Team Uniform Uniform Seed Player No. Player No. Country 2 April Ross 1 Jennifer Boss 2 United States 15 Ying Huang 1 Xi Zhang 2 China

Transcription

1 China Sanya Open Medal Match Notes Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Telephone GOLD - Jen Boss/April Ross, United States vs. Ying Huang/Xi Zhang, China Team Uniform Uniform Seed Player No. Player No. Country 2 April Ross 1 Jennifer Boss 2 United States 15 Ying Huang 1 Xi Zhang 2 China This is the first meeting between the two teams. Boss and Ross collected their second SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal last week in Thailand by defeating Nicole Branagh and Tyra Turner in the All-American Phuket finale. Boss and Ross will finish the 2008 SWATCH season as the No. 2 team on the points list behind Brazilians Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Connelly. This is the highest finish by an American team since 2003 when Misty May- Treanor and Kerri Walsh placed second behind Sandra Pires and Ana Paula. Boss and Ross missed qualifying for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games after being edged by Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs for the second USA berth. After winning a country quota playoff and two qualifying matches at the 2007 Norwegian Grand Slam, Boss and Ross captured the Stavanger gold medal as the 29th-seeded team in the competition by upseting China s Jia Tian and Jie Wang and in the finals. The Norwegian Grand Slam title came in Ross fourth SWATCH event. Boss and Ross currently rank 31st in FIVB career team earnings. Prior to thestavanger gold medal, Boss best previous SWATCH finish was a fourth in the 2005 season finale in Mexico with Nancy Mason. Boss won a 2001 FIVB Satellite gold medal with Heather Lowe at Pattaya, Thailand. Ross was the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour rookie-of-the-year. Boss won the 2008 American Queen-of-the-Beach title in September at Glendale, Arizona. On the American domestic tour this season, Boss and Ross compiled a record with five seconds for 12 events. China Sanya Open Results Winner 1 def. Whitney Pavlik / Stacy Rouwenhorst, United States (32, Q9) 25-23, minutes Winner 2 def. Chen Xue / Ying Zhang, China (16) 21-13, Winner 3 lost to Jie Wang / Man Zuo, China (9) 22-24, Contender 4 def. Claudia Lehmann / Julia Sude, Germany (14) 19-21, 21-13, Contender 5 def. Lauren Fendrick / Ashley Ivy, United States (5) 22-20, Contender 6 def. Maria Antonelli / Vanilda Leão, Brazil (3) 22-24, 21-18, Semi-finals def. Jie Wang / Man Zuo, China (9) 23-25, 21-15, Gold Medal vs. Ying Huang / Xi Zhang, China (15) 2008 Matches Won-Lost: Sets Won-Lost: Tournaments Played: Best Finish:...1st (Phuket) 2008 Winnings:...$166,100 Since 2007 Matches Won-Lost: Since 2007 Tournaments Played:...20 Since 2007 Best Finish:... 1st (Stavanger 2007, Phuket 2008) Since 2007 Winnings:...$272,200 Château Les Tourelles, Edouard-Sandoz 2-4, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland Page 1 of 4 FIVB Communication FAX Telephone: For more Beach Volleyball news visit

2 China Sanya Open Medal Match Notes Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Telephone GOLD - Jen Boss/April Ross, United States vs. Ying Huang/Xi Zhang, China Team Uniform Uniform Seed Player No. Player No. Country 2 April Ross 1 Jennifer Boss 2 United States 15 Ying Huang 1 Xi Zhang 2 China This is the first meeting between the two teams. Huang and Zhang are competing in their first-ever SWATCH FIVB World Tour event together. The 16-year old Huang is the youngest player ever to compete in a SWATCH FIVB World Tour semi-final with the best previous finish being a gold medal performance for 17-year old Chen Xue at a 2006 Shanghai stop with Zhang. With six-straight elimination wins this week, Huang and Zhang are the fourth women s team since 2002 to advance to a SWATCH FIVB World Tour final four after losing a first-round match. In double-elimination play, no team in the 17-year history of the women s SWATCH FIVB World Tour has bounced back from losing their first match to win a gold medal. Zhang and Xue captured the bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Zhang and Xue won four SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medals, including two in 2006 at Shanghai and Thailand, and two in 2008 at Seoul and Moscow. Xue and Zhang captured the 2006 Asian Games Beach Volleyball gold medal by defeating Eiko Koizumi and Shinako Tanaka of Japan 19-21, and for the title in Qatar. China Sanya Open Results Winner 1 lost to Marie-Andree Lessard / Annie Martin, Canada (18) 19-21, 21-17, minutes Contender 1 def. Manokharan Iswari / Luk Teng Kee, Malaysia (31, Q7) 21-9, Contender 2 def. Chen Xue / Ying Zhang, China (16) 21-19, Contender 3 def. Jia Tian / Fei Wang, China (10) 21-19, 18-21, Contender 4 def. Doris Schwaiger / Stefanie Schwaiger, Austria (6) 21-14, Contender 5 def. Daniela Gioria / Giulia Momoli, Italy (12) 21-13, Contender 6 def. Angelica Ljungquist / Karin Lundquist, Sweden (13) 21-17, Semi-Finals def. Nicole Branagh / Tyra Turner, United States (2) 21-14, Gold Medal vs. Jen Boss / April Ross, United States (2) 2008 Matches Won-Lost: Sets Won-Lost: Tournaments Played: Best Finish:... 2nd or better (Sanya 2008) 2008 Winnings:...$19,500 Château Les Tourelles, Edouard-Sandoz 2-4, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland Page 2 of 4 FIVB Communication FAX Telephone: For more Beach Volleyball news visit

