USA women earn two medals at FIVB Switzerland

The USA women played solid volleyball on Saturday, as third-seeded Barbra Fontana and Elaine Youngs won the silver medal, while Misty May and Kerri Walsh earned the brozne medal at the FIVB Gstaad, Switzerland tournament.

It was the second-seeded team from Brazil, Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede, who snapped their four-event Gold Medal drought and defeated Fontana and Youngs to win the first-place prize in the $180,000 World Tour event.

The winningest team in FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour history, Behar and Bede won their 21st international event and 40th medal by scoring a 21-15, 22-20 win in 43 minutes over Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Encinitas, Calif.). Behar and Bede shared the $27,000 first-place prize while Fontana and Youngs split $18,000.

The Swiss Gold Medal was the second-straight for Behar and Bede, who captured the inaugural Gstaad women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event last season when they defeated Misty May and Holly McPeak of the United States in the title match.

Prior to Saturday's title, Behar and Bede had finished second, fourth, second and third in their previous four international starts. Two of the runner up finishes were to Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games last September and in Macau this past April. Behar and Bede had placed fourth last November in Brazil and third last week in Italy where Fontana and Youngs defeated Cook and Pottharst for the Gold Medal.

Behar and Bede, the 1999 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions and Pan American Gold Medallists, were competing in their 48th international event together, with 44 "final four" finishes. Behar and Bede advanced to Saturday's final with a 21-14, 21-19 win over fifth-seeded Sandra Pires and Tatiana Minello of Brazil.

Fontana and Youngs, who were competing in only their fifth event together, entered Saturday's Gold Medal match with an 11-match international winning streak. Fontana and Youngs opened Saturday's play with a 21-19, 21-16 win over USA rivals Misty May and Kerri Walsh in a semifinal contest.

May (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Los Gatos, Calif.) rebounded from their opening defeat Saturday to capture the Bronze Medal with a 21-15, 21-16 win over Pires and Minello. May and Walsh, who was competing in her fourth pro beach event, split $14,000 for the third-place finish. Pires and Minello, who placed fourth in Italy last week, shared $11,000 for fourth-place.

A fourth-place finisher in the season opening FIVB event in Macau, Fontana and Youngs placed first and second in their next two starts in Clearwater Beach, Fla., and Hermosa Beach, Calif., respectively. Fontana and Youngs dropped the Hermosa AVP title match to Lisa Arce and McPeak, who placed fifth this week to share $9,000.

Saturday's Gold Medal match was the 36th-time that the United States has played Brazil in a women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour final. Both countries have won 18 times, with the United States winning the previous three Gold Medal meetings in Chicago, France and Brazil last season.

Brazil has now won 41 of the 73 women's FIVB events since the start of the international tour in 1992. The South Americans have gathered 112 medals and earned 135 "final four" finishes. With two teams on the podium Saturday, the United States has now claimed 80 international medals. With Fontana's and Youngs' title last week in Italy, the United States has 29 Gold Medal finishes and 109 "final four" placements.

Arce (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and McPeak (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) finished fifth for the second-straight international event. Arce and McPeak eliminated top-seeded Cook and Pottharst before being ousted from the competition by Behar and Bede.

The USA teams of 17th-seeded Diane DeNecochea (LaJolla, Calif.)/Liz Masakayan (San Diego, Calif.) and 21st-seeded Danalee Bragado (Honolulu, Hi.)/Ali Wood (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), placed 13th ($4,000) and 17th ($3,000), respectively, at the Swiss FIVB event.

The Gstaad stop is the third women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event this season and the second for the men. The USA women remain in Europe for an event in event in Gran Canaria, Spain (July 4-8) before resuming domestic play July 13-15 at the $125,000 Sunkist Open at Muskegon (Mich.). The USA men have AVP events in Berlin, Germany (June 27-July 1) and Stavanger, Norway (June 4-8) before Muskegon.