Australia (2) def. Holly McPeak/Garbrielle 
Reece, United States (17), 16-14 (33 minutes);
+ Linda Hanley/Nancy Reno, United States (7) def. Zi Xiong/Rong Chi, China 
(25, 8), 15-1 (20);
+ Daniela Gattelli/Lucilla Perrotta, Italy (22) def. Mayra Huerta 
Hernandez/Laura Almaral Palafox (28), 15-13 (45);
+ Amanda Glover/Audrey Cooper, England (29, 15) def. Jackie Silva/Ana Paula 
Connelly, Brazil (14), 15-10 (30);
+ Annette Huygens Tholen/Sarah Straton, Australia (19) def. Lisa Arce/Barbra 
Fontana, United States (4), 16-14 (34);
+ Natalie Cook/Angela Clarke, Australia (11) def. Laura BruschiniAnnamaria 
Solazzi, Italy (5), 15-12 (40);
+ Vassilik Karadassiou/Efrosyni Sfyri, Greece (26, 1) def. Cecile Rigaux 
/Anabelle Prawerman, France (9), 15-6 (27);
+ Adriana BeharShelda Bede, Brazil (1) def. Sona Dosoudilova/Eva Celbova, 
Czech Republic (18), 15-4 (25)

Thursday's Winner's Bracket, Third-Round
+ Ulrike Schmidt/Gudula Staub, Germany (16) def. Annett Buckner-Davis/Jenny 
Johnson-Jordan, United States (8), 15-12 (40);
+ Liz Masakayan/Elaine Youngs, United States (13) def. Adriana Bento/Monica 
Paludo, Brazil (21, 2), 15-3 (30);
+ Sandra Pires/Adriana Samuel), Brazil (3) def. Debora Schoon Kadijk/Rebekka 
Kadijk, Netherlands (6), 15-6 (30);
+ Yukiko Takahashi/Teru Saiki, Japan (15) def. Maike Friedrichsen/Danja 
Musch, Germany (10), 15-7 (20).

Thursday's Loser's Bracket, Third-Round (losers eliminated, place 13th, split 
$6,000)
+ Pauline Manser/Kerri Pottharst, Australia (2) def. Linda Hanley/Nancy Reno, 
United States (7), 15-4 (21);
+ Amanda Glover/Audrey Cooper, England (29, 15) def. Daniela Gattelli/Lucilla 
Perrotta, Italy (22), 15-4 (18);
+ Natalie Cook/Angela Clarke, Australia (11) def. Annette Huygens 
Tholen/Sarah Straton, Australia (19), 17-16 (40);
+ Adriana BeharShelda Bede, Brazil (1) def. Vassilik Karadassiou/Efrosyni 
Sfyri, Greece (26, 1), 15-10 (35).

Friday's Loser's Bracket, Fourth-Round Schedule (losers eliminated, place 
ninth, split $7,500)
+ Pauline Manser/Kerri Pottharst, Australia (2) vs. Adriana Bento/Monica 
Paludo, Brazil (21, 2),
+ Amanda Glover/Audrey Cooper, England (29, 15) vs. Annett 
Buckner-Davis/Jenny Johnson-Jordan, United States (8)
+ Natalie Cook/Angela Clarke, Australia (11) vs. Maike Friedrichsen/Danja 
Musch, Germany (10);
+ Adriana BeharShelda Bede, Brazil (1) vs. Debora Schoon Kadijk/Rebekka 
Kadijk, Netherlands (6).

Friday's Winner's Bracket, Fourth-Round Schedule (winner's advance to 
Saturday's Semi-finals
+ Ulrike Schmidt/Gudula Staub, Germany (16) vs. Liz Masakayan/Elaine Youngs, 
United States (13);
+ Sandra Pires/Adriana Samuel), Brazil (3) vs. Yukiko Takahashi/Teru Saiki, 
Japan (15).

Friday's Loser's Bracket, Fifth-Round Schedule (losers eliminated, place 
seventh, split $9,000)
+ Pauline Manser/Kerri Pottharst, Australia (2) vs. Adriana Bento/Monica 
Paludo, Brazil (21, 2) winner vs. Amanda Glover/Audrey Cooper, England (29, 
15) vs. Annett Buckner-Davis/Jenny Johnson-Jordan, United States (8) winner;
+ Natalie Cook/Angela Clarke, Australia (11) vs. Maike Friedrichsen/Danja 
Musch, Germany (10) winner vs. Adriana BeharShelda Bede, Brazil (1) vs. 
Debora Schoon Kadijk/Rebekka Kadijk, Netherlands (6) winner.

Friday's Loser's Bracket, Sixth-Round Schedule (losers eliminated, place 
ninth, split $13,500)
+ Friday's Loser's Bracket, Fifth-round winners vs. Friday's Winner's 
Bracket, Fourth-round losers.