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**truebluefan** · 03-09-2008, 09:00 PM

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The AVP Charleston Open, South Carolina's only professional beach volleyball event and Charleston's largest beach party of the year, returns May 15-18, 2008, to the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island. More than 150 top players, including a host of U.S. Olympic gold medalists and the biggest superstars of the game, will battle for a total purse of $200,000 in men's and women's competition. Weekend ticket packages and individual session tickets will be available for sale beginning March 1, 2008.
Once again, the Family Circle Tennis Center will be transformed into beachfront property as more than 1,500 tons of pristine white PGA Bunker quality sand will be trucked in to create five world-class volleyball courts, spread out over the 32-acre facility, and an intimate center court inside Family Circle Magazine Stadium. This beautifully designed, award-winning tennis facility will be become a volleyball paradise showcasing the premier matches and off-court activities throughout the four-day event.

"Our site plan will be similar to last year's layout, but we're integrating a host of improvements focused on enhancing the experience for both the fans and players alike," noted Eleanor Adams, AVP Charleston Open Tournament Co-Manager. "We're excited to have the chance to build on the success of our inaugural event, incorporate some of what we've seen by attending other AVP events around the country, and create some fun new activities of our own that are sure to entertain the whole family."

The best professional beach volleyball athletes play on the AVP Crocs Tour, and they'll all compete in the 2008 AVP Charleston Open, an event that AVP CEO & Commissioner Leonard Armato has said "has the potential to become one the Tour's flagship events." The 2007 AVP Charleston Open women's champions, Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh, as well men's champions Stein Metzger and Mike Lambert, will headline the field as they defend their titles against a stellar field of challengers looking to make their mark at this prestigious tournament.

Qualifying rounds are free to attend, and tickets options for main draw action will include weekend packages and individual session sales. Tickets will be available at avp.com, the official web site of the AVP Crocs Tour, as well as Ticketmaster.com, local Ticketmaster outlets, and charge-by-phone at (843) 554-6060 beginning March 1, 2008.

"Be sure to put Charleston's hard-hitting action-packed event of the year on your calendars today," commented Elizabeth Skogman, AVP Charleston Open Tournament Co-Manager. "The AVP Charleston Open promises to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout all four days of competition, and our ticket packages are priced right and tailored to fit anyone's schedule, so be sure to catch all of the action this May."

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:38 AM

Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers did what they came to do in Charleston -- they came to win. The top-seeded team defeated No. 16 seed A.J. Mihalic and Scott Davenport, 21-14 and 21-13, during the evening qualifying rounds of the 2008 AVP Crocs Tour at the Family Circle Cup on Daniel Island. Things looked bad for Mihalic and Davenport starting with the first serve just from the the way Dalhausser lithely curled his 6'9" frame around the top of the net to reach over and block the incoming play. Throughout both games, his graceful blocking and Rogers defensive power overwhelmed their competitors and left them cold on a balmy night.

This win continues their undefeated run after taking AVP Croc Tours in Miami, Dallas and Huntington Beach, Calif. Rogers was confident about the victory. "It went how we hoped it would," he said. "He (Dalhausser) served well, and they didn't pass as well. That pretty much made the difference."

The duo will go on to play No. 9 Matt Olsen and Kevin Wong, who worked their way through Duncan Budinger and Leonardo Moraes 21-14, 21-13, and on through No. 8 Ryan Mariano and Ed Ratledge 15-21, 21-17, 15-10.

The top women's seed pairing of Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs took advantage of the No. 17 seed Jennifer Snyder and Whitney Pavlik. They quickly dispatched their competition 21-15, 21-14. Though Snyder and Pavlik started to rally in the second game with a series of three good spikes, it did not matter, because Youngs blocked it at the net.

She described this game as a warm-up.

"We haven't played since Sunday so it was a long wait," she said about the night game. "But it felt good throughout. Branagh was equally pleased.

"We were patient," she said of the game. "We had never played them before. We just took care of our side of the net."

Both women were delighted to be back in Charleston and echoed a common sentiment among the players.

"We get a lot of support in Charleston," Young said. "We love it here."

Branagh and Youngs will move on to face No. 9 seeded Ashley Ivy and Heather Lowe. Ivy and Lowe won their first match by forfeit and went on to be victorious against No. 8 seed Jenny Kropp and Nancy Mason, 19-21, 21-18, 15-11.

Nick Lucena and Sean Scott, No. 4, won out against Billy Allen and Paul Baxter. That moves them on to battle it out with No. 5 Fred Souza and Anthony Medel in the third round, set for Friday. In round two, Souza and Medel overcame No. 21 Mike DiPierro and Mark Van Zwieten, 21-15, 25-23.

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:38 AM

The wind was up in the port city of Charleston as the 2008 AVP Crocs Tour blew into town Thursday.

And even though 2004 Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor will miss the Charleston stop, due to Walsh resting a shoulder injury, there will be plenty of excitement on tap throughout the weekend at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island.

The action was accessible to the spectator on the first day in Charleston. Things picked up in the afternoon qualifying rounds with an upset that saw the No. 18-seeded team, Mike Morrison and Ty Tramblie beat the No. 2-seeded team of John Hyden and Brad Keenan with a consistent sweep, 21-18 and 21-19. They will meet No. 7 seed Jason Ring and Aaron Wachtfogel on Friday, and that winner will move on to the semifinals.

Complete article

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:39 AM

Torrential rain delayed play at the 2008 AVP Crocs tour at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island May 9.

The rain let up by 11 a.m. and the sand was uncovered and readied for the athletes. It was then that players got a taste of true Charleston humidity and fans saw some action packed competition.

