DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. - Top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak captured their third-straight Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour event Sunday (April 20) by winning the $50,000 WPVA Deerfield Beach Open.

Arce and McPeak, who won the last Evian Tour event in 1996 along with the 1997 season opener April 6 in Miami Beach, Fla., was the only team among the top four seeds to survive the "upset" bug this weekend as the double-elimination tournament featured 17 seed break-throughs.

Winners of five of the last six Evian Tour events, Arce and McPeak defeated seventh-seeded Gail Castro and Gayle Stammer 15-9 in the championship match to share the $11,000 first-place prize. Castro and Stammer, who scored three upset wins this weekend, split $8,100 for second.

The win was the 41st in McPeak's career, including 18 on the Evian Tour. All seven of Arce's professional beach volleyball titles have been with McPeak, who finished fifth with Reno at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Castro, who finished ninth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Deb Richardson, was competing in her first title match since 1994 when she finished second in July with Elaine Roque. Stammer's last title match was last June at Ocean City, Md. with Janice Harrer.

In the third-place match, sixth-seeded Danalee Bragado and Christine Schaefer scored a 15-3 win over fifth-seeded Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt-Knoop. The win netted Bragado/Schaefer $5,700 while Roque and Knoop split $4,100. Arce and McPeak advanced to the finals with a 15-5 win over Bragado and Schaefer while Castro and Stammer outlasted Roque and Shupryt-Knoop 15-11.

Second-seeded Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley, third-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno and fourth-seeded Karrie Poppinga and Angela Rock were eliminated earlier Sunday. Kirby and Reno finished fifth after being eliminated 15-12 to Roque and Knoop.

The tandems of Fontana/Hanley and Poppinga/Rock tied for ninth. Fontana and Hanley were eliminated 15-12 by Kirby and Reno while 11th-seeded Linda Chisholm and Deb Richardson ousted Poppinga and Rock 15-4. Chisholm and Richardson finished tied for fifth.

The seventh-place finishers at the WPVA Deerfield Beach Open also posted career best placements. Evian Tour rookies Annette Davis and Jenny Johnson, who had to qualify for this weekend's event as the 36th-seeded team, were eliminated 15-7 by Chisholm and Richardson. Also finished seventh were 14th-seeded Valinda Hilleary and Beth Schuler were ousted 15-8 by Kirby and Reno.