3 China Sanya Open Medal Match Notes Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Telephone BRONZE - Nicole Branagh/Tyra Turner, United States vs. Jie Wang/Man Zuo, China Team Uniform Uniform Seed Player No. Player No. Country 2 Nicole Branagh 1 Tyra Turner 2 United States 9 Jie Wang 1 Man Zuo 2 China This is the first meeting between the two teams. Branagh and Turner are playing in their second SWATCH FIVB World Tour event together after placing second last week in Thailand where they dropped a three-set finale to compatriots Jen Boss and April Ross in Phuket. Branagh is seeking to become the first player in FIVB Beach Volleyball history to win three SWATCH titles in the same season with three different partners. Branagh and Youngs won a SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal at the 2008 Barcelona stop. Branagh and Kerri Walsh won the inaugural SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal at the 2008 Dubai stop by defeating Boss and Ross in the finals Branagh and Elaine Youngs placed fifth at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. On the American tour this season for 12 events, Branagh and Youngs had a match mark with two titles. Turner and Rachel Wacholder placed second at 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour stops in Stare Jablonki (Poland) and Paris. Turner and Wacholder placed fifth at 2007 Phuket Thailand Opens after being eliminated by Branagh and Youngs. On the American tour this season for 12 events, Turner and Wacholder have a match mark with one title. China Sanya Open Results Winner 1 def. Manokharan Iswari / Luk Teng Kee, Malaysia (31, Q7) 21-8, minutes Winner 2 def. Marie-Andree Lessard / Annie Martin, Canada (18) 21-13, Winner 3 def. Ying Li / Lu Wang, China (23, Q1) 21-15, Winner 4 def. Maria Antonelli / Vanilda Leão, Brazil (3) 21-18, Semi-Finals lost to Ying Huang / Xi Zhang, China (15) 14-21, Bronze Medal vs. Jie Wang / Man Zuo, China (9) 2008 Matches Won-Lost: Sets Won-Lost: Tournaments Played: Best Finish:... 2nd (Phuket) 2008 Winnings:... $30,000 Château Les Tourelles, Edouard-Sandoz 2-4, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland Page 3 of 4 FIVB Communication FAX Telephone: For more Beach Volleyball news visit

4 China Sanya Open Medal Match Notes Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Telephone BRONZE - Nicole Branagh/Tyra Turner, United States vs. Jie Wang/Man Zuo, China Team Uniform Uniform Seed Player No. Player No. Country 2 Nicole Branagh 1 Tyra Turner 2 United States 9 Jie Wang 1 Man Zuo 2 China This is the first meeting between the two teams. Wang and Zuo are playing in their second SWATCH FIVB World Tour event together after placing seventh last week in Thailand. Wang claimed the silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with Jia Tian. Wang and Tian won three SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medals, including two in 2006 at Klagenfurt and Warsaw, and one in 2007 at Shanghai. Wang and Tian defeated compatriots Chen Xue and Xi Zhang for a 2007 FIVB Challenger/Satellite gold medal in Hong Kong. Wang and Tian won the bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Oatar. With a fourth-place guaranteed, Wang has moved into the top 20 in career FIVB earnings (US$362,660) and currently ranks 19th. Zuo has competed in one previous SWATCH FIVB World Tour final four with a 2006 fourth with Ying Zhang as China had three teams advance to the Shanghai semi-finals. China Sanya Open Results Winner 1 def. Elizabeth Maloney / Katherine Zakrzewski, Canada (24) 21-15, minutes Winner 2 def. Tamsin Barnett / Becchara Palmer, Australia (8) 21-17, Winner 3 def. Jennifer Boss / April Ross, United States (1) 24-22, Winner 4 def. Angelica Ljungquist / Karin Lundquist, Sweden (13) 22-24, 21-19, Semi-Finals lost to Jennifer Boss / April Ross, United States (1) 25-23, 15-21, Bronze Medal vs. Nicole Branagh / Tyra Turner, USA (3) 2008 Matches Won-Lost: Sets Won-Lost: Tournaments Played: Best Finish:... 4th or better (Sanya) 2008 Winnings:... $17,500 Château Les Tourelles, Edouard-Sandoz 2-4, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland Page 4 of 4 FIVB Communication FAX Telephone: For more Beach Volleyball news visit

