Evian Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Opens This Weekend In Miami Beach

The Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour opens the 1997 domestic campaign this weekend (April 4-6) when the top teams from the United States host the top two teams from Brazil on South Beach in Miami Beach, Fla.

Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games' gold medalists, head the list of entries when competition opens Saturday (April 6) at 9 a.m. (EST) with the 32-team main draw.

Five volleyball courts will be formed by the WPVA's Operations staff at South Beach (12th and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach) with qualifying rounds to determine the final four seeds in the main draw set for 1 p.m. Friday (April 4).

The double-elimination tournament concludes Sunday (April 6) with 12 teams competing in the final rounds starting at 8 a.m. The tournament final is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

The Miami Beach event, the first of 14 stops on the 1997 Evian Tour, will also feature the Brazilian tandem of Shelda Bede/Adriana Behar along with top WPVA teams of Barbra Fontana/Linda Hanley and Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak.

Pires and Silva will be making their first WPVA tour appearance together at the Miami Beach. The WPVA will also be making its first Miami Beach stop since 1989 when Silva teamed with Patty Dodd to win the July 1-2 event.

Pires and Silva are currently ranked No. 1 on the FIVB's Beach Volleyball World Championship-Series tour with the Bede/Behar and Arce/McPeak tandems second and fifth, respectively.

Pires and Silva won the second FIVB event of the 1997 season by downing Bede and Behar 12-9 and 12-5 in the Melbourne, Australia finals March 16 as Arce and McPeak finished third by downing WPVA rivals Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock 15-4.

Arce and McPeak lost the championship match in the 1997 international opener at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil February 16 by losing 12-5, 4-12 and 12-7 to Adriana Rodrigues and Monica Samuel of Brazil. Arce and McPeak defeated Pires and Silva 17-15 in Rio to earn a spot in the finals.

Silva, who has won 10 international event titles with Pires, is no stranger to the WPVA tour as she won 41 Evian Tour events over a six-season period (1987-92) with seven different partners. Silva posted 62 final four finishes in 72 WPVA events.

McPeak, the WPVA's most valuable player and top defender the past two seasons, earned $150,625 in 23 domestic and international events in 1996. Her $88,025 in WPVA earnings set a single-season mark.

McPeak, who finished fifth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Nancy Reno, won nine (five with current partner Lisa Arce) overall events with one second, seven thirds and three fourths.

Hanley, who was the Evian Tour's top hitter last season, teamed with Fontana to finish fourth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games after dropping the bronze medal match to Natalie Cook and Keri Pottharst of Australia.

The Fontana/Hanley tandem finished the 1996 season as the top- ranked Evian Tour team as the pair won four of 14 domestic events together with five seconds and four thirds.

Other award winners from last season returning in 1997 are Krista Blomquist (most improved), Lynda Johnson (rookie-of-the-year), Karolyn Kirby (best setter), Reno (top blocker), Angela Rock (top server), Elaine Roque (sportwomanship) and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop (most inspirational).

Echo Entertainment of Encino, Calif., will be covering the Miami Beach event for distribution via the Prime/FOX Sports affiliates throughout the United States. Evian Natural Spring Water (Great Brands of Europe, Putnam, Conn.) is starting its second season as the tour sponsor.

The Evian Tour will return to Florida for two more events, including the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open April 19-20 and the Cybergenics Open in Orlando May 9-11.