WPVA Atlantic City, New Jersey June 21-22, 1997
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. - Second-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno jumped to a quick 9-3 lead enroute to a 15-11 win over top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak to capture the $50,000 Evian Open presented by the Atlantic City Hilton here Sunday (June 22).
The win was the sixth Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour title for the Kirby/Reno tandem as Arce and McPeak saw their three-event, 22-match winning streak end on the beachfront at the Atlantic City Hilton.
ABC Sports, which is covering six Women's Professional Volleyball Association events this summer, taped the championship match for replay June 28 at 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Kirby and Reno shared the $11,000 first-place prize while Arce and McPeak split $8,100 for second. The all-time series between the two teams is tied 3-3 as Arce and McPeak had defeated Sunday's winners in 1997 championship matches at Miami Beach, Fla. (April 6, 15-12) and Irving, Tex. (June 15, 15-13). The win also marked Kirby and Reno's second Atlantic City title as the pair won here in 1992 in their first first event together. Kirby has now won 60 Evian Tour titles and 66 overall as a professional while Reno netted her 34th pro title and 19 on the domestic circuit.
The 46-minute title match featured 44 side-outs, two ties and two lead changes as Kirby and Reno won the title on their fifth-match point on a Kirby dig and kill.
Kirby and Reno, who won the Cybergenics Open earlier this season at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., advanced to the championship match with a 15-11 win over seventh-seeded Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson. Arce and McPeak advanced to the finals with a 15-9 win over third- seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley, who finished fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Fontana and Hanley shared $5,700 by defeating Chisholm and
Richardson 15-11 in the third-place match. Chisholm and Richardson
split $4,100 for fourth as they advanced to the final rounds by
eliminating fourth-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock 15-10.
Championship bracket, semi-finals (winners advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals) - Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (No. 1-seeded team) def. Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Leucadia, Calif. (4), 15-11; Karolyn Kirby Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (2) def. Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (3), 15-5.
Contender's bracket, fourth-round (losers eliminated, place 9th, split $1,575) - Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (5) def. Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (6), 15-13; Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (8) def. Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif./Alie Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (10), 15-11; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (7) def. Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill./Michelle Morse, Central Point, Ore. (22), 15-1; Jennifer Meredith, Del Mar, Calif./Leanne Schuster, Mesa, Ariz. (11) def. Lynda Johnson, Gresham, Ore./Jeanne Reeves, San Diego, Calif. (12), 15-4. Contender's bracket, fifth- round (losers eliminated, place 7th, split $2,375) - Roque/Shupryt- Knoop def. Castro/Stammer, 15-13; Chisholm/Richardson def. Meredith/Schuster, 15-4. Contender's bracket, sixth-round (winners advance to Olympic Crossing semi-finals, place 5th, split $3,000) - Fontana/Hanley def. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop, 15-2; Chisholm/Richardson def. Poppinga/Rock, 15-10.
Olympic Crossing semi-finals - Arce/McPeak def. Fontana/Hanley, 15-
9; Kirby/Reno def. Chisholm/Richardson, 15-11. Olympic Crossing
consolation (winners place 3rd, split $5,700; losers place 4th;
split $4,100) - Fontana/Hanley def. Chisholm/Richardson, 15-11.
Olympic Crossing championship (winners place 1st, split $11,000;
losers place 2nd, split $8,100) - vs. Kirby/Reno def. Arce/McPeak,
15-11.
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. - The top four seeded teams won as expected here Saturday (June 21) as 12 teams remain in contention for the $11,000 first-place prize in the Evian Open on the beachfront at the Atlantic City Hilton.
Competition resumes Sunday at 8 a.m. (EDT) with four matches in the contender's bracket fourth round followed by the two championship bracket semi-final matches at 9 a.m. pitting the top four seeded teams of Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak, Karolyn Kirby/Nancy Reno, Barbra Fontana/Linda Hanley and Karrie Poppinga/Angela Rock.
The Evian Open semi-finals are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday followed by the third-place match at approximately 1:30 p.m. The final two teams battle for the title on the Atlantic City Hilton center court at approximately 3 p.m.
ABC Sports, which is covering six Women's Professional Volleyball Association events this summer, will tape the championship match for replay June 28 at 3:30-4:30 p.m. Terry Gannon of Santa Monica, Calif., and Maria Barnes of Irvine, Calif., will call the action.
The seventh of 14 events on the Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the $50,000 Evian Open is part of Beachfest '97, a three-day event that started Friday and kicks off the summer season in Atlantic City.
Beachfest '97, the largest, free entertainment festival on the Eastern seaboard, features non-stop activities with free entertainment and the international "Sandtennial" Master Showcase & Birthday Celebration.
