USA's McPeak/Youngs and Davis/Johnson Jordan reach FIVB China semifinals

For the second-straight week, the pro beach volleyball teams of Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs and Annett Davis/Jenny Johnson Jordan have advanced to a "final four" of an international event, as both United States tandems each posted two wins on Saturday (May 29) in the $180,000 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event in Shanghai, China.

With Misty May and Kerri Walsh, the top-ranked women's team in the world missing the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event to compete in a domestic event in Southern California, the McPeak/Youngs and Davis/Johnson Jordan tandems each posted 4-0 marks to advance to the semi-finals where they will face teams from Brazil and host China, respectively.

The third-seeded McPeak and Youngs, who have won 10 of their last 11 international matches, face ninth-seeded Lu Wang and Whenhui You of China in the second of two opening matches Sunday. In the only meeting between the two teams, McPeak and Youngs defeated the Chinese pair in a March elimination match at Fortaleza, Brazil.

The only blemish on McPeak's and Youngs' slate the last two weeks was a 21-17 and 21-14 setback to May and Walsh in the finals of last week's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour stop in Rhodes, Greece. McPeak and Youngs have posted a 12-3 international record this season to rank third on the FIVB Tour with $36,000 in earnings heading into Sunday's matches.

Davis and Johnson Jordan, who are seeded fourth, challenge top-seeded Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil in the first semi-final. It will be the 15th-meeting between the two teams as Shelda and Adriana have posted a 12-2 mark against the Americans, including a 23-25, 21-16 and 15-11 win in last week's bronze medal match in Greece. Both of Davis and Johnson Jordan's previous two wins over the Brazilians were in Southern California (1999 in San Diego and 2003 in Los Angeles).

Sunday's play will also feature the "tight" confrontation between the two American teams for the second United States berth for the 2004 Athens Games. Davis and Johnson Jordan maintain a four-point lead over McPeak and Youngs entering Sunday's semi-finals. May and Walsh are the No. 1 ranked team in the world on the Olympic qualifying list with 3,900 points from their best eight finishes on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour since January 2003.

By advancing to the FIVB "final four" this week, both American tandems erased previous 180-point finishes from their slate as both teams picked up 252 points so far this weekend with a guaranteed fourth-place finish. Entering Sunday's final matches, Davis and Johnson Jordan have now compiled 2,630 points compared to McPeak's and Youngs' 2,626.

McPeak and Youngs advanced to Sunday's matches by defeating sixth-seeded Nicole Schnyder-Benoit and Simone Kuhn of Switzerland 21-13 and 21-16 and seventh-seeded Suzanne Lahme and Danja Musch of Germany 21-14 and 21-8. Davis and Johnson Jordan downed 21st-seeded Vassiliki Arvaniti and Efthalia Koutroumanidou of Greece 21-18 and 21-12 and Lu Wang and Whenhui You 21-15, 15-21 and 15-13.

A gold medal finish for McPeak and Youngs Sunday would also be one for the records book. McPeak is currently one title away from tying Karolyn Kirby's record of 67 pro beach championships for women. A title Sunday would also give McPeak her first pro beach title in the last 18 events since winning a domestic stop last June in San Diego with Youngs.

During the 18-event span, McPeak and Youngs have advanced to nine title matches. In their first 19 pro beach events together, the pair captured 10 titles, including four in 2002 on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour. McPeak's and Youngs' last international title was the 2002 season finale in Vitoria, Brazil.

McPeak can also top the $1.2-million mark in career earnings with a podium placement Sunday. The all-time career earnings leader for women, McPeak is guaranteed $5,500 this weekend to increase her career earnings to $1,198,201, including $600,479 domestically and $597,722 internationally. McPeak also continues to add to her record of career pro beach starts (228) with this week's event being her 78th SWATCH-FIVB World Tour tournament.

Competing in their 70th event together, Davis and Johnson Jordan will be also seeking their first pro beach championship since 2002 when they captured back-to-back domestic events in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Chicago. Overall, the pair has won eight pro titles with two international wins in Portugal (1999) and France (2000). On the all-time team earnings list, Davis and Johnson Jordan rank third ($685,046) behind Shelda/Adriana ($1,653,815) and May/Walsh ($799,490). McPeak and Youngs are sixth on that list ($514,556).

May and Walsh, who are competing this weekend in an AVP Tour stop in Huntington Beach, will also miss the next SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event in Japan before returning to international play for the final three Olympic qualifying events in Switzerland, Germany and Norway. The McPeak/Youngs and Davis/Johnson Jordan tandems are also scheduled to miss the Japanese event to compete in the domestic Manhattan Beach event with May and Walsh.

After defeating McPeak and Youngs in the Rhodes title match last Sunday, May and Walsh have now won 80-straight pro beach matches enroute to their 14th-straight title. Combined with three domestic titles in Florida, Arizona and Texas, May and Walsh have now won five titles this season.

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