Hahana Beach to Play Host to the Country’s Top Beach Volleyball Players

CINCINNATI (Aug. 29, 2011) --- The 2011 beach volleyball champions will be crowned this week during the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball, presented by Corona Light, as the top U.S. beach volleyball players from across the United States converge on the sands of Hahana Beach in Cincinnati, September 2, 3 and 4. A total of 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams will vie for part of $150,000 in prize money with $22,500 going to each of the men’s and women’s championship teams.

                  Going into the open weekend 14 men’s and 14 women’s teams will have qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball (qualification process information can be found at www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com). Winners from each of the Corona Light Wide Open (CLWO) Tour events have earned spots in the field of play, while the winners of this week’s Manhattan Beach Open, taking place in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Aug. 26-28, will round out the 14^th men’s and women’s teams.

                  Before U.S. Open play begins, a qualifying event will take place at the Hahana Beach venue on Thursday, Sept. 1 to determine the final two men’s and women’s team to make the final fields of 16. More information on the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball can be found at www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com.

                  The U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball launched in 2007 as a collaborative effort between volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and The Elevation Group, and is joined in 2011 by ReachUSA. USA Volleyball sanctions the tournament and 2011 will be the first year for the event to take place in Cincinnati. A variety of activities will take place in conjunction with open play. Corona Light will present musician Kelley James on Saturday while Spalding and Dick’s Sporting Goods are offering a free youth clinic by gold medalists Karch Kiraly and Todd Rogers. 

Tournament Headlines:

·       The duo of Sean Scott, from Honolulu, and John Hyden, of San Diego, swept the  2011 CLWO beach volleyball tournaments and festivals schedule, scoring their most recent victory in Hermosa Beach, Calif., on Aug. 21. As one of the top teams, the Scott-Hyden tandem are riding a wave of momentum into this weekend’s tournament and return to Cincinnati where in 2010 they scored the win in the Cincinnati Open.

·       The only thing that may be standing in the way of Scott and Hyden this weekend is Redondo Beach, Calif.’s Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena of Santa Barbara, Calif. Fuerbringer and Lucena are ranked second in USA Volleyball Beach Team Rankings, behind Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers and will start U.S. Open play as the top-seeded team.

·       Ty Loomis, of Corona Del Mar, Calif., and Mark Williams enter the U.S. Open as the one of the only teams to have gotten a game off of Scott and Hyden in CLWO play (North Avenue Beach in Chicago) and hope to pull an upset this weekend. Loomis was a four-time CLWO tour winner in 2010 while his Australian teammate Williams represented his native country in the 2004 Olympics.

·       Matt Prosser of Long Beach, Calif., was one part of the runner-up team during the 2010 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball. This year he teams with John Mayer, Culver City, Calif., and will try to take the 2011 title.

·       One of the top women’s teams going into U.S. Open play is the duo of Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik. Kropp, from Hawthorne, Calif., and Pavlik, Laguna Beach, Calif., captured two of the 2011 CLWO titles, winning in Seaside Heights, N.J., and the North Avenue Beach event in Chicago. The Kropp-Pavlik team is the sixth-ranked team in USA Volleyball Player Rankings.

·       One of the teams to score a win over Kropp and Pavlik during the 2011 CLWO tour is the pairing of Brittany Hochevar, Hermosa Beach, Calif., and Lisa Rutledge, San Diego. Hochevar and Rutledge, ranked 13^th and 14^th respectively, topped Kropp and Pavlik earlier this year during the CLWO event in Siesta Key, Fla., in June.

·       The U.S. Open Women’s Title could be forced to go through the country’s second-ranked team of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross. Kessy, San Clemente, Calif., and Ross, Costa Mesa, Calif., are ranked second behind the top-ranked volleyball duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor and will be the top-seeded team next weekend. Kessy and Ross return to Hahana Beach as the 2010 winners of the Cincinnati Open.

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Media Contact:

Penny Copen Fender at O:704.632.2003/M: 704.728.7596 Email: pcopen-fender@elevationgrp.com

Charlie Severe at 513.794.4120

Scott and Hyden Grab Corona Light Wide Open Title in Hermosa Beach;

Batt and Sweat Win Their First Wide Open Title in the Women’s Open Division

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (Aug. 21, 2011) --- Sean Scott and John Hyden completed their clean sweep of the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open beach volleyball tournaments and festivals, defeating the Brazilian duo of Fred Souza and Rodrigo Monteiro, 21-12, 21-12 in action Sunday at the Hermosa Beach Pier.