5 Match Preview Page 1 of 2 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour US$350,000 China Sanya Open presented by Olympic Gardens Sunday, November 16, 2008 Match #62: Gold Medal Match (1) Jennifer Boss/April Ross, United States vs. (15) Ying Huang/Xi Zhang, China Jennifer Kessy Boss United States Birth Date: Jul 31, 1977 (31 yrs old) San Juan Capistrano, CA San Clemente, CA 180 cm (6'0") 77 kg (169 lb) Seasons: 8 Tournaments: 44 Career Wins: 3 US$185, April Ross United States Birth Date: Jun 20, 1982 (26 yrs old) Newport Beach, CA Costa Mesa, CA 185 cm (6'1") 79 kg (174 lb) Seasons: 3 Tournaments: 22 Career Wins: 2 US$137, Team Career Summary Tour Played CQ Money FIVB US$272, Previous Sanya Results Neither player has played in this venue before Recent Results Tour Date Tournament Seed Finish Points Money FIVB 11/5-9/2008 Phuket Thailand Open US$28, FIVB 10/5-11/2008 Dubai Open US$19, FIVB 6/30-7/5/2008 Moscow Grand Slam US$8, FIVB 6/23-28/2008 Stavanger Grand Slam US$23, FIVB 6/16-22/2008 Paris Grand Slam US$13, FIVB 6/9-14/2008 Berlin Grand Slam US$18, FIVB 6/2-7/2008 Stare Jablonki Open US$8, FIVB 5/26-31/2008 Barcelona Open US$8, FIVB 5/20-25/2008 Osaka Open US$8, FIVB 5/13-18/2008 Seoul Open US$8, FIVB 3/25-30/2008 Adelaide Australia Open US$2, Sanya Open Matches Date Bracket Opponent Score Time Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 1 Whitney Pavlik / Stacy Rouwenhorst, United States (32, Q9) Won 25-23, :42 Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 2 Chen Xue / Ying Zhang, China (16) Won 21-13, :42 Fri, 11/14/2008 Winner 3 Jie Wang / Man Zuo, China (9) Lost 22-24, :47 Fri, 11/14/2008 Contender 4 Claudia Lehmann / Julia Sude, Germany (14) Won 19-21, 21-13, :51 Sat, 11/15/2008 Contender 5 Lauren Fendrick / Ashley Ivy, United States (5) Won 22-20, :50 Sat, 11/15/2008 Contender 6 Maria Antonelli / Vanilda Leão, Brazil (3) Won 22-24, 21-18, :17 Sun, 11/16/2008 Semi-Finals Jie Wang / Man Zuo, China (9) Won 23-25, 21-15, :01 Sun, 11/16/2008 Gold Medal Ying Huang / Xi Zhang, China (15) 11/15/2008

6 Match Preview Page 2 of 2 Ying Huang China Xi Zhang China Birth Date: Sep 4, 1992 (16 yrs old) Birth Date: Apr 19, 1985 (23 yrs old) Nanjing, Jiangsu Nantong Nanjing, Jiangsu Nantong 192 cm (6'4") 184 cm (6'0") 74 kg (163 lb) 70 kg (154 lb) Seasons: 2 Seasons: 7 Tournaments: 2 Tournaments: 61 Career Best: 9th (FIVB C&S Beijing 2007) US$10, Career Wins: 4 US$321, Team Career Summary Tour Played Money FIVB US$19, Previous Sanya Results Neither player has played in this venue before Recent Results 1st Tournament Sanya Open Matches Date Bracket Opponent Score Time Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 1 Marie-Andree Lessard / Annie Martin, Canada (18) Lost 19-21, 21-17, :01 Thu, 11/13/2008 Contender 1 Manokharan Iswari / Luk Teng Kee, Malaysia (31, Q7) Won 21-9, :27 Fri, 11/14/2008 Contender 2 Chen Xue / Ying Zhang, China (16) Won 21-19, :36 Fri, 11/14/2008 Contender 3 Jia Tian / Fei Wang, China (10) Won 21-19, 18-21, :58 Fri, 11/14/2008 Contender 4 Doris Schwaiger / Stefanie Schwaiger, Austria (6) Won 21-14, :30 Sat, 11/15/2008 Contender 5 Daniela Gioria / Giulia Momoli, Italy (12) Won 21-13, :41 Sat, 11/15/2008 Contender 6 Angelica Ljungquist / Karin Lundquist, Sweden (13) Won 21-17, :45 Sun, 11/16/2008 Semi-Finals Nicole Branagh / Tyra Turner, United States (2) Won 21-14, :41 Sun, 11/16/2008 Gold Medal Jennifer Boss / April Ross, United States (1) Head to Head Results First meeting between the two teams Date Tour Tournament Round Winning Team Seed Losing Team Seed Score Time 11/16/08 FIVB Sanya Open Gold Medal 11/15/2008

