ESPINHO, PORTUGAL - Led by sixth-seeded Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs, five teams from the Women's Professional Volleyball Association won four of eight matches in the opening two rounds of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event here Friday (August 1).

The FIVB stop is missing several teams from the WPVA's as eight tandems begin play Saturday (August 2) in the eighth annual Evian Invitational at East Quogue, N. Y.

Masakayan and Youngs, who teamed to win the last WPVA event in Chicago, Ill. July 13, opened with a 15-1 win over ZeMaria and Sarmento of Portugal followed by a 15-11 win over WPVA rival and 11th-seeded Pat Keller and Ali Wood.

With the two wins, Masakayan and Youngs advance to a championship bracket quarter-final match Saturday against third-seeded Monica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel of Brazil, the silver medalists from the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Keller and Wood won their opening round match by defeating 22nd- seeded Denise Koelliker and Katia Neeser of Switzerland 15-12. With the second-round defeat, Keller and Wood remain in the competition in the contender's bracket with three other WPVA tandems of 10th-seeded Danalee Bragado/Marla O'Hara, 12th-seeded Jennifer Meredith and Leanne Schuster and Desiree Leipham/Tee Williams.

Meredith and Schuster, who won five-straight qualifying matches Wednesday and Thursday to advance to their first international main draw event together, scored a 15-5 opening win Friday over Martina Hudcova and Tereza Tobiasova of the Czech Republic before losing 15-3 to fifth-seeded Maike Friedrichsen and Danja Musch of Germany.

Bragado and O'Hara, who finished fifth in last weekend's FIVB event in Marseille, France, were upset 15-12 in their opening round match by 23rd-seeded Danielle Gattelli and Lucilla Perrotta of Italy.

The WPVA's ninth-ranked tandem, Bragado and O'Hara face USA rivals and 31st-seeded Desiree Leipham and Tee Williams in a contender's match later Friday. Leipham and Williams dropped a 15-0 decision to second-seeded Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva of Brazil, the gold medalists at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.