WPVA - Irving, Texas - June 13-15, 1997

June 13-15, 1997
Irving, Texas
Mustang Beach at Las Colinas

SUNDAY JUNE 15TH

ARCE/MCPEAK CAPTURE THIRD-STRAIGHT EVIAN TOUR EVENT, EXTEND MATCH STREAK TO 18

IRVING, TEX. - Top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak captured their third-straight Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour title here Sunday (June 15) by downing second-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno 15-13 in the title match.

Arce and McPeak shared the $11,000 first-place prize in the $50,000 Evian Open on Mustang Beach in Las Colinas as the pair extended their winning streak to 18-straight matches.

Winners of eight of the last 10 events on the Evian Tour, Arce and McPeak have now won 10 professional beach volleyball titles. The win over Kirby and Reno was the second in a title match this season as Arce and McPeak posted a 15-12 win over the Kirby/Reno tandem in Miami Beach, Fla., April 6.

The 59-minute title match featured 59 side-outs, eight ties and five lead changes as Arce and McPeak won the title on their fifth- match point as Reno's attempt to hit over the net on two failed.

The biggest lead by either team was three in the match at 12-9 for Arce and McPeak as Reno and Kirby tied the match at 12-12. With Arce and McPeak leading 13-12, Reno's dink attempt on two went into the net to make it 14-12

Kirby and Reno, who shared $8,100 for second-place, advanced to the championship match with a 15-8 win over 17th-seeded Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs. A member of the 1996 United States National Team that competed in the Atlanta Olympic Games, Youngs was playing in her first pro beach doubles event.

Arce and McPeak advanced to the finals with a 15-4 win over third- seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley, who finished fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Masakayan and Youngs shared $5,700 by defeating Fontana and Hanley 15-12 in the third-place match. Fontana and Hanley, who split $4,100 for fourth, had finished second to Arce and McPeak in the last two Evian Tour stops in Austin, Tex. (May 18) and San Diego, Calif. (June 1).

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., taped the Evian Open for distribution via FOX Sports, which will air the final two matches the week of June 15 on its various regional outlets.

Here's Sunday's (June 15) results from the $50,000 Evian Open, the sixth stop on the 1997 Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. The event is being played on Mustang Beach at Las Colinas in Irving, Tex. (seed).

Contender's Bracket, fourth round (losers eliminated, place ninth, split $1,525) - Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (3) def. Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (5), 15-9; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (8) def. Pat Keller, Sarasota, Fla./Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif. (10), 15-6; Liz Masakayan, San Diego, Calif./Elaine Youngs, El Toro, Calif. (17) def. Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (7), 15-5; Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. (14) def. Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn./Darina Staneva, Las Vegas, Nev. (21), 15-9. Championship bracket, semi-finals (winners advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals) - Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (1) def. Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Leucadia, Calif. (4), 15-6; Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (2) def. Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (6), 15-10. Contender's bracket, fifth-round (losers eliminated, place 7th, split $2,375) - Fontana/Hanley def. Chisholm/Richardson, 15-6; Masakayan/Youngs def. Hilleary/Oliver, 15-5; Contender's bracket, sixth-round (winners advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals, place 5th, split $3,000) - Fontana/Hanley def. Blomquist/Schaefer, 15-3; Masakayan/Youngs def. Poppinga/Rock, 15-13; Olympic Crossing semi-finals - Arce/McPeak def. Fontana/Hanley, 15-4; Kirby/Reno def. Masakayan/Youngs, 15-8; Olympic Crossing consolation (winners place 3rd, split $5,700; losers place 4th; split $4,100) - Masakayan/Youngs def. Fontana/Hanley, 15-12; Olympic Crossing championship (winners place 1st, split $11,000; losers place 2nd, split $8,100) - Arce/McPeak def. Kirby/Reno, 15-13.

