Martin-Lessard Top 16
Marie-Andrée Lessard in Gstaad, Switzerland
Canadian women’s beach volleyball team of Annie Martin and Marie-Andree Lessard had two surprise wins Wednesday at the 1-to-1-energy Grand Slam FIVB World Tour event being held in Gstaad, Switzerland.
After beating out the Maria Clara-Carol of Brazil (2-1) and Forrer-Schmocker of Switzerland (2-0), the Canadian team clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.
The US$600,000 1-to-1-energy Grand Slam began with a women’s Qualification Tournament to determine the final eight teams for the opening Main Draw rounds featuring pool play to set the field for a 24-team elimination bracket.
The 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Tour features $7.39-million in prize money and continues through the fall with the men’s final event in China and the women’s last stop in Thailand. Following Gstaad, the next three weeks will also feature Grand Slam action in Russia, France and Austria.
Lessard-Martin [26] played and lost early Saturday to third ranked Larissa-Juliana of Brazil the eventual silver medalists, 2-0 (21-8, 21-13). The winning team Talita-Antonelli BRA [2] will share the $43,500 first-place prize. Branagh-Youngs USA [4] took the bronze medal.
VC
photo: Courtesy www.fivb.org