                  Sunday’s win in Hermosa Beach allowed Scott, from Honolulu Hawaii, and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif., to close out their string of championships at the four Corona Light Wide Open events held this summer.  The duo went undefeated the entire Corona Light Open season and previously captured Wide Open titles at Siesta Key, Fla., Seaside Heights, N. J. and Chicago, Ill.

                  In the women’s final, Kristen Batt, of Venice, Fla., and Brooke Sweat, from Estero, Fla., picked up their first Wide Open title, defeating Priscilla Lima, of Brazil and Annett Davis, from Long Beach, Calif., 21-18, 21-16.  The No. 3 seeds, Batt and Sweat defeated Tracy Jones and Jennifer Fopma in the semifinals and got some help from Lima and Davis in the other semifinal when Lima and Davis ousted top seeds Whitney Pavlik and Jenny Kropp. 

                  Action was played Saturday in several amateur divisions.  The Redondo Beach Calif. tandem of Landon Tusiesiena and Jeffrey Dudlik won the Men’s AA divisions, while the Women’s AA division champions were the Chicago, Ill. team of Jennifer Solm and Alex Brown.  The Men’s A division champions were Jeff Urton, of Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., and Bobby Jones, from Santa Monica, Calif.  The Women’s A division title was captured by Pamela Scovill, of Charlotte, N. C. and Katherine Shorey, from Scottsdale, Ariz.    Jon Aharoni, from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Salamon Scrfati, from Mexico, won the Men’s B division and the Women’s Novice division winners were Dianna Decaisto, of Venice, Calif., and DJ Decaisto, of Santa Monica, Calif.

                  In co-ed action, Aurora Skarra-Gallagher, of Santa Cruz, Calif., and David Fischer, from Oxnard, Calif., won the Co-ed Open division and Valerie Mallevergne, from Brazil, and Mike Johnson, of Brentwood, Calif. won the Co-ed A division.

                  More than 2,000 players competed in the four Corona Light Wide Open events this summer.  In addition to this weekend’s tournament and beach festival in Hermosa Beach, events were held in Siesta Key, Fla., Seaside Heights, N. J. and Chicago, Ill. 

                  Full draws from the men’s and women’s open divisions and a list of winners from the amateur divisions at all of the Corona Light Wide Open events are available at www.coronalightwideopen.com . 

List of Winners from the Corona Light Wide Open in Hermosa Beach, Calif. – August 20 and 21, 2011

Men’s Open – Sean Scott, Honolulu, Hawaii and John Hyden, San Diego, Calif.

Women’s Open – Kristin Batt, Venice, Fla. and Brooke Sweat, Estero, Fla.

Co-ed Open -- Aurora Skarra-Gallagher, Santa Cruz, Calif., and David Fischer, Oxnard, Calif.

Men’s AA _- Landon Tusiesiena, Redondo Beach, Calif. and Jeffrey Dudlik, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Women’s AA – Jennifer Solm, Chicago, Ill. and Alex Brown, Chicago, Ill.

Men’s A – Jeff Urton, Santa Ynez Valley, Calif. and Bobby Jones, Santa Monica, Calif.

Women’s A – Pamela Scovill, Charlotte, N. C. and Katherine Shorey, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Men’s B – Jon Aharoni, Honolulu, Hawaii and Salamon Scrfati, Mexico

Women’s Novice – Dianna Decaisto, Venice, Calif., and DJ Decaisto, Santa Monica, Calif.

Co-ed A -- Valerie Mallevergne, Brazil, and Mike Johnson, Brentwood, Calif.

CHICAGO, ILL. (Aug. 16, 2011) --- This weekend Sean Scott and John Hyden will attempt to complete a clean sweep of the Men’s Open division championships at all four Corona Light Wide Open professional beach volleyball events when the Wide Open returns to Hermosa Beach, Calif. for three days of professional volleyball action Aug. 20 – 22 at the Hermosa Beach Pier.

                Scott, from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif. have not lost a match and have lost only one game all season en route to winning the Corona Light Wide Open titles at Siesta Key, Fla., Seaside Heights, N.J., and Chicago, Ill. 

                Among the teams lining up for a shot at Scott and Hyden are Aaron Wachtfogel and Bill Strickland; Ty Loomis and Mark Williams, who have been the only team to get a game off of Scott and Hyden and Tim Wooliver and Colin Kazlow, who picked up two titles on the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open.