                                        TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
RANK  TEAM (overall seed; q=qualifying seed)               W-L     POINTS
      MONEY
 1st  Lisa Arce\Holly McPeak (1)                           6-0       80
    $11,000
 2nd  Karolyn Kirby/Nancy Reno (2)                         5-1       72
     $8,100
 3rd  Liz Masakayan\Elaine Youngs (17)                     7-2       64
     $5,700
 4th  Barbra Fontana\Linda Hanley (3)                      6-3       56
     $4,100
 5th  Krista Blomquist\Christine Schaefer (6)              3-2       48
     $3,000
      Karrie Poppinga\Angela Rock (4)                      3-2       48
     $3,000
 7th  Linda Chisholm\Deb Richardson (8)                    3-2       40
     $2,375
      Valinda Hilleary\Monique Oliver (14)                 3-2       40
     $2,375
 9th  Elaine Roque\Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (5)                2-2       32
     $1,575
      Pat Keller\Marla O'Hara (10)                         3-2       32
     $1,575
      Gail Castro\Gayle Stammer (7)                        2-2       32
     $1,575
      Rhonda Kottke\Darina Staneva (21)                    3-2       32
     $1,575
13th  Jennifer Meredith\Leanne Schuster (11)               2-2       24
     $1,013
      Alicia Chung\Beth Schuler (15)                       2-2       24
     $1,013
      Danalee Bragado\Ali Wood (9)                         2-2       24
     $1,013
      Jackie Campbell\Charlotte Roach (13)                 2-2       24
     $1,013
17th  Wendy Fletcher\Nancy Mason (16)                      1-2       16
      Stacy Kammes\Michelle Morse (25)                     1-2       16
      Lynda Johnson\Jeanne Reeves (12)                     1-2       16
      Julie James\Jeanette Kollasch (20)                   1-2       16
      Laurie Ruser\Lynda Street (29, 1)                    1-2       16
      Evelyn Conley\Liz Pagano (22)                        1-2       16
      Carrie Busch\Julie Sprague (26)                      1-2       16
      Mary Baily\Helen Reale (18)                          1-2       16
25th  Shannon Misek\Carrie Romer (30, 2)                   0-2        8
      Erin Deiters\Amy Peistrup-Matthews (24)              0-2        8
      Deanne Johnson\Gracie Santana (28)                   0-2        8
      Kim Keim\Cory Williams (34, 6)                       0-2        8
      Shaney Fink\Marsha Miller (19)                       0-2        8
      Valerie Duringer\Jennifer Marzahl (27)               0-2        8
      Anna Franca\Kristen Schritter (23)                   0-2        8
      Kim Blankinship\Suzanne Radcliffe (33, 5)            0-2        8

SATURDAY, JUNE 14TH

BLOMQUIST/SCHAEFER SURPRISED SEMI-FINALISTS IN EVIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL EVENT

IRVING, TEX. - Krista Blomquist and Christine Schaefer used a some "good" luck and a quarter-final win here Saturday (June 14) to advance to the semi-finals of the championship bracket in the Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour event on Mustang Beach in Las Colinas.

Seeded sixth in the $50,000 Evian Open, Blomquist and Schaefer downed 14th-seeded Valinda Hilleary and Monique Oliver 15-5 to advance to a semi-final meeting at 9 a.m. Sunday against second- seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno.

The "good" for the Blomquist/Schaefer tandem was an earlier 16-14 upset win by Hilleary and Oliver over third-seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley. It was the third "biggest" upset on the Evian Tour this season as Hilleary and Oliver withstood a late rally by Fontana and Hanley after leading 13-6 in the match.

The $50,000 Evian Open continues through Sunday as 12 teams advance to the final day of competition starting at 8 a.m. The Olympic Crossing semi-finals are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday with the final two teams battling at approximately 3 p.m. for the $11,000 first-place prize.

Top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak, who have won 28 of their last 29 Evian Tour matches, scored their 15th-straight win by downing eighth-seeded Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson 15-10 to advance to Sunday's championship bracket semi-final against fourth- seeded Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock.

Ranked third internationally on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Arce and McPeak are seeking their third-straight title this season and fifth overall. The pair had previously won Evian Tour stops in Miami Beach, Fla., Deerfield Beach, Fla., Austin, Tex. and San Diego, Calif.

Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno, who won the other Evian Tour stop in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. in May, won a 15-11 quarter-final match Saturday over seventh-seeded Gail Castro and Gayle Stammer. The Kirby/Reno tandem faces Blomquist and Schaefer in Sunday's morning's other championship bracket semi-final match.

