Brazil's Bede/Behar take gold at FIVB Japan event
Brazil's Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar won their fourth-straight FIVB title by defeating the USA's Misty May and Kerri Walsh in Osaka, Japan. The USA's Barbra Fontana and Elaine Youngs finished third. Read on for the story.
Brazil's Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede won their fourth FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour title on Sunday, August 12, by defeating the USA's Misty May and Kerri Walsh in Osaka, Japan. The USA's Barbra Fontana and Elaine Youngs took third place in the event, which took place on Tannowa Beach.
The seventh-seeded May (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Los Gatos, Calif.) earned the Silver Medal after dropping the 66-minute title match to the top-seeded Behar and Bede 23-21, 28-30, 15-13. The Brazilians rallied from an 11-6 deficit in the third set behind Bede's serving and Behar's blocking.
Bede and Behar share $27,000 for first place, while May and Walsh share $18,000 for second place.
Sunday's title match was the 40th-time that Brazil has met the United States for a FIVB Gold Medal in 78 World Tour events. With the Gold Medal win, Brazil tied the USA at 20-20, as the Americans had won the two previous title meetings in France (Fontana/Youngs) and Portugal (May/Walsh) over Behar and Bede.
Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Encinitas, Calif.) captured the Bronze Medal to share the $14,000 third-place prize by scoring a 21-14, 21-14 win 39 minutes over sixth-seeded Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia, the Gold Medallists at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Behar and Bede scored a 21-17, 21-19 win over the second-seeded Fontana and Youngs in 44 minutes to advance to the title match. The semifinal win was the third in five meetings with the Americans. Three of the meetings had been Gold Medal matches, with Behar and Bede defeating the Americans for the top prize in Switzerland and the Canary Islands.
May and Walsh scored their first win in two meetings against Cook and Pottharst, by defeating the Aussies 21-14, 27-25 in a 46-minute semifinal. Cook and Pottharst, who won the 2001 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour's season opener in April at Macau, split $11,000 for fourth-place.
Competing on the beach together for the first-time this season, May and Walsh have now posted three international "podium" finishes enroute to a 29-12 match mark and $85,000 in combined earnings in seven FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events. May and Walsh, who also dropped a match to Behar and Bede 21-17, 21-15 on Saturday, posted a third in June at the Switzerland event, before capturing the Portugal title last month. In that final, they defeated Behar and Bede 22-20, 24-22 in the final.
The Bronze medal win by Fontana and Youngs, who have now competed in an event "final four" in all 11 of their pro beach starts this season, avenged a 21-18, 21-19 defeat to Cook and Pottharst Saturday. Fontana and Youngs have a 5-2 match mark against the Australians this season, including a Gold Medal win over Cook and Pottharst in June's Italy event.
Eight of Fontana and Youngs' semifinal appearances have been at international events. In addition to the two Gold Medal FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour finishes in Italy and France this season, Fontana and Youngs also won a domestic title in Clearwater Beach in April. Fontana and Youngs have combined to win $181,850 this season with a 55-12 match mark.
Two other teams from the United States posted finishes in the eighth annual Osaka event. Fifth-seeded Lisa Arce (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Holly McPeak (Manhattan Beach) split $9,000 for a fifth-place finish. Arce and McPeak, who have now placed fifth for the fifth-time this season on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, dropped matches Saturday to Behar and Bede (17-21, 21-17, 15-13), and Fontana and Youngs (21-15, 21-11).
Third-seeded Nancy Mason (Belleville, Ill.) and Leanne Schuster (Mesa, Ariz.) placed ninth in the competition, after dropping both of their matches Saturday to Cook and Pottharst (21-18, 21-18) and 19th-seeded Stephanie Pohl and Okka Rau of Germany (21-16, 21-15). Mason and Schuster shared $5,500.
