A Change At The Top; WPVA Deerfield Beach Open April 19-20

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. - There has been a change at the top of Women's Professional Volleyball Association's team rankings as the tandem of Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak used their win here Sunday (April 6) to vault into the leadership position on the 1997 Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

Seeded fourth this past weekend in the $60,000 WPVA Miami Beach Open due to the participation of the top two ranked teams on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Arce and McPeak rallied from 7-3 and 12-8 deficits to down fifth-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno 15-12 to net the $14,100 first-place prize.

Arce and McPeak, who have won five Evian Tour titles in eight starts together, will be the top-seeded team at the next stop when domestic competition resumes April 19-20 at the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open at the Deerfield Beach (Fla.) International Fishing Pier.

By losing both of their matches Sunday to finish tied for fifth in the WPVA Miami Beach Open, the tandem of Barbra Fontana/Linda dropped to second in the rankings. Arce and McPeak hold a 9.5- point advantage (586.7-577.2) Fontana and Hanley, the fourth-place finishers at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Fontana and Hanley, who were eliminated from the Miami Beach competition by dropping a 15-8 decision to Kirby and Reno, had held the No. 1 Evian Tour ranking for the past five domestic events. Fontana and Hanley had maintained the tour leadership despite losing three of four tournament finals to Arce and McPeak at the end of the 1996 season.

Other top Evian Tour teams improving their ranking following the WPVA Miami Beach Open are Danalee Bragado/Christine Schaefer (sixth from seventh), Krista Blomquist/Cammy Ciarelli (eighth from 10th), Linda Chisholm/Deb Richardson (ninth from 13th) and Marsha Miller/Darina Staneva (14th from 15th).

Blomquist, who posted her best Evian Tour finish ever this past weekend, and Ciarelli placed third by defeating Chisholm and Richardson 17-15 in the Olympic Crossing consolation match. Blomquist and Ciarelli defeated the tandems of Kirby/Reno (15-6), Arce/McPeak (15-8) and Fontana/Hanley (15-10) before losing their chance for the title by dropping a 15-10 decision to Arce and McPeak earlier Sunday.

Chisholm, playing in her first WPVA event since 1992, and Richardson scored a "major" upset Saturday by defeating Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva of Brazil 15-12. The Brazilians where the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games' gold medalists. The Chisholm/Richardson team scored a 17-15 win over Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil, the No. 2-ranked FIVB team behind Pires/Silva, Sunday.

Pires and Silva were ousted early Sunday by Bragado and Schaefer 15-11 while Bede and Behar dropped a 15-4 elimination match to Arce and McPeak, who are ranked fifth on the FIVB circuit.