In Sunday's opening matches, Fontana/Hanley face fifth-seeded Elaine Roque/Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, 10th-seeded Pat Keller/Marla O'Hara challenge Chisholm/Richardson, 17th-seeded Liz Masakayan/Elaine Youngs play Castro/Stamer and 21st-seeded Rhonda Kottke/Darina Staneva play Hilleary/Oliver.

Here's Saturday's (June 14) results and schedule from the $50,000 Evian Open, the sixth stop on the 1997 Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. The event is being played on Mustang Beach at Las Colinas in Irving, Tex. (seed, all times approximate).

Championship bracket, second-round - Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (1) def. Liz Masakayan, San Diego, Calif./Elaine Youngs, El Toro, Calif. (17), 15-6; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (8) def. Danalee Bragado, Honolulu, Hi./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (9), 15-11; Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (5) def. Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn./Darina Staneva, Las Vegas, Nev. (21), 15-5; Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Leucadia, Calif. (4) def. Jackie Campbell, Santa Barbara, Calif./Charlotte Roach, Santa Barbara, Calif. (13), 15-5; Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. (14) def. Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (3), 16-14; Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (6) def. Jennifer Meredith, Del Mar, Calif./Leanne Schuster, Mesa, Ariz. (11), 15-12; Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (7) def. Pat Keller, Sarasota, Fla./Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif. (10), 15-13; Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (2) def. Alicia Chung, Capitola, Calif./Beth Schuler, Grosse Point, Mich. (15), 15- 3.

Contender's bracket, first-round (losers eliminated, place 25th) - Wendy Fletcher, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill. (16) def. Shannon Misek, Denver, Colo./Carrie Romer, Arvada, Colo. (30), 15-6; Stacey Kammes, Winfield, Ill./Michelle Morse, Central Point, Ore. (25) def. Erin Deiters, Green Bay, Wisc./Amy Matthews, Gurnee, Ill. (24), 15-8; Lynda Johnson, Gresham, Ore./ Jeanne Reeves, San Diego, Calif. (12) def. Deanne Johnson, San Diego, Calif./Gracie Santana, San Diego, Calif. (28), 15-5; Julie James, Houston, Tex./Jeanette Kollasch, Palatine, Ill. (20) def. Kim Keim, Houston, Tex./Cory Williams, Hillsboro, Tex. (35), 15-10; Laurie Ruser, Ogallala, Neb./ Lynda Street, Jupiter, Fla. (29) def. Shaney Fink, Los Angeles, Calif./Marsha Miller, Henrietta, N. Y. (19), 15-11; Evelyn Conley, Playa del Rey, Calif./Liz Pagano, Seattle, Wash. (22) def. Valerie Duringer, Redondo Beach, Calif./Jennifer Marzahl, Newport Beach, Calif. (27), 15-7; Carrie Busch, Milwaukee, Wisc./Julie Sprague, Walnut Creek, Calif. (26) def. Ana Franca, Los Angeles, Calif./Kristen Schritter, Omaha, Neb. (23), 15-0; Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Helen Reale, New York, N. Y. (18) def. Kim Blankinship, Torrance, Calif./Suzanne Radcliffe, Torrance, Calif. (33), 15-6.

Contender's bracket, second-round (losers eliminated, place 17th); Fontana/Hanley def. Fletcher/Mason, 15-4; Meredity/Schuster def. Kammes/Morse, 15-8; Keller/O'Hara def. L. Johnson/Reeves, 17-15; Chung/Schuler def. James/Kollasch, 16-14; Maskayan/Youngs def. Ruser/Street, 15-7; Bragado/Wood def. Conley/Pagano, 15-9; Kottke/Staneva def. Busch/Sprague, 15-19; Campbell/Roach def. Baily/Reale, 15-12. Championship bracket, quarter-finals - Arce/McPeak def. Chisholm/Richardson, 15-10; Poppinga/Rock def. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop, 15-7; Blomquist/Schaefer def. Hilleary/Oliver, 15-5; Kirby/Reno def. Castro/Stammer, 15-11. Contender's bracket, third-round (losers eliminated, place 13th, split $1,012,50) - Fontana/Hanley def. Meredith/Schuster, 15-7; Keller/O'Hara def. Chung/Schuler, 15-2; Maskayan/Youngs def. Bragado/Wood, 15-7; Kottke/Staneva def. Campbell/Roach, 15-12.