The Osaka event was the eighth of 12 FIVB women's events this season. The USA women will now return to California for AVP tournaments in Santa Barbara (August 17-19) and Manhattan Beach (August 24-26). The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour will then conclude its 2001 season with The Paul Mitchell King and Queen of the Beach competition at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas September 7-9. All three events are combined men's and women's tournaments.
The seventh-seeded May (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Los Gatos, Calif.) earned the Silver Medal after dropping the 66-minute title match to the top-seeded Behar and Bede 23-21, 28-30, 15-13. The Brazilians rallied from an 11-6 deficit in the third set behind Bede's serving and Behar's blocking.
Bede and Behar share $27,000 for first place, while May and Walsh share $18,000 for second place.
Sunday's title match was the 40th-time that Brazil has met the United States for a FIVB Gold Medal in 78 World Tour events. With the Gold Medal win, Brazil tied the USA at 20-20, as the Americans had won the two previous title meetings in France (Fontana/Youngs) and Portugal (May/Walsh) over Behar and Bede.
Fontana (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Youngs (Encinitas, Calif.) captured the Bronze Medal to share the $14,000 third-place prize by scoring a 21-14, 21-14 win 39 minutes over sixth-seeded Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia, the Gold Medallists at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Behar and Bede scored a 21-17, 21-19 win over the second-seeded Fontana and Youngs in 44 minutes to advance to the title match. The semifinal win was the third in five meetings with the Americans. Three of the meetings had been Gold Medal matches, with Behar and Bede defeating the Americans for the top prize in Switzerland and the Canary Islands.
May and Walsh scored their first win in two meetings against Cook and Pottharst, by defeating the Aussies 21-14, 27-25 in a 46-minute semifinal. Cook and Pottharst, who won the 2001 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour's season opener in April at Macau, split $11,000 for fourth-place.
Competing on the beach together for the first-time this season, May and Walsh have now posted three international "podium" finishes enroute to a 29-12 match mark and $85,000 in combined earnings in seven FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events. May and Walsh, who also dropped a match to Behar and Bede 21-17, 21-15 on Saturday, posted a third in June at the Switzerland event, before capturing the Portugal title last month. In that final, they defeated Behar and Bede 22-20, 24-22 in the final.
The Bronze medal win by Fontana and Youngs, who have now competed in an event "final four" in all 11 of their pro beach starts this season, avenged a 21-18, 21-19 defeat to Cook and Pottharst Saturday. Fontana and Youngs have a 5-2 match mark against the Australians this season, including a Gold Medal win over Cook and Pottharst in June's Italy event.
Eight of Fontana and Youngs' semifinal appearances have been at international events. In addition to the two Gold Medal FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour finishes in Italy and France this season, Fontana and Youngs also won a domestic title in Clearwater Beach in April. Fontana and Youngs have combined to win $181,850 this season with a 55-12 match mark.
Two other teams from the United States posted finishes in the eighth annual Osaka event. Fifth-seeded Lisa Arce (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Holly McPeak (Manhattan Beach) split $9,000 for a fifth-place finish. Arce and McPeak, who have now placed fifth for the fifth-time this season on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, dropped matches Saturday to Behar and Bede (17-21, 21-17, 15-13), and Fontana and Youngs (21-15, 21-11).
Third-seeded Nancy Mason (Belleville, Ill.) and Leanne Schuster (Mesa, Ariz.) placed ninth in the competition, after dropping both of their matches Saturday to Cook and Pottharst (21-18, 21-18) and 19th-seeded Stephanie Pohl and Okka Rau of Germany (21-16, 21-15). Mason and Schuster shared $5,500.
The Osaka event was the eighth of 12 FIVB women's events this season. The USA women will now return to California for AVP tournaments in Santa Barbara (August 17-19) and Manhattan Beach (August 24-26). The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour will then conclude its 2001 season with The Paul Mitchell King and Queen of the Beach competition at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas September 7-9. All three events are combined men's and women's tournaments.
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