USA's McPeak/Walsh to play for gold at FIVB Brazil tourney

After winning their fifth-straight match on Saturday (November 3), fourth-seeded Holly McPeak and Kerri Walsh will try to accomplish two feats Sunday against top-seeded Brazilian's Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar in the Gold Medal match of the women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour season finale event in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The two feats: they will try to defeat the top-seeded pair for the second-time this weekend, while also trying to become only the fourth women's team in FIVB Beach Volleyball history to win an event title in their first appearance together.

McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.) advanced to Sunday's Gold Medal match in their first pro beach volleyball event together by defeating 12th-seeded Rebekka Kadijk and Marrit Leenstra of the Netherlands 21-12, 17-21, 15-9 in a 52-minute semifinal match.

Top-seeded Bede and Behar, who dropped a 17-21, 21-17, 16-14 decision on Friday to McPeak and Walsh, advanced to Sunday's Gold Medal match with a 21-14, 25-23 semifinal win over sixth-seeded Dianne DeNecochea and Liz Masakayan in 42 minutes. It was the third-straight win this season for Bede and Behar over DeNecochea and Masakayan, their first international semifinal together.

The Saturday win was the second this weekend for McPeak and Walsh over Kadijk and Leenstra, as the Americans downed their semifinal rivals 25-23, 23-21 Saturday in 43 minutes. Kadijik and Leenstra appearance in the "final four" was the first-ever by a team from the Netherlands. McPeak will be competing in her first international final this season after playing in 23 the previous six seasons on the FIVB Beach Volleyball circuit.

McPeak and Walsh will be trying to upset the world's top-ranked team in Sunday's final, while becoming only the fourth women's team in FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour history to win an event title in their first appearance together. Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno of the United States won the first-ever women's international stop in 1992 in Spain. Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva of Brazil posted a Gold Medal finish in their first event together at the 1995 Chile tournament.

Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley of the United States became the third team to win a FIVB beach event together in 1996 at Santos, Brazil. Fontana and Hanley's feat remarkable was as the pair had to win Qualification Tournament matches to advance to the Main Draw in Santos.

A pro beach volleyball rookie this season, Walsh will be competing in her fourth FIVB gold medal match after winning the Portugal title in July with Misty May. Walsh, who now has earned $64,875 this season, had placed second in the last two FIVB events in August in both China and Hong Kong with May.

The winningest women's team in FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour history, Bede and Behar have captured a record 26 international titles together. The Gold Medals include titles at the 1998 Goodwill Games, the 1999 and 2001 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships and the 1999 Pan American Games.

Bede and Behar are competing in their 58th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event together with 54 "final four" finishes and 50 podium placements. Bede and Behar have now earned $1,141,600 in their recorded pro beach volleyball partnership. The Brazilians have finished the last FIVB beach campaigns as the world's top-ranked team. The pair has compiled six Golds, four Silvers and one Bronze medal finishes together in their previous 11 FIVB events this season.

DeNecochea (LaJolla, Calif.) and Masakayan, who won an Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) event Gold Medal match this past August in Santa Barbara, Calif., will be playing the Netherlands tandem for the first-time this season in Sunday's Bronze Medal match. DeNecochea and Masakayan are playing in their eighth pro beach event together. Masakayan has 15 FIVB podium placements in her career with six international Gold Medals. DeNecochea will be playing for her first FIVB medal Sunday.

The Sunday's Gold Medallists will share the $27,000 first-place prize in the $180,000 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event in the 4,500-seat stadium on Iracema Beach. McPeak became the first woman in pro beach history to win over $800,000 in career earnings with her five match wins this weekend with Walsh.

With $805,529 in career earnings now, McPeak will be seeking her 33rd international podium finish. She has won 13 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Gold Medals. McPeak and Walsh are Olympians as McPeak competed in the 1996 and 2000 beach competitions. Walsh was a 2000 indoor Olympian for the United States.

For more information on the FIVB and this tournament, go to the FIVB website.