Here's Sunday's schedule: Contender's bracket, fourth-round (8 a.m., losers eliminated, place 9th, split $1,575) - Fontana/Hanley vs. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop; Keller/O'Hara vs. Chisholm/Richardson; Masakayan/Youngs vs. Castro/Stammer; Kottke/Staneva vs. Hilleary/Oliver; Championship bracket, semi-finals ( 9 a.m., winners advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals) - Arce/McPeak vs. Poppinga/Rock; Blomquist/Schaefer vs. Kirby/Reno; Contender's bracket, fifth-round (9:30 a.m., losers eliminated, place 7th, split $2,375); Contender's bracket, sixth-round (10:30 a.m., winners advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals, place 5th, split $3,000); Olympic Crossing semi-finals (11:30 a.m.); Olympic Crossing consolation (winners place 3rd, split $5,700; losers place 4th; split $4,100); Olympic Crossing championship (winners place 1st, split $11,000; losers place 2nd, split $8,100).

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

UPSETS HIGHLIGHT OPENING OF EVIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL EVENT

IRVING, TEX. - Rhonda Kottke and Darina Staneva scored the biggest upset of Friday's (June 13) opening rounds of the Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour event on Mustang Beach in Las Colinas.

Seeded 21st in the competition, Kottke and Staneva scored a 15-13 seed break-through over 12th-seeded Lynda Johnson and Jeanne Reeves to advance to a Saturday morning meeting against fifth-seeded Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop at 9 a.m. (CDT).

The $50,000 Evian Open continues through Sunday when 12 teams advance to the final day of competition starting at 8 a.m. The Olympic Crossing semi-finals are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday with the final two teams battling at approximately 3 p.m. for the $11,000 first-place prize.

Top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak, who have won 26 of their last 27 Evian Tour matches, scored their 13th-straight win by downing 30th-seeded Shannon Misek and Carrie Romer 15-1 to advance to Saturday's first match against 17th-seeded Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs. Youngs, a former UCLA All-American, is playing in her first Evian Tour event since returning to the United States after competing on the indoor circuit in Europe. She teamed with Masakayan to score Friday's first upset with a 15-9 win over 16th-seeded Wendy Fletcher and Nancy Mason.

Ranked third internationally on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Arce and McPeak are seeking their third-straight title this season and fifth overall. The pair had previously won Evian Tour stops in Miami Beach, Fla., Deerfield Beach, Fla., Austin, Tex. and San Diego, Calif.

Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno, who won the other Evian Tour stop in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. in May, won their first match Friday by downing 33rd-seeded Kim Blankinship and Suzanne Radcliffe 15-5. Olympians Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley were a 15-2 winner over 29th-seeded Laurie Ruser and Lynda Street.

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., will be taping the Evian Open for distribution via FOX Sports. Drew Goodman of Denver, Colo., and Maria Barnes of Irvine, Calif., will provide the commentary. The event will be aired the week of June 15.

Here's Friday's (June 13) results from the $50,000 Evian Open, the sixth stop on the 1997 Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. The event is being played on Mustang Beach at Las Colinas in Irving, Tex. (seed, all times approximate).

Qualifying first-round - Kim Blankinship, Torrance, Calif./Suzanne Radcliffe, Torrance, Calif. (33) def. Jackie Auzias de Turenne, Apex, N. C./Becky Sibley, Raleigh, N. C. (32), 17-15; Kim Keim, Houston, Tex./Cory Williams, Hillsboro, Tex. (35) def. Lucy Han, Santa Monica, Calif./Tiffany Jestadt, Paradise Valley, Ariz. (31), 15-10. Qualifying second-round (winners advance to main draw) - Laurie Ruser, Ogallala, Neb./Lynda Street, Jupiter, Fla. (29) def. Blankinship/Radcliffe, 15-10; Keim/Williams def. Shannon Misek, Denver, Colo./Carrie Romer, Arvada, Colo. (30), 15-9. Qualifying third-round (winners advance to main draw; losers eliminated, place 33rd) - Misek/Romer def. Auzias de Turenne/Sibley, 15-11; Blankinship/Radcliffe def. Han/Jestadt, 15-11.

