But before I get into that, which is somewhat anticipated if the list of emails in my account is any indication, I need to finish and publish my manifesto detailing the recent demise of professional beach volleyball in our country. Sorry for the delay on that by the way, but my wife has put the kabosh on non-paid blog posting in the hope it might lead to more successful job hunting. Especially since my Universal Sports freelance gig is up in a week. If only beach volleyball could be played year round, I say! And, ummm, somebody wanted to pay me to totally cover it…

Speaking of the FIVB, why in the hell can I not find a single personality driven column about the athletes that compete on the World Tour anywhere on the internet? And more importantly, why does it feel like my laptop is going to burn off the top layer of my skin every time I rest it in on my outstretched legs? It’s straight-up killing me, no? Soon to be cancer of the quads? Anyway, I’ll be back soon. Hopefully. With a job. That pays. And allows me to blog every now and then. About Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong winning and hugging. And no longer wanting to slash each other’s Achilles tendons. And Wonger possibly no longer retiring. And Casey rediscovering his charlemagne. And, of course, whether there will be a 2011 AVP Tour and what it will look like if there is.

Enjoy the short old school doc. But don’t forget, as they say near the end, the old game died a violent death as well. It’s not the sport that needs fixing, it’s the business model we’ve never taken the time to honestly figure out. That is, if we truly want to continue doing everything in our power to grow. Which I’m not so sure about anymore. It could be time for us to be exactly who we are with only one goal in mind: being the goddam best in the world at it.

Never end a sentence with an infinitive… 

I recently flew home to visit my mother after finding out she had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Fortunately, after an emergency hysterectomy and two very stressful subsequent checkups, my mother was happily issued the best news in her 63 years of life: a clean bill of health. Immediately upon release from the hospital, she sent me a text: “Enjoy every moment and take nothing for granted. Life is too short. Get out and do everything you can, but don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses along the way.”

Classic bucket list material from a woman with one foot already out the door of the attorney’s office after drawing up the family will. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised. All of a sudden, that trip to Vermont she always wanted to take was right back where it used to be: front and center on the fall itinerary. As was her desire to finally publish the children’s novel she started years ago but never got around to finishing. Her text messages full of inspiration and hope, however, didn’t end there. “The next time the sun peeks through the clouds and shines down directly on top of you, trust it and do whatever it asks,” she typed; accompanied by what I’m sure was the biggest smile she’s been able to produce in months.

After extensive deliberation, despite rampant, well-documented health problems of my own that initiated my early retirement, I’ve finally elected to heed her advice and officially live life to its fullest by taking that round-the-world trip I’ve always dreamed of, only with one major twist. Instead of revisiting each profoundly gorgeous location alone, I’m going to ask three fellow retired pros to join me and a portable AVP net setup as I venture back to the beaches that originally began crafting the man I am today. Because my mother’s right, we only live once, and it would be a crying shame for any beach volleyball enthusiast, let alone myself, to go to the grave with the likes of these five gems locked away in their cerebral cortex, preventing the rest of volleyball nation from ever viewing the overwhelming beauty and allure each beach possesses firsthand.

So, pack your bags and get on board. I’m about to take you on a journey into my past that includes stops at five of the most breathtaking and sport-ready beaches the world has ever seen; only, not until now has anyone taken the time to fully capitalize on them. 

First stop: Hapuna Beach, Hawaii   

Just north of Kona on the Big Island, Hapuna Beach epitomizes the type of beauty universally associated with the sandy shores lining Hawaii’s amazing archipelago. Sure, its sand is white and its water is clear, and no tourist has ever walked away unhappy, but what makes Hapuna special to me personally doesn’t have anything to do with its marvelous, unparalleled aesthetics. Instead, it has to do with a moment – moment that symbolizes my first true celebration of athletic greatness.