Arce and McPeak, who will be seeking to become the first team to win four-straight WPVA titles together since the McPeak/Nancy Reno team won four-straight crowns at the end of 1995, have now won their last 20 matches with their last defeat being a 16-14 decision May 11 to Kirby and Reno.
The third-ranked team on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Arce and McPeak downed 16th-seeded Rhonda Kottke and Darina Staneva (15- 5) and eighth-seeded Gail Castro and Gayle Stammer 15-10 to advance to their first match Sunday against the fourth-seeded Poppinga/Rock tandem.
Poppinga and Rock, who scored a 15-12 win over fifth-seeded Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop to advance to Sunday's rounds, also won two matches Saturday as did the Kirby/Reno and Fontana/Hanley tandems.
Second-seeded Kirby and Reno will face third-seeded Fontana and Hanley in the other championship semi-final match. Kirby and Reno scored a 15-3 win over seventh-seeded Deb Richardson and Linda Chisholm to advance while Fontana and Hanley posted a 15-6 win over 11th-seeded Jennifer Meredith and Leanne Schuster.
In Sunday's opening matches, sixth-seeded Krista Blomquist and Christine Schaefer challenge Roque and Shupryt-Knoop, 10th-seeded Marla O'Hara and Ali Wood face Castro and Stammer, 22nd-seeded Nancy Mason and Michelle Morse play Chisholm and Richardson, and 12th-seeded Lynda Johnson and Jeanne Reeves take on Meredith and Schuster.
With a ninth-place guaranteed, Morse has posted her best finish-
ever on the Evian Tour while Mason tied her best placement. The
pair advanced with a 15-8 win over Kottke and Staneva.
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. - Here are Saturday's (June 21) results from the Evian Open presented by the Atlantic City Hilton on the beachfront courts at the Atlantic City Hilton.
Championship bracket, first-round - Rhonda Kottke, Minneapolis, Minn./Darina Staneva, Las Vegas, Nev. (16th-seeded team) def. Mary Baily, Calabasas, Calif./Helen Reale, New York, N. Y. (17), 16-14; Stacey Kammes, Winfield, Ill./Shana Wilson, Los Angeles, Calif. (24) def, Danalee Bragado, Honolulu, Hi./Pat Keller, Sarasota, Fla. (9), 15-11; Gail Castro, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif./Gayle Stammer, San Antonio, Tex. (8) def. Shaney Fink, Los Angeles, Calif./Julie Sprague, Walnut Creek, Calif. (25), 15-5; Elaine Roque, Malibu, Calif./Dennie Shupryt-Knoop, Chicago, Ill. (5) def. Nenette Banzon, New York, N. Y./Jane Linn, New York, N. Y. (28), 15-4; Lynda Johnson, Gresham, Ore./Jeanne Reeves, San Diego, Calif. (12) def. Ana Franca, Los Angeles, Calif./Marsha Miller, Henrietta, N. Y. (21), 15-9; Valinda Hilleary, Littleton, Colo./Monique Oliver, Santa Monica, Calif. (13) def. Evelyn Conley, Playa del Rey, Calif./Liz Pagano, Seattle, Wash. (20), 15-8; Julie James, Houston, Tex./Jeanette Kollasch, Palatine, Ill. (19) def. Jackie Campbell, Santa Barbara, Calif./Charlotte Roach, Santa Barbara, Calif. (14), 15-10; Jennifer Meredith, Del Mar, Calif./Leanne Schuster, Mesa, Ariz. (11) def. Nancy Mason, Belleville, Ill./Michelle Morse, Central Point, Ore. (22), 15-9; Krista Blomquist, Branford, Ct./Christine Schaefer, Florence, Ky. (6) def. Shannon Misek, Denver, Colo./Carrie Romer, Arvada, Colo. (27), 15-2; Linda Chisholm, Van Nuys, Calif./Deb Richardson, Minneapolis, Minn. (7) def. Deanna Johnson, San Diego, Calif./Gracie Santana, San Diego, Calif. (26), 15-9; Marla O'Hara, Agoura Hills, Calif./Ali Wood, Redondo Beach, Calif. (10) def. Erin Deiters, Green Bay, Wisc./Amy Matthews, Gurnee, Ill. (23), 15-5; Wendy Fletcher, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Elaine Youngs, El Toro, Calif. (18) def. Alicia Chung, Capitola, Calif./Beth Schuler, Grosse Point, Mich. (15), 15-7.