Championship bracket, first-round - Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (1) def. Misek/Romer, 15-1; Liz Masakayan, San Diego, Calif./Elaine Youngs, El Toro, Calif. (17) def. Wendy Fletcher, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill. (16), 15-9; Danalee Bragado, Honolulu, Hi./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (9) def. Erin Deiters, Green Bay, Wisc./Amy Matthews, Gurnee, Ill. (24), 15-11; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (8) def. Stacey Kammes, Winfield, Ill./Michelle Morse, Central Point, Ore. (25), 15-8; Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (5) def. Deanna Johnson, San Diego, Calif./Gracie Santana, San Diego, Calif. (28), 15-9; Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn./Darina Staneva, Las Vegas, Nev. (21) def. Lynda Johnson, Gresham, Ore./Jeanne Reeves, San Diego, Calif. (12), 15-13; Jackie Campbell, Santa Barbara, Calif./Charlotte Roach, Santa Barbara, Calif. (13) def. Julie James, Houston, Tex./Jeanette Kollasch, Palatine, Ill. (20), 15-12; Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Leucadia, Calif. (4) def. Keim/Williams, 15-2; Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (3) def. Ruser/Street, 15-2; Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. (14) def. Shaney Fink, Los Angeles, Calif./Marsha Miller, Henrietta, N. Y. (19), 15-10; Jennifer Meredith, Del Mar, Calif./Leanne Schuster, Mesa, Ariz. (11) def. Evelyn Conley, Playa del Rey, Calif./Liz Pagano, Seattle, Wash. (22), 15-10; Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (6) def. Val Duringer, Redondo Beach, Calif./Jennifer Marzahl, Newport Beach, Calif. (27), 1-5; Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (7) def. Carrie Busch, Milwaukee, Wisc./Julie Sprague, Walnut Creek, Calif. (26), 15-12; Pat Keller, Sarasota, Fla./Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif. (10) def. Ana Franca, Los Angeles, Calif./Kristen Schritter, Omaha, Neb. (23), 15-13; Alicia Chung, Capitola, Calif./Beth Schuler, Grosse Point, Mich. (15) def. Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Helen Reale, New York, N. Y. (18), 15-11; Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (2) def. Blankinship/Radcliffe, 15-5.

PRE-EVENT

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. - The Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour returns to the Metroplex June 13-15 for the $50,000 Evian Open on Mustang Beach at Las Colinas in Irving, Tex.

Sanctioned by the Women's Professional Volleyball Association, the Evian Open held its first Metroplex event in 1995 on Mustang Beach at Las Colinas when Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan upset 1996 Olympians Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno 15-13 in the finals.

The three-day Evian Open is a "modified" double-elimination event. Depending on the number of entries, a qualifying session is scheduled for 8 a.m. (CDT) June 13 on Mustang Beach at Las Colinas to determine the final four seeded tandems in the 32-team main draw.

Championship competition starts at 1 p.m. June 13 and 9 a.m. June 14. Twelve (12) teams advance to competition June 15 starting at 8 a.m. The final four starts at 11:30 a.m. June 15 with the tournament finale set for 3 p.m.

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., will be taping the Evian Open for distribution via FOX Sports and its regional outlets. The event will be aired the week of June 15. For more information on the Evian Tour, please telephone 1-800-393-WPVA.

Tickets for the Evian Open on Mustang Beach in Las Colinas are now on sale through Ticketmaster (214/373-8000 or 972/647-5700). There is no admission charge for June 13's qualifying and opening championship bracket competition.

A general admission ticket for both June 14 and June 15 costs $10. A two-day reserved courtside seating pass is $30 (includes WPVA Beach Survival Kit - event tee-shirt, visor, hair care, souvenir program, Evian water, local sponsor item).

Reserved courtside seating is $15 for June 14 and $20 for June 15 (includes souvenir program and Evian water). Walk-up general admission is $5 for June 14 and $8 for June 15.