WPVA - Miami Beach, Florida - April 5-6, 1997

ARCE/MCPEAK CAPTURE FIFTH WPVA TITLE TOGETHER;
NO. 4 SEEDS TOP KIRBY RENO 15-12 AFTER TRAILING 12-8

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. - Fourth-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak rallied from a pair of four-point deficits to down fifth-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno 15-12 to capture the $60,000 WPVA Miami Beach Open here Sunday (April 6).

The double-elimination Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour event concluded Sunday afternoon as the opening 1997 event attracted the second largest field (45 teams) in the 11-season history of the Women's Professional Volleyball Association.

Arce and McPeak, which were down 7-3 and 12-8 in the championship finals, split the $14,100 first-place prize as the pair won their fourth Evian Tour event in the last five starts.

Kirby and Reno, who had to battle back from a lost in the second- round of the championship bracket, shared $10,500 as the pair were playing their first event together since having off-season shoulder surgery last fall.

The win was the 40th in McPeak's career, including 17 on the Evian Tour. All six of Arce's professional beach volleyball titles have been with McPeak, who finished fifth with Reno at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., covered the WPVA Miami Beach Open event for distribution via the Prime/FOX Sports affiliates throughout the United States. The Evian Tour event was the first of three-straight 1997 Florida tournaments for the WPVA. The other two events are the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open April 19-20 and the Cybergenics Open in Orlando May 9-11.

In the third-place match, 12th-seeded Krista Blomquist and Cammy Ciarelli out-lasted 15th-seeded Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson 17-15. The third-place winners shared $7,500 while the Chisholm/Richardson tandem split $5,100.

The Evian Tour opener also featured the top two rated teams on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. Brazilians Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games gold medalists, finished ninth with losses to Chisholm and Richardson (15-12 Saturday) and ninth-seeded Danalee Bragado and Christine Schaefer (15-11 Sunday).

Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar, the No. 2 FIVB team behind Pires and Silva, dropped a pair of matches Sunday to Chisholm and Richardson (17-15) and Arce and McPeak (15-4). The Bede/Behar tandem split $3,600 for fifth-place along with top-seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley, who were eliminated 15-8 by Kirby and Reno Sunday.

WPVA Miami Beach Open - Main Draw Results

Apr. 6 at South Beach, Miami Beach, Fla.

Championship bracket, first-round - Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Cammy Ciarelli, Huntington Beach, Calif. (12th-seeded team) def. Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (1), 15-10; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (15) def. Shelda Bede, Fortaleza, Brazil/Adriana Behar, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (3), 17-15. Contender's bracket, fourth-round (losers eliminated, place ninth, split $1,650) - Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (4) def. Wendy Fletcher, Redondo Beach, Calif./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (11), 15-2; Danalee Bragado, Honolulu, Hi./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (9) def. Sandra Pires, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Jackie Silva, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2), 15-11; Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (7) def. Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (8), 15-9; Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (5) def. Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Carlsbad, Calif. (6), 15-9. Contender's bracket, fifth-round (losers eliminated, place seventh, split $2,400) - .Arce/McPeak def. Bragado/Schaefer, 15-8; Kirby/Reno def. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop, 15-11. Contender's bracket, sixth-round (losers eliminated, place fifth, split $3,600) - Arce/McPeak def. Bede/Behar, 15-4; Kirby/Reno def. Fontana/Hanley, 15-8. Olympic Crossing semi-finals - Arce/McPeak def. Blomquist/Ciarelli, 15-10; Kirby/Reno def. Chisholm/Richardson, 15- 11. Olympic Crossing consolation (winners place third, split $7,500; losers place fourth, split $5,100) - Blomquist/Ciarelli def. Chisholm/Richardson, 17-15. Olympic Crossing finals (winners place first, split $14,100; losers place second, split $10,500) - Arce/McPeak def. Kirby/Reno, 15-12.

