USA men and women earn berths at FIVB tournaments

Pro beach athletes worked hard today, to gain berths into this weekend's FIVB beach volleyball tournaments in China and Greece, respectively. Here are the results.

USA'S Rogers & Scott Gain China Men's main draw Berth

Todd Rogers and Sean Scott eliminated a team from South Africa here Thursday (May 20) to become the fourth tandem from the United States in the main draw of this week's $180,000 SWATCH-FIVB Beach World Tour event.

With the Olympic qualifying process for men continuing at the first of seven-straight events through the Fourth of July weekend, the top-seeded tandem in the 30-team Qualification Tournament, Rogers and Scott scored 21-12 and 21-16 win over 16th-seeded Gerson Pocock and Colin Rorich from South Africa in 36 minutes to the main draw.

The event is the first international tournament for men in China, which has hosted women's events the past six seasons (Dalian 1998-2000, Maoming 2001-2002 and Lianyungang 2003). China will host another women's event next week in Shanghai while the men play in the Serbia and Montenegro Open in Buda.

After placing ninth and 17th in the first two SWATCH-FIVB World Tour events in March, Rogers and Scott returned to the domestic tour in April and May to place third, first and second. Scott won his first-ever pro beach title when he teamed with Rogers to capture the AVP event in Tempe, Ariz., April 25.

The USA tandems of Dain Blanton/Jeff Nygaard, Dax Holdren/Stein Metzger and Eric Fonoimoana/Kevin Wong have already earned a spot in the main draw. Blanton and Nygaard have compiled 2,080 Olympic qualifying points to pace the American hopefuls with Rogers and Scott second at 1,468. Despite having played in only four of the needed eight events to qualify for Athens, Holdren and Metzger have compiled 1,332 points and could past Rogers and Scott this week.

USA's Fontana & Kessy Eliminated from Greece Women's Qualifier

The bid by Barbra Fontana and Jennifer Kessy to become the fourth team from the United States in the main draw for this week's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour women's event ended here Thursday (May 20) as the American pair was eliminated by a more experienced Norwegian tandem on the international circuit.

Seeded 22nd in the 48-team Qualification Tournament, Fontana and Kessy were ousted from the $180,000 event by sixth-seeded Nila Ann Hakedal and Ingrid Torlen of Norway 19-21, 21-16 and 12-15 in 49 minutes. Hakedal and Torlen are playing in their 21st SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event together while Fontana and Kessy were teaming internationally for only the second-time.

Thursday's final match was the fourth during the mid-week Qualification Tournament for Fontana and Kessy, who had to win two Country Quota matches Wednesday. Fontana and Kessy eliminated 11th-seeded Gabriele Jobst and Patricia Stragliotto of Canada 21-10 and 21-7 in 32 minutes earlier Thursday.

After scoring a 21-14 and 21-10 win over 44th-seeded Paula Roca and Garcia Santana, Fontana and Kessy advanced from the United States country quota matches with a 21-15 and 21-19 win over third-seeded Carrie Busch and Nancy Mason in their second match Wednesday.

The United States teams of Misty May/Kerri Walsh, Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs and Annett Davis/Jenny Johnson Jordan are seeded among the top six tandems for Friday's opening main draw rounds. While May and Walsh were winning in SWATCH-FIVB World Tour season opener for women in March at Fortaleza, Brazil, the tandems of McPeak/Youngs and Davis/Johnson Jordan tied for seventh.

Combined with three domestic titles and a gold medal finish in Brazil, May and Walsh have now won their last 74 matches together while capturing their 13th-straight title. The last time May and Walsh dropped a match was last season on July 5, 2003 when Ana Paula Connolly and Sandra Pires of Brazil scored a 21-19 and 21-15 win over the Americans in the finals of the Norwegian Open in Stavanger. Ana Paula and Pires are not competing this weekend along with Australia's top women's team of Natalie Cook and Nicole Sanderson.

With May and Walsh ranking first on the FIVB Olympic qualification list, McPeak and Youngs are only 26 points ahead of Davis and Johnson Jordan for the second USA spot in Athens. McPeak and Youngs, who have amassed 2,350 points for their eight events, need a ninth-place or better this week to improve their score. Davis and Johnson Jordan have compiled 2,324 points for eight events and will erase their lowest score in this week's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event to improve their standings by at least 18 points.

Rhodes is hosting a SWATCH-FIVB World Tour women's event for the third-straight season. McPeak and Youngs won the inaugural women's tournament in 2002 when they defeated Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst, the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallists, in the finale. In an all-Brazilian final in 2003, Ana Paula and Pires defeated Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar in the title match with May and Walsh third.

For more information on FIVB beach volleyball, go to the FIVB web site.