                There are several other teams entered that have a good chance of doing well this weekend, including former Olympian and international star Kevin Wong, who is partnered with Steve VanderWerp, Matt Olson and Jeff Nygaard and Scott Lane will team with Casey Jennings in the Men’s Open draw.

The Men’s and Women’s Open divisions will share a purse of $75,000 with $11,250 going to the winners in each of the elite divisions.  International volleyball rules will be used and seeding will be based on current USA Volleyball Beach Player Rankings.

Both the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions will be limited to 32 teams and players will be seeded and placed in the draws based on the current USA Volleyball Beach Player Rankings.

                The Corona Light Wide Open is a weekend festival of beach volleyball, music and fun and is making its annual stop in Southern California.  The nationwide tour was created, in part, by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and features an appearance by Brian Lewis, a former No. 1 player in the world. 

                Play will be held in 11 different two-person divisions.  In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 250 players are expected to take part in amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.

                Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com.  Online entry is available until 2 p.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 19.   Open division teams must register before 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, August 17.  

                The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group. 

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Scott and Hyden Pick Up Third Corona Light Wide Open Title With Win Over Mayer and Prosser in Chicago; Kropp and Pavlik Win Women’s Open Crown

CHICAGO, ILL. (July 31, 2011) --- Sean Scott and John Hyden picked up their third consecutive Corona Light Wide Open title defeating John Mayer and Matt Prosser 21-16, 22-20 to capture the Men’s Open division in beach volleyball action Sunday at North Avenue Beach in Chicago.

Scott, from Honolulu, Hawaii and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif., survived a scare earlier Sunday when they lost their first Wide Open game of the season, a 21-19 setback to Ty Loomis and Mark Williams, but bounced back winning games two and three, and then posted a win over Braidy Halverson and Adam Roberts in the semifinals to advance to the final against Mayer, from Culver, City, Calif., and Prosser, of Long Beach, Calif.

In the Women’s Open division, Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik picked up their second Corona Light Wide Open title with a 21-11, 21-16, win over the No. 3 seeded team of Tracy Jones, of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Jennifer Fopma, from Bellflower, Calif. Kropp, from Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Pavlik, of Laguna Beach, Calif., were the top seeded team in the Women’s Open division and also won the title at the Wide Open event in Seaside Heights, N. J.

Action was held over the weekend in several amateur divisions. Winners in the Men’s A division were Robert Ritchie, from Ft. Myers, Fla., and Donny Bass, of Naples, Fla. The Women’s A championship was won by Elisa Joris, from Walled Lake, Mich., and Angie Wannemacher, of Toledo, Ohio. The Men’s BB division was captured by Mark Higginson, of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Garrett Rasmussen, of Ft. Myers, Fla., while the Men’s B crown went to Carlos Araujo, from Redondo Beach, Calif., and Juan Silva, of Huntington Beach, Calif.
In Two-person co-ed action, Bill and Julie Kolinske, both from Big Bend, Wis. Won the Co-ed Open title, while Brian Wade, from Loogootee, Ind., and Autumn Strawn, of Cannelburg, Ind. took the title in the Co-ed BB division.

The Corona Light Wide Open tour now moves to Hermosa Beach, Calif. for the fourth and final event of the season. Two days of beach volleyball action are planned for Hermosa Beach on August 20 and 21.
For more information on the Corona Light Wide Open and to register for future events, visit www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com.

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Results from Corona Light Wide Open, Chicago, Ill., July 30 and 31, 2011
Men’s Open – Sean Scott, Honolulu, Hawaii and John Hyden, San Diego, Calif.
Women’s Open – Jenny Kropp, Manhattan Beach, Calif. and Whitney Pavlik, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Co-ed Open – Brian Kolinske, Big Bend, Wis. and Julie Kolinske, Big Bend, Wis.
Men’s A – Robert Ritchie, Ft. Myers, Fla., and Donny Bass, Naples, Fla.
Women’s A – Elisa Joris, Walled Lake, Mich., and Angie Wannemacher, of Toledo, Ohio
Men’s BB – Mark Higginson, Bonita Springs, Fla., and Garrett Rasmussen, Ft. Myers, Fla.
Men’s B – Carlos Araujo, Redondo Beach, Calif., and Juan Silva, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Co-ed A – Still playing
Co-ed BB -- Brian Wade, Loogootee, Ind. and Autumn Strawn, Cannelburg, Ind. Media Contact: Tip Nunn – TipNunn@comcast.net