RANK   TEAM (overall seed; q=qualifying seed)   W-L        POINTS        MONEY

 1st   Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak (4)               7-1            80      $14,100
 2nd   Karolyn Kirby/Nancy Reno (5)             7-2            72      $10,500
 3rd   Krista Blomquist\Cammy Ciarelli (12)     5-1            64       $7,500
 4th   Linda Chisholm\Deb Richardson (15)       4-2            56       $5,100
 5th   Shelda Bede\Adriana Behar (3)            3-2            48       $3,600
       Barbra Fontana\Linda Hanley (1)          3-2            48       $3,600
 7th   Danalee Bragado\Christine Schaefer (9)   3-2            40       $2,400
       Elaine Roque\Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (7)    3-2            40       $2,400
 9th   Wendy Fletcher\Ali Wood (11)             3-2            32       $1,650
       Sandra Pires\Jackie Silva (2)            3-2            32       $1,650
       Gail Castro\Gayle Stammer (8)            3-2            32       $1,650
       Karrie Poppinga\Angela Rock (6)          2-2            32       $1,650
13th   Marsha Miller\Darina Staneva (17)        2-2            24       $1,050
       Pat Keller\Marla O'Hara (10)             2-2            24       $1,050
       Mary Baily\Helen Reale (19)              2-2            24       $1,050
       Jennifer Meredith\Monique Oliver (20)    2-2            24       $1,050
17th   Nancy Mason\Leanne Schuster (14)         1-2            16
       Alicia Chung\Shana Wilson (25)           1-2            16
       Erin Deiters\Robin Enciso (28)           1-2            16
       Jackie Campbell\Charlotte Roach (13)     1-2            16
       Veronica Sanchez\Beth Schuler (16)       1-2            16
       Stephanie Cox\Valinda Hilleary (22)      1-2            16
       Lynda Johnson\Jeanne Reeves (23)         1-2            16
       Liz Pagano\Kristen Schritter (18)        1-2            16
25th   Carrie Busch\Julie Sprague (35/7q)       0-2             8
       Michal Clingman\Gina Pillitiere (24)     0-2             8
       Shaney Fink\Rhonda Kottke (21)           0-2             8
       Annette Davis\Jenny Johnson (40/12q)     0-2             8
       Erin Borske\Christine Federico (38/10q)  0-2             8
       Stacy Kammes\Amy Matthews (27)           0-2             8
       Anna Franca\Michelle Morse (26)          0-2             8
       Julie James\Jeanette Kollasch (29/1q)    0-2             8
       
       Totals                                   62-62          864       $60,000
       Qualifying Totals                        28-28           38       $     0

12TH/15TH-SEEDED TEAMS SCORE UPSET WINS TO ADVANCE

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. - Upsets of three of the top five seeded teams and the play of 12th and 15th-seeded teams highlighted play in the opening rounds of the $60,000 WPVA Miami Beach Open here Saturday (April 5).

The double-elimination Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour event concludes Sunday (April 6) with 12 teams competing in the final rounds starting at 8 a.m. The tournament final is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. as the final two teams play for the $14,100 first-place prize.

Fifteenth-seeded Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson and 12th-seeded Krista Blomquist and Cammy Ciarelli scored two upsets each enroute to berths in the championship bracket semi-finals at 9 a.m. (EDT) Sunday (April 6) on South Beach.

Chisholm and Richardson sent 1996 Atlanta Olympic Gold Medalists Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva of Brazil to the contender's bracket with a 15-12 win in the championship bracket second-round.

Richardson, who finished ninth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Gail Castro, and Chisholm then downed seventh-seeded Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop 15-10 to advance to the championship bracket semi-finals against third-seeded Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil.

Blomquist and Ciarelli, who face top-seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley at 9 a.m. Sunday, defeated fifth-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno 15-6 and third-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak 15- 8 to advance to Sunday's championship bracket semi-finals.

Pires and Silva, the No. 1 ranked team on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour from Brazil, held a 12-8 lead over Chisholm and Richardson before giving up the final seven points of the game in a 15-12 loss.

Sunday's play opens with 11th-seeded Wendy Fletcher and Ali Wood playing Arce and McPeak, Pires and Silva facing ninth-seeded Danalee Bragado and Christine Schaefer, eighth-seeded Gail Castro and Gayle Stammer challenging Roque and Shupryt-Knoop and Kirby and Reno meeting sixth-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock.