The highlight of the day was the dream-come-true win for No. 18 seed Mike Morrison and Ty Tramblie. The duo defeated No. 7 Jason Ring and Aaron Wachtfogel in a surprise comeback, 21-19, 14-21, 19-17. This is the furthest Morrison and Tramblie have come in the tournament. Their best finish was 13th in Dallas; they entered the Huntington Beach competition as a qualifier and finished 17th.

"This is our best finish ever," Morrison said. "It's been going well for us this week."

Playing the No. 7 team was a new experience, let alone winning.

Complete article

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:40 AM

CHARLESTON -- April Ross was on fire as she and Jennifer Boss quickly dispatched Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder, the No. 2 team, during the evening beach volleyball quarterfinals at the AVP 2008 Crocs Tour on May 9.

It was a high impact way to start and finish the first match of the evening, as the No. 3 seeded duo won 21-17, 21-13 showcasing some serious technique.

"I got into a groove blocking, April got into a groove digging," Boss said. "She was so gnarly."

The team was relentless and never let up, leading throughout the match. Boss admitted to making few errors, adding that her partner's serving was "unbelievable." They are currently third in Olympic qualifying points and will go on to the semifinals to face the winner of the Dianne DeNecochea and Barbra Fontana battle in the contender's game against No. 7 seed Carrie Dodd and Tatiana Minello. Turner and Wacholder will also head to the contender's bracket to battle it out with No. 4 seed Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annet Davis. The winner will advance to Saturday's semifinal and the loser will place fifth in the tournament. Turner and Wacholder are currently fourth to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

At the end of evening, Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs, the No. 1 team, defeated fifth seeded DeNecochea and Fontana after an initial scare by 21-17, 17-21, 15-9.

"It was a little slow in the first set but we just found it in ourselves," Branagh said. "In the first match, I wasn't hitting. But we didn't crumble we stuck to it and picked up. Elaine did a great job."

The number one team now advances to semifinals to play the victor of the Davis-Johnson Jordan match against Turner and Wacholder.

The "groove" seemed to be the theme of the evening on Friday night at the Circle Cup Tennis Center on Daniel Island. The crowd received a little something extra, having the opportunity to see the Beach Girls in their debut performance. The troupe is a double-threat singing, dancing pop quintet designed to perk up the audience between matches with funky dance moves and some original songs to entertain the whole family.

The ticket holders were then pleased by the invincible team of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. It was no surprise they advanced to the semifinal after defeating No. 4 seed Nick Lucena and Sean Scott 21-16, 21-15. The popular Dalhausser was ever present at the net to block while Rogers powered his serves through. Lucena and Scott will face the winner of the Pedro Brazao/Jose Loiola match against Matt Olson and Kevin Wong for fifth place. Tonight was a poignant loss for Lucena, however, as he was Dalhausser's first partner when he started playing the tour. The two lived with Adam Roberts in Myrtle Beach before Dalhausser started his professional career in beach volleyball.

Dalhausser and Rogers have not lost a game the whole year, which puts them on schedule to win their fourth event in a row without dropping a match.

Both Dalhausser/Rogers and Branagh/Youngs have won all of their games so far in the Holy City. They are eighth in the race to qualify for Beijing.

Complete article

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:41 AM

On the last day of the 2008 AVP Crocs Tour Charleston Open, the heat and humidity kicked in and the smell of confederate Jessamine scented the air. It provided heady excitement for the semifinals at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island.

The big wins for the day feature the men's and women's top seeds that will advance to tonight's finals.

Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs will take on third-seeded Jen Boss and April Ross, while undefeated Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers will take on rising No. 3 seed Stein Metzger and Mark Williams. Both Branagh/Youngs and Dalhausser/Rogers have appeared in the finals of all four AVP Crocs Tour tournaments this season.

In women's semifinals, the No. 1 and 2 contenders faced off for 44 intense minutes. Branagh/Youngs turned it on and triumphed over Rachel Wacholder/Tyra Turner 21-15, 21-19. "We just started serving strong," Branagh said. "In the first game our serving was on and in the second game we got into a little bit of trouble."

Complete article

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:43 AM

The life of a professional beach volleyball player involves more than sand and sunny days. Unless players are in the top tiers and winning big prize money they are looking for sponsorship or making the Herculean effort to work and play full-time.

Sponsored athletes wear logo bathing suits and sport temporary message tattoos on their arms using their bodies as walking advertisements. Before they are picked up, however, some athletes have to pay their own way.

A.J. Mihalic is an engineer. Early in his career, the 32-year-old worked for a company and competed, but he couldn't maintain the hours and was let go. So he started consulting.

Complete article

**truebluefan** · 05-11-2008, 06:44 AM

The Lowcountry's hottest beach destination came alive tonight for the finals of the AVP Crocs Tour Charleston. The top seeded teams of Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers and Nicole Branagh/Elaine Youngs took on the third seeded teams of Stein Metzger/Mark Williams and Jen Boss/April Ross in the conclusion of South Carolina's only professional beach volleyball tournament, with the number one seeds emerging victorious.

On the men's side, the top seeds again prevailed. Though tonight marked Williams' first finals appearance in his eight-plus seasons on the AVP Crocs Tour, he and Metzger simply could not stop the Tour's most dominant male team as Rogers and Dalhausser won by a score of 21-19, 21-12.

"It was an awesome experience but surprisingly I wasn't nervous, I was actually more nervous in the semifinals," Williams said. "We had a chance when it was 19 all in the first game but they got me into a lot of trouble siding out. Hopefully I'll learn from this experience and be able to improve."

Olympic-bound Rogers and Dalhausser have claimed first-place honors in each of the four AVP Crocs Tour events so far this year. They also did not drop a single game during the course of the Charleston event.

Comkplete article

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