7 Match Preview Page 1 of 2 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour US$350,000 China Sanya Open presented by Olympic Gardens Sunday, November 16, 2008 Match #61: Bronze Medal Match (9) Jie Wang/Man Zuo, China vs. (2) Nicole Branagh/Tyra Turner, United States Jie Wang China Man Zuo China Birth Date: Dec 4, 1983 (24 yrs old) Birth Date: Jun 12, 1982 (26 yrs old) Xing Jiang Sichuan Urumchi Cheng Du 187 cm (6'3") 180 cm (5'11") 72 kg (158 lb) 64 kg (141 lb) Seasons: 5 Seasons: 3 Tournaments: 50 Tournaments: 32 Career Wins: 4 US$362, Career Best: 4th (FIVB Shanghai 2006) US$76, Team Career Summary Tour Played Money FIVB US$17, Previous Sanya Results Neither player has played in this venue before Recent Results Tour Date Tournament Seed Finish Points Money FIVB 11/5-9/2008 Phuket Thailand Open US$7, Sanya Open Matches Date Bracket Opponent Score Time Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 1 Elizabeth Maloney / Katherine Zakrzewski, Canada (24) Won 21-15, :39 Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 2 Tamsin Barnett / Becchara Palmer, Australia (8) Won 21-17, :33 Fri, 11/14/2008 Winner 3 Jennifer Boss / April Ross, United States (1) Won 24-22, :47 Fri, 11/14/2008 Winner 4 Angelica Ljungquist / Karin Lundquist, Sweden (13) Won 22-24, 21-19, :05 Sun, 11/16/2008 Semi-Finals Jennifer Boss / April Ross, United States (1) Lost 25-23, 15-21, :01 Sun, 11/16/2008 Bronze Medal Nicole Branagh / Tyra Turner, United States (2) 11/15/2008

8 Match Preview Page 2 of 2 Nicole Branagh United States Birth Date: Jan 31, 1979 (29 yrs old) Orinda, CA Torrance, CA 188 cm (6'2") 79 kg (174 lb) Seasons: 3 Tournaments: 28 Career Wins: 2 US$176, Tyra Harper Turner United States Birth Date: Jul 21, 1976 (32 yrs old) Fort Myers Beach, FL Fort Myers Beach, FL 185 cm (6'1") 77 kg (169 lb) Seasons: 4 Tournaments: 27 Career Best: 2nd (3 times) US$107, Team Career Summary Tour Played Money FIVB US$30, Previous Sanya Results Neither player has played in this venue before Recent Results Tour Date Tournament Seed Finish Points Money FIVB 11/5-9/2008 Phuket Thailand Open US$19, Sanya Open Matches Date Bracket Opponent Score Time Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 1 Manokharan Iswari / Luk Teng Kee, Malaysia (31, Q7) Won 21-8, :29 Thu, 11/13/2008 Winner 2 Marie-Andree Lessard / Annie Martin, Canada (18) Won 21-13, :37 Fri, 11/14/2008 Winner 3 Ying Li / Lu Wang, China (23, Q1) Won 21-15, :35 Fri, 11/14/2008 Winner 4 Maria Antonelli / Vanilda Leão, Brazil (3) Won 21-18, :39 Sun, 11/16/2008 Semi-Finals Ying Huang / Xi Zhang, China (15) Lost 14-21, :41 Sun, 11/16/2008 Bronze Medal Jie Wang / Man Zuo, China (9) Head to Head Results First meeting between the two teams Date Tour Tournament Round Winning Team Seed Losing Team Seed Score Time 11/16/08 FIVB Sanya Open Bronze Medal 11/15/2008