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., will be covering the WPVA Miami Beach Open event for distribution via the Prime/FOX Sports affiliates throughout the United States. The Evian Tour is the first of three-straight 1997 Florida tournaments for the WPVA. The other two events are the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open April 19-20 and the Cybergenics Open in Orlando May 9-11.

WPVA Miami Beach Open - Main Draw Results
Apr. 5 at South Beach, Miami Beach, Fla.

Championship bracket, first-round - Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (No. 1-seeded team) def. Carrie Busch, Hermosa Beach, Calif./Julie Sprague, Walnut Creek, Calif. (35), 15-2; Veronica Sanchez, Santa Monica, Calif./Beth Schuler, Southfield, Mich. (16) def. Marsha Miller, Henrietta, N. Y./Darena Staneva, Las Vegas, Nev. (17), 15-13; Danalee Bragado, Honolulu, Hi./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (9) def. Michal Clingman, Jet, Okla./Gina Pillitiere, Akron, Ohio (24), 15-2; Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (8) def. Alicia Chung, Santa Monica, Calif./Shana Wilson, Laguna Niguel, Calif. (25), 15-10; Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (5) def. Erin Deiters, Green Bay, Wisc./Robin Enciso, San Diego, Calif. (28), 15- 1; Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Cammy Ciarelli, Huntington Beach, Calif. (12) def. Shaney Fink, Los Angeles, Calif./Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn. (21), 15-2; Jennifer Meredith, Del Mar, Calif./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. (20) def. Jackie Campbell (Santa Barbara, Calif./Charlotte Roach (Santa Barbara, Calif. (13), 15-9; Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (4) def. Annette Davis, Tarzana, Calif./Jennifer Johnson, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (40), 15-11; Shelda Bede, Fortaleza, Brazil/Adriana Behar, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (3) def. Erin Borske, Orland Park, Ill./Christine Federico (38), Plainfield, Ill., 15-6; Nancy Mason (Belleville, Ill.)/Leanne Schuster (Mesa, Ariz. (14) def. Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Helen Reale, New York, N. Y. (19), 15-2; Wendy Fletcher, Redondo Beach, Calif./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (11) def. Stephanie Cox, Mission Viejo, Calif./Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo. (22) 15-8; Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Carlsbad, Calif. (6) def. Stacey Kammes, Winfield, Ill./Amy Matthews, Guonee, Ill. (27), 16-14: Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (7) def. Ana Franca, Los Angeles, Calif./Michelle Morse, Fort Rucker, Ala. (26), 15-10; Pat Keller, Sarasota, Fla./Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif. (10) def. Lynda Johnson (Gresham, Ore.)/Jeanne Reaves (San Diego, Calif. (23), 15-10; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (15) def. Liz Pagano, Seattle, Wash./Kristen Schritter (18), 15-9; Sandra Pires, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Jackie Silva, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2) def. Julie James, Houston, Tex./Jeanette Kollasch, Palatine, Ill. (29), 15-3.

Championship bracket, second-round - Fontana/Hanley def. Sanchez/Schuler, 15-1; Bagado/Schaefer def. Castro/Stammer, 15-11; Blomquist/Ciarelli def. Kirby/Reno, 15-6; Arce/McPeak def. Meredith/Oliver, 15-5; Bede/Behar def. Mason/Schuster, 15-12; Poppinga/Rock def. Fletcher/Wood, 15-11; Roque/Shupryt-Knoop def. Keller/O'Hara, 15-9; Chisholm/Richardson def. Pires/Silva, 15-12.

Contender's bracket, first-round (place 25th) - Miller/Staneva def. Busch/Sprague, 20-18; Chung/Wilson def. Clingman/Pillitiere, 15-9; Deiters/Enciso def. Fink/Kottke, 15-3; Campbell/Roach def. Davis/J. Johnson, 15-12; Baily/Reale def. Borske/Federico, 15-9; Cox/Hilleary def. Kames/Matthews, 15-2; L. Johnson/Reaves def. Franca/Morse, 15-3; Pagano/Schritter def. James/Kollasch, 15-7.

