Full details at - http://Volleyball.ORG/

HANLEY & STRATON CAPTURE THE SUNKIST OPEN AT MUSKEGON WOMEN'S TITLE;
HOMETOWN FAVORITE DOBLE NETS MEN'S CROWN WITH LEGRANDE

MUSKEGON, MICH. - Seventh-seeded Linda Hanley and Sarah Straton captured
their first Association of Volleyball Professionals' women's title together
here Sunday (July 15) while local favorite Brent Doble teamed with Lee
LeGrande to claim the men's championship in The Sunkist Open at Muskegon.

Hanley, who at 41 is believed to be the oldest woman to ever win a pro beach
title, and Straton had to win two elimination matches early Sunday to
advance to the semi-finals where they scored a 12-21, 21-17 and 16-14 over
second-seeded Barbra Fontana and Elaine Youngs. Hanley and Straton claimed
the $14,000 first-place prize with a 23-21, 15-21 and 18-16 win in 75
minutes over top-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak, who split $9,250 for
second.

Seeded fourth in the men's Main Draw, Doble and LeGrande won all six of
their matches on the Pere Marquette Park courts to capture the $14,000
first-place prize. In capturing their second pro beach title together, Doble
and LeGrande scored a 21-16 and 23-21 win in 49 minutes over second-seeded
Canyon Ceman and Mike Whitmarsh in the finals.

Hanley's title Sunday was her 20th career crown and first since 1998 when
she and Fontana teamed to win an international event in Portugal. A pair of
beach Olympians, Hanley was fourth with Fontana in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic
Games while Straton played for Australia last September. Straton, who won
her first title since starting beach play in 1994, competed with Annette
Huygens Tholen in the Sydney 2000 Games where they placed 17th.

Arce and McPeak, who were seeking their 16th pro beach title together,
advanced to the title match like Hanley and Stration by winning two
elimination matches Sunday morning before scoring a 21-13 and 21-12 win over
DeNecochea and Stammer.

Fontana and Youngs, who had won four-straight matches this season over
Hanley and Straton, shared the $6,600 third-place prize with a 21-11 and
21-12 win over ninth-seeded Dianne DeNecochea and Wendy Stammer. DeNecochea
and Stammer shared $4,850 for fourth-place as the pair posted their best pro
beach finish.

Doble and LeGrande advanced to the finals with a 21-15 and 21-16 win over
11th-seeded Daniel Cardenas and Jim Nichols. Ceman and Whitmarsh rebounded
from a Saturday loss to Albert Hannemann and Sean Scott to advance to the
finals with a 22-20, 19-21 and 15-4 win over the Saturday victors in the
second men's semi-finals.

LeGrande's title was his third championship since winning his first with
Doble, a Michigan Tech grad, in April 2000 in Delray Beach, Fla. Ceman, a
1998 Muskegon winner with Mark Kerins, and Whitmarsh finished second for the
second-straight AVP event as the pair dropped the June 17 title match in
Huntington Beach, Calif.

Ceman and Whitmarsh, who captured the Silver Medal at the 1996 Atlanta
Olympic Games, shared $9,250 for second. Hannemann and Scott shared $6,600
for winning the third-place match by defeating Cardenas and Nichols 21-17
and 21-10. Cardenas, who joined Scott in posting their best ever pro beach
finishes, and Nichols split $4,850 for fourth-place.

Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Gold Medallists,
placed ninth in The Sunkist Open at Muskegon after losing their opening
match Sunday to 12th-seeded Paul Baxter and Jason Ring 13-21, 21-19 and
16-14. The Olympic champions had just returned from fourth-straight
international matches in Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Norway, and will
return to Europe for events in France, Portugal, Austria and Belgium.

Brighton Entertainment of New York, N. Y., taped The Sunkist Open at
Muskegon action for replay July 23 on FOX Sports Net. The Muskegon event was
the third of eight stops on the 2001 AVP Pro Beach Vollebyall Tour. The
Sunkist Open at Muskegon was Round 3 of the men's competition and Round 2
for the women. The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour is at Belmar, N. J., next
weekend (July 20-22) followed by a stop in Virginia Beach, Va. (July 27-29).

Full details at - http://Volleyball.ORG/

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