Rach/Tyra are Seoul Survivors!!!

I saw this article on bvbinfo.com and I thought I'd post it to the blog! I'm stoked for them!

http://www.fivb.org/en/Infomedia/PressReleaseDB.asp?No=16561&Language=0

Americans Turner & Wacholder score Seoul surprise


Americans Tyra Turner (left) and Rachel Wacholder (right) with their coach Kerri Pottharst, a three-time Olympian for Australia
Seoul, Korea, May 15, 2008 - After finishing a disappointing 13th in the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour season opener at the end of March, Americans Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder were looking to improve their play on the international Beach Volleyball circuit starting here Thursday at the US$175,000 Seoul Open.

"We were expecting a lot more in Australia, but we did not deliver," said the 31-year old Turner after her team posted a pair of Seoul Open Main Draw wins Thursday to guarantee a ninth this week at the third Asian Confederation event on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar.

"Today we played a lot better, especially in the second match against the Brazilians," said Turner, who is competing in her ninth SWATCH FIVB World Tour event with Wacholder as the 13th-seeded team in the Seoul Open Main Draw. "We let the first set get away from us after leading the Brazilians 17-11. Rachel started setting me higher and we were able to comeback against a very good team."

The Brazilians Turner was talking about were Talita Antunes and Renata Ribiero, who captured the last women's SWATCH FIVB World Tour event in China two weeks ago where they defeated compatriots Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca in the Shanghai finale. Thursday, Turner and Wacholder upset Talita and Renata 19-21, 21-19 and 15-12 in 48 minutes.

With their second SWATCH FIVB World Tour win over Talita and Renata in as many meetings, Turner and Wacholder challenge fifth-seeded Chen Xue and Xi Zhang of China in the third-round of the winner's bracket on the sand courts at the Han River Jamsil Citizen Park. It will be the third meeting between the two teams with the Chinese winning both times, including a three-set victory in Adelaide.

"Rachel and Tyra were a mess in Australia," said Kerri Pottharst, who is coaching the Americans after competing in three Olympic Beach Volleyball competitions for Australia with two medals (Atlanta 1996 bronze and Sydney 2000 gold). "I started coaching the Americans at the end of February and they needed time to adjust to my methods. Results are not always immediate as everyone needed a period of time to adapt to each other."

The winner of the China-United States match will face either top-seeded Juliana and Larissa or eighth-seeded Tamsin Barnett and Natalie Cook of Australia for a spot in Saturday's semi-finals. The Brazilians, who defeated Talita and Renata in the Adelaide final, trail Barnett and Cook in the SWATCH series 2-1. In the first meeting with Juliana and Larissa, Barnett and Cook upset the Brazilians at the 2007 Seoul Open when the Australians captured the gold medal by upsetting Jia Tian and Jie Wang in the finals.

In the lower half of the Seoul Open winner's bracket, two American teams will be competing against tandems from Brazil and China for the second semi-final berth to be determined late Friday afternoon. Second-seeded Nicola Branagh/Elaine Youngs face American rivals Jen Boss/April Ross in an opening third-round match with the winner facing either third-seeded Tian/Wang or sixth-seeded Shelda Bede/Ana Paula Connelly of Brazil.

Branagh and Youngs have won 10 of 13 Beach Volleyball matches with Boss and Ross, who hold a 2-1 edge in SWATCH meetings with their American rivals. In their last FIVB meeting in Brazil last September, Boss and Ross won, but Branagh and Youngs eventually finished third on the podium in Fortaleza after losing to Juliana and Larissa in the semi-finals. Shelda and Ana Paula have never played Tian and Wang.

Including Talita and Renata, 16 other teams remain in contention for the $28,000 first-place as each has one defeat in the double-elimination Seoul Open. Friday's schedule will feature 22 matches highlighted by the winner's bracket quarter-final contests to determine the first two semi-final berths for Seoul Open. Before Saturday's semi-finals, four elimination matches will be played to advance the last two teams to the "final four."

While the women compete in Asia, the men's SWATCH FIVB World Tour is in Europe (Roseto degli Abruzzi) for the third annual $175,000 Italian Open presented by Abruzzo. Both circuits compete at different sites next week in Japan (women) and Croatia (men) before the next double gender event in Barcelona, Spain (May 26-June 1).