Contender's bracket, second-round (losers eliminated, place 17th); Miller/Staneva def. Mason/Schuster, 15-13; Fletcher/Wood def. Chung/Wilson, 15-7; Keller/O'Hara def. Deiters/Enciso, 15-6; Pires/Silva def. Campbell/Roach, 15-0; Sanchez/Schuler vs. Baily/Reale; Castro/Stammer def. Cox/Hilleary, 15-5; Kirby/Reno def. L. Johnson/Reaves, 15-2; Meredith/Oliver def. Pagano/Schritter, 15-8.

Contender's bracket, third-round (losers eliminated, place 13th, split $1,050) - Fletcher/Wood def. Miller/Staneva, 15-8; Pires/Silva def. Keller/O'Hara, 15-2; Castro/Stammer def. Baily/Reale, 15-10; Kirby/Reno def. Meredith/Oliver, 15-5.

Championship bracket, quarterfinals - Fontana/Hanley def. Bragado/Schaefer, 15-8; Blomquist/Ciarelli def. Arce/McPeak, 15-8; Bede/Behar def. Poppinga/Rock, 15-2; Chisholm/Richardson def. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop, 15-10.

Here's Sunday's schedule: Contender's Bracket, fourth-round (8 a.m., losers eliminated, place ninth, split $1,650) - Fletcher/Wood vs. Arce/McPeak; Pires/Silva vs. Bragado/Schaefer; Roque/Shupryt- Knoop vs. Castro/Stammer; Kirby/Reno vs. Poppinga/Rock. Championship Bracket, semi-finals (9 a.m., winner's advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals) - Fontana/Hanley vs. Blomquist/Ciarelli; vs. Bede/Behar vs. Chisholm/Richardson

WPVA Miami Beach Open Clinic - FRIDAY

4/2/97 - Angela Rock, the No. 3 all-time money winner in Evian Tour history ($235,331.50), will be the featured player as the WPVA stages a "free" beach volleyball clinic Friday (April 4) at 4 p.m. at South Beach (12th and Ocean Drive) in Miami Beach. Rock will be joined by Erin Deiters, Robin Enciso and Pat Keller for the skills clinic for both women and men players of all ages.

USA Florida Pro-Am Tour

4/2/97 - More than 120 men and women beach volleyball players will be competing this weekend in the first 1997 USA Florida Beach Volleyball Series event at South Beach (12th and Ocean Drive) in Miami Beach. The event will be held in conjunction with the WPVA Miami Beach Open with competition starting at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday (April 5-6). For more information, please telephone 305/932-3665.

45 Beach Volleyball Tandems Enter WPVA Miami Beach Open

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. - Led by top-seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley, 45 teams have entered this weekend's $60,000 WPVA Miami Beach Open as the Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour returns to the Gold Coast for the third-straight season.

The event will be the first of 14 stops on the 1997 Evian Tour as the Women's Professional Volleyball Association opens its 11th season of operation.

Five volleyball courts will be formed by the WPVA's Operations staff at South Beach (12th and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach) with 17 teams competing in Friday's qualifying rounds starting at 11 a.m. (EST). The qualifier, which will determine the final four seeds in the main draw, is the second-largest in WPVA history as 18 tandems competed in the 1995 Evian Tour event at Austin, Tex.

Brazilians Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games' gold medalists, will be seeded second in the WPVA Miami Beach Open when main draw competition opens Saturday (April 6) at 9 a.m. (EST).

The double-elimination tournament concludes Sunday (April 6) with 12 teams competing in the final rounds starting at 8 a.m. The tournament final is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. as the final two teams play for the $14,100 first-place prize.

Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil, the No. 2-ranked team on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour behind Pires and Silva, are seeded third in the Evian Tour opener followed the WPVA tandems of Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak, Karolyn Kirby/Nancy Reno and Karrie Poppinga/Angela Rock.

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., will be covering the WPVA Miami Beach Open event for distribution via the Prime/FOX Sports affiliates throughout the United States.

The Evian Tour is the first of three-straight 1997 Florida for the WPVA. The other two events are the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open April 19-20 and the Cybergenics Open in Orlando May 9-11.