Championship bracket, second-round - Lisa Arce, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Holly McPeak, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (1) def. Kottke/Staneva, 15-5; Castro/Stammer def. Kammes/Wilson, 15-6; Roque/Shupryt-Knoop def. L. Johnson/Reeves, 16-14; Karrie Poppinga, Mililani, Hi./Angela Rock, Leucadia, Calif. (4) def. Hilleary/Oliver, 15-8; Barbra Fontana, Manhattan Beach, Calif./Linda Hanley, Pacific Palisades, Calif. (3) def. James/Kollasch, 15-3; Meredith/Schuster def. Blomquist/Schaefer, 15-13; Chisholm/Richardson def. O'Hara/Wood, 15-7; Karolyn Kirby, Brookline, Mass./Nancy Reno, Glen Ellyn, Ill. (2) def. Fletcher/Young, 15-8.
Championship bracket, quarter-finals - Arce/McPeak def. Castro/Stammer, 15-11; Poppinga/Rock def. Roque/Shupryt-Knoop, 15- 12; Fontana/Hanley def. Meredith/Schuster, 15-6; Kirby/Reno def. Chisholm/Richardson, 15-3.
Contender's Bracket, first-round (losers eliminated, place 25th) - Bragado/Keller def. Fink/Sprague, 15-11; Franca/Miller def. Banzon/Ling, 15-5; Mason/Morse def. Misek/Romer, 15-4; Deiters/Matthews def. D. Johnson/Santana, 15-5.
Contender's Bracket, second-round (losers eliminated, place 17th) - Baily/Reale def. James/Kollasch, 15-13; Blomquist/Schaefer def. Bragado/Keller, 15-7; Franca/Miller vs. O'Hara/Wood; Fletcher/Youngs def. Conley/Pagano, 15-9; Kottke/Staneva def. Campbell/Roach, 15-9; Mason/Morse def. Kammes/Wilson, 15-10; L. Johnson/Reeves def. Deiters/Matthews, 15-7; Hilleary/Oliver def. Chung/Schuler, 15-8.
Contender's bracket, third-round (losers eliminated, place 13th,
split $1,012,50) - Blomquist/Schaefer def. Baily/Reale, 15-5;
O'Hara/Wood def. Fletcher/Youngs, 15-10; Mason/Morse def.
Kottke/Staneva, 15-8; L. Johnson/Reeves def. Hilleary/Oliver, 15-
13.
The seventh of 14 stops on the 1997 Evian Tour, the $50,000 Evian Open opens at 9 a.m. (EDT) Saturday (June 21) with 28 teams vying for the $11,000 first-place prize. The event will feature 40 matches Saturday and 14 more matches Sunday on the Atlantic City Hilton beachfront courts.
Twelve (12) teams advance to Sunday's final rounds starting at 8 a.m. with four elimination matches. The Evian Open semi-finals are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The final two teams battle for the title on the Atlantic City Hilton center court at approximately 3 p.m. on
ABC Sports will tape the championship match for replay June 28 at 3:30-4:30 p.m. Terry Gannon of Santa Monica, Calif., and Maria Barnes of Irvine, Calif., will call the action.
Arce and McPeak will be seeking to become the first team to win four-straight WPVA titles together since the McPeak/Nancy Reno team won four-straight crowns at the end of 1995. Arce and McPeak have won their last 18 matches with their only lost in their last 33 games being a 16-14 decision May 11 to Karolyn Kirby and Reno.
Kirby and Reno will be playing in their 20th pro event together this weekend as the pair is seeded second in the Evian Open behind Arce and McPeak, who have won five of the first six Evian Tour events this season.
Winners of eight of the last 10 events on the Evian Tour, Arce and McPeak downed Kirby and Reno 15-13 last Sunday (June 15) at Irving, Tex., in a 59-minute championship match that featured 59 side-outs, eight ties and five lead changes.
The Irving title was the 10th professional beach volleyball title for Arce and McPeak, who scored their second win this season over Kirby and Reno in an Evian Tour championship match. The pair rallied from 7-3 and 12-8 deficits to scored a 15-12 win over the Kirby/Reno tandem in Miami Beach, Fla., April 6.
Kirby and Reno are the only WPVA team to win an Evian Tour title this season. The winners of five domestic and three FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event together, Kirby and Reno won the 1992 Atlantic City event by downing Cammy Ciarelli and Jackie Silva 15- 11 to win the championship match.
The Evian Open presented by the Atlantic City Hilton is also the final warm-up tournament for the Women's Professional Volleyball Association as the group stages its first of four 1997 grand slam events next weekend (June 27-29) at The Pier in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Arce and McPeak won the last three grand slam events of 1996, but 1996 Atlantic Olympic Games' tandem of Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley prevented the pair from winning all of last season's "major" events by winning the Ocean Pacific U. S. Open in Ocean City, Md.
Seeded third this weekend, Fontana and Hanley lost three times in the finals of the other 1996 grand slam events to Arce and McPeak. Fontana and Hanley have dropped five title matches to Arce and McPeak since August, 1996. The Fontana/Hanley tandem did defeat Arce and McPeak to win last September's stop in Portland, Ore.