Pires and Silva will be making their first WPVA tour appearance together at Miami Beach. The WPVA will also be making its first Miami Beach stop since 1989 when Silva teamed with Patty Dodd to win the July 1-2 event.

Pires and Silva won the second FIVB international event of the 1997 season by downing Bede and Behar 12-9 and 12-5 in the Melbourne, Australia finals March 16 as Arce and McPeak finished third by downing Poppinga and Rock 15-4.

Arce and McPeak lost the championship match in the 1997 international opener at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 16 by losing 12-5, 4-12 and 12-7 to 1996 Olympic silver medalists Adriana Rodrigues and Monica Samuel of Brazil. Arce and McPeak defeated Pires and Silva 17-15 in Rio to earn a spot in the finals.

Silva, who has won 11 international event titles with Pires, is no stranger to WPVA competition as she won 41 Evian Tour events over a six-season period (1987-92) with seven different partners. Silva posted 62 final four finishes in 72 WPVA events.

McPeak, the WPVA's most valuable player and top defender the past two seasons, earned $150,625 in 23 domestic and international events in 1996. Her $88,025 in WPVA earnings set a single-season mark.

McPeak, who finished fifth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Reno, won nine (five with current partner Lisa Arce) overall events with one second, seven thirds and three fourths.

Hanley, who was the Evian Tour's top hitter last season, teamed with Fontana to finish fourth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games after dropping the bronze medal match to Natalie Cook and Keri Pottharst of Australia 12-11 and 12-7.

The Fontana/Hanley tandem finished the 1996 season as the top- ranked Evian Tour team as the pair won four of 14 domestic events together with five seconds and four thirds.

Kirby, the Evian Tour's all-time leader in earnings ($418,424.13), event titles (58) and match wins (561), and Reno have captured seven events together, including four WPVA titles and three FIVB international crowns. Both players had off-season shoulder surgery.

Other award winners from last season returning in 1997 are Krista Blomquist (most improved), Lynda Johnson (rookie-of-the-year), Kirby (best setter), Reno (top blocker), Angela Rock (top server), Elaine Roque (sportwomanship) and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (most inspirational).

Twelve players with Florida ties will be competing in the WPVA Miami Beach Open, including Evian Tour veterans Shupryt-Knoop (former resident currently living in Southern California), Pat Keller (University of South Florida player) and Blomquist (former assistant coach at Florida Atlantic).

Luciana Louriero, who was the most valuable player on Miami Dade Community College's 1989 junior college volleyball championship team, led the nation in digs while playing for Florida International in 1993. Louriero will be making her Evian Tour debut this weekend.

Other players with Florida ties are Connie Armstrong (Ormond Beach), Barbara Bierman (Fort Lauderdale), Robin Kibben (Lake Worth), Bonnie Levin (Miami Beach), Maggie Philgence, Francie Rard (Naples), Jill Stephens (Fort Lauderdale) and Linda Street (Jupiter).

Bierman, who ranks 93rd on the Evian Tour's all-time earnings list, was a WPVA regular in 1994. Philgence was a record-setting volleyball player at Florida State before graduating in 1991. She competed in the 1991 Olympic Festival where she was on the gold medal South team.

WPVA Miami Beach Open - Provisional Seedings

Apr. 5-6 at South Beach, Miami Beach, Fla.

Barbra Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)/Linda Hanley (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) - 15th Evian Tour event, four Evian Tour titles, 60-19 match record together (Fontana/Hanley have competed in eight international events together with one title and a 27-17 match mark together, including a fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Fontana/Hanley won the 1996 USA Olympic Trials with a 2-0 match mark.).
Sandra Pires (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)/Jackie Silva (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - first (Pires/Silva have competed in 23 international events together with 11 titles and an 122-25 match mark together, including a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.).
Shelda Bede (Fortaleza, Brazil)/Adriana Behar (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - first (Bede/Behar have competed in 12 international events together with two titles and a 58-19 match mark).
Lisa Arce (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)/Holly McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) - 8th, four titles, 36-4 (Arce/McPeak have competed in five international events together with one title and a 27-9 match mark.).
Karolyn Kirby (Brookline, Mass.)/Nancy Reno (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) - 11th, four titles, 42-13 (Kirby/Reno have competed in four international events together with three titles and a 9-2 match mark.).
Karrie Poppinga (Mililani, Hi.)/Angela Rock (Carlsbad, Calif.) - first (Poppinga/Rock have competed in two international events together with a 9-5 match mark.).
Elaine Roque (Malibu, Calif.)/Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (Chicago, Ill.) - 16th, 52-32.
Gail Castro (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.)/Gayle Stammer (San Antonio, Tex.) - 4th, 10-7.
Danalee Bragado (Honolulu, Hi.)/Christine Schaefer (Florence, Ky.) - first (Bragado/Schaefer have competed in two international events together with a 7-4 match mark.).
Pat Keller (Sarasota, Fla.)/Marla O'Hara (Agoura Hills, Calif.) - first (Keller/O'Hara have competed in two international events together with a 3-4 match mark.).
Wendy Fletcher (Redondo Beach, Calif.)/Ali Wood (Redondo Beach, Calif.) - 4th, 6-6 (Fletcher/Wood have competed in one international event together with a 2-2 match mark.).
Krista Blomquist (Branford, Ct.)/Cammy Ciarelli (Huntington Beach, Calif.) - first.
Jackie Campbell (Santa Barbara, Calif.)/Charlotte Roach (Santa Barbara, Calif.) - 30th, 75-55.
Nancy Mason (Belleville, Ill.)/Leanne Schuster (Mesa, Ariz.) - 3rd, 5-4.
Linda Chisholm (Van Nuys, Calif.)/Deb Richardson (Minneapolis, Minn.) - first.
Veronica Sanchez (Santa Monica, Calif.)/Beth Schuler (Southfield, Mich.) - first.
Marsha Miller (Henrietta, N. Y.)/Dorena Staneva (Las Vegas, Nev.) - 10th, 11-18.
Liz Pagano (Seattle, Wash.)/Kristen Schritter (Omaha, Neb.) - first.
Mary Baily (Calabasas, Calif.)/Helen Reale (New York, N. Y.) - first.
Jennifer Meredith (Del Mar, Calif.)/Monique Oliver (Santa Monica, Calif.) - 2nd, 1-1 (Meredith/Oliver have competed in one international event together with an 1-2 match mark.).
Shaney Fink (Los Angeles, Calif.)/Rhonda Kottke (Minneapolis, Minn.) - first.
Stephanie Cox (Mission Viejo, Calif.)/Valinda Hilleary (Littleton, Colo.) - first.
Lynda Johnson (Gresham, Ore.)/Jeanne Reaves (San Diego, Calif.) - first.
Michal Clingman (Jet, Okla.)/Gina Pillitiere (Akron, Ohio) - first.
Alicia Chung (Santa Monica, Calif.)/Shana Wilson (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) - 9th, 7-16.
Ana Franca (Los Angeles, Calif.)/Michelle Morse (Fort Rucker, Ala.) - first.
Stacey Kammes (Winfield, Ill.)/Amy Matthews (Guonee, Ill.) - 11th, 2-20.
Erin Deiters (Green Bay, Wisc.)/Robin Enciso (San Diego, Calif.) - first.
Julie James (Houston, Tex.)/Jeanette Kollasch (Palatine, Ill.) - 4th, 1-6.
Jackie Auzies de Turenne (Apex, N. C.)/Becky Sibley (Raleigh, N. C.) - 2nd, 0-2.
Barbara Belding (San Francisco, Calif.)/Linda Street (Jupiter, Fla.) - first.
Maggie Philgence (St. Lucia Castries, V. I.)/Lori Ruser (Ogallaga, Neb.) - first.
Shannon Misek (Denver, Colo.)/Carrie Romer (Arvada, Colo.) - first.
Wendy Martin (Antioch, Tenn.)/Teri Van Dyke (Nashville, Tenn.) - 6th, 0-6.
Carrie Busch (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)/Julie Sprague (Walnut Creek, Calif.) - first.
Deanna Johnson (San Diego, Calif.)/Kristine Middeler (Columbus, Ohio) - first.
Jennifer Marzahl (Houston, Tex.)/Samantha Meador (Edmond, Okla.) - first.
Erin Borske (Orland Park, Ill.)/Christine Federico (Plainfield, Ill.) - 2nd, 1-2.
Connie Armstrong (Ormond Beach, Fla.)/Kathy Ross (Carlsbad, Calif.) - first.
Annette Davis (Tarzana, Calif.)/Jenny Johnson (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) - first.
Bonnie Levin (Miami Beach, Fla.)/Luciana Louriero (Miami, Fla.) - first.
Vicki Bonino (Tow Rivers, Wisc.)/Sandy Matthes (St. Louis, Mo.) - 2nd, 0-2.
Nenette Banzon (New York, N. Y.)/Jane Linn (New York, N. Y.) - first.
Robin Kibben (Lake Worth, Fla.)/Jill Stephens (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - first.
Barbara Bierman (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)/Francie Rard (Naples, Fla.) - first.

Evian Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Opens This Weekend In Miami Beach

The Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour opens the 1997 domestic campaign this weekend (April 4-6) when the top teams from the United States host the top two teams from Brazil on South Beach in Miami Beach, Fla.

Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games' gold medalists, head the list of entries when competition opens Saturday (April 6) at 9 a.m. (EST) with the 32-team main draw.

Five volleyball courts will be formed by the WPVA's Operations staff at South Beach (12th and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach) with qualifying rounds to determine the final four seeds in the main draw set for 1 p.m. Friday (April 4).

The double-elimination tournament concludes Sunday (April 6) with 12 teams competing in the final rounds starting at 8 a.m. The tournament final is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

The Miami Beach event, the first of 14 stops on the 1997 Evian Tour, will also feature the Brazilian tandem of Shelda Bede/Adriana Behar along with top WPVA teams of Barbra Fontana/Linda Hanley and Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak.

Pires and Silva will be making their first WPVA tour appearance together at the Miami Beach. The WPVA will also be making its first Miami Beach stop since 1989 when Silva teamed with Patty Dodd to win the July 1-2 event.

Pires and Silva are currently ranked No. 1 on the FIVB's Beach Volleyball World Championship-Series tour with the Bede/Behar and Arce/McPeak tandems second and fifth, respectively.

Pires and Silva won the second FIVB event of the 1997 season by downing Bede and Behar 12-9 and 12-5 in the Melbourne, Australia finals March 16 as Arce and McPeak finished third by downing WPVA rivals Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock 15-4.

Arce and McPeak lost the championship match in the 1997 international opener at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 16 by losing 12-5, 4-12 and 12-7 to Adriana Rodrigues and Monica Samuel of Brazil. Arce and McPeak defeated Pires and Silva 17-15 in Rio to earn a spot in the finals.

Silva, who has won 10 international event titles with Pires, is no stranger to the WPVA tour as she won 41 Evian Tour events over a six-season period (1987-92) with seven different partners. Silva posted 62 final four finishes in 72 WPVA events.

McPeak, the WPVA's most valuable player and top defender the past two seasons, earned $150,625 in 23 domestic and international events in 1996. Her $88,025 in WPVA earnings set a single-season mark.

McPeak, who finished fifth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Nancy Reno, won nine (five with current partner Lisa Arce) overall events with one second, seven thirds and three fourths.

The Fontana/Hanley tandem finished the 1996 season as the top- ranked Evian Tour team as the pair won four of 14 domestic events together with five seconds and four thirds.

Other award winners from last season returning in 1997 are Krista Blomquist (most improved), Lynda Johnson (rookie-of-the-year), Karolyn Kirby (best setter), Reno (top blocker), Angela Rock (top server), Elaine Roque (sportwomanship) and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (most inspirational).

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., will be covering the Miami Beach event for distribution via the Prime/FOX Sports affiliates throughout the United States. Evian Natural Spring Water (Great Brands of Europe, Putnam, Conn.) is starting its second season as the tour sponsor.

The Evian Tour will return to Florida for two more events, including the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open April 19-20 and the Cybergenics Open in Orlando May 9-11.