The night before we arrived at Hapuna Beach, the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team played an exhibition match against the eventual 1997 National Champion Stanford Cardinal and I sniffed the court for the first time as a collegiate athlete mid-way through the third set, after being down 0-2. Not only did I somehow remain on the court until the final kill went down late in the fifth, but I ended up being an integral part in turning the ship around that eventually lead us to victory. To say that is a night I will never forget is a gross understatement, and that’s what made my day so special at Hapuna Beach less than 24 hours later.

It was almost as if this young skinny kid out of Iowa, with one of the world’s worst haircuts, suddenly knew everything about body surfing and going O.T.T. on a world class triple block. When in actuality, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. In fact, things were going so well, I’m almost positive I wasn’t even conscious on the court. But I certainly wasn’t afraid to close my eyes, swing away and enjoy the ride. And that day, after I emerged from the water, farmer’s tan glowing like a Hanes Beefy White Tee stuck to my skin, I vowed to one day return and enjoy Hapuna’s sand once again. Only this time, I’m bringing the volleyball with me and reliving two of my fondest memories simultaneously. Who knows, maybe I’ll even call some of the old ’97 Rainbows while I’m there, just to have a potluck when we’re done.

Second Stop: Wilson’s Promontory, Australia 

In 1994, I participated in a Youth for Understanding international exchange program that landed me in the spectacularly beautiful country of Australia. During my short stint at Coomoora Secondary College, just east of Melbourne in a suburb named Keysborough, I was lucky enough to attend a revolutionary class titled Outdoor Education. My instructor’s name was Peter Wagner and he was one of those guys that gets the nod later in life when unassuming students like myself get asked, “so, who made a significant impact on your life as a youth and why?” Well, I’ll tell you why. After one of our first field trips, Mr. Wagner looked me square in the face and asked, “Where to next?” At the time, I honestly didn’t know, so I responded quite insipidly, “I guess back home?” What he said next stuck with me, “No chance. If you’re here at 17, you’ll be halfway done with the rest of the globe by 25.” He was right. Well before my 25th birthday, I had managed to live in Belgium, Italy and Bahrain for three months apiece during summer breaks and spent a glorious year in Taiwan teaching English following graduation. And with each weekend off came a spastic train-based escapade to as many neighboring nations as I could legitimately place my toes in and claim as my own.

But that’s not what I remember most about Mr. Wagner and Outdoor Ed. The third excursion of the semester took our 25-student class to a place known only as “The Prom” – short for Wilson’s Promontory – or as I recall, the most stunningly gorgeous National Park in history. We hiked in with rucksacks the size of Volkswagens, packed full with all our clothing, food and camping equipment for the week. What we brought in, we brought out; littering was not an option. After a long day’s hike from Tidal River to Sealer’s Cove, we’d make camp, cook our endless supply of two-minute noodles and head to the ocean for a midnight swim. Just imagine, if you will, being 17 and cruising with 24 other students in one of the most beautiful natural settings ever preserved by man, with an ocean on all sides and beaches that know no footprints doubling as temporary starlit sleeping quarters. In fact, the sand squeaked it was so clean and pristine. We talked about the music we played over our walkmans, the movies we saw nine months after their release in the “States,” and how it was possible for a nation as large as Australia to have a population of only 20 million people. If it’s possible to fall in love in just one week, I did, with both “The Prom” and a beautiful Italian/Australian girl named Viv. And before I even stepped foot on Hapuna Beach three years later, I made a promise to one day return to Wilson’s Prom and enjoy its untainted beauty once again. Will park rangers have a problem with me setting up a court on “Squeaky Beach?” No chance; there won’t be another living soul within three kilometers to bust us.

Third Stop: Sunset Beach, Koh Phangan

The story behind Koh Phangan isn’t nearly as elaborate or emotionally charged as the last two, but that doesn’t mean I can’t wait to get back all the same. In 1996, I picked up a novel titled The Beach en route to Brussels for the summer. Written by Alex Garland in a manner so feverishly relevant, I wasn’t the only one to take notice, by any means, but I may have been one of the few to take the time and actually visit the dramatically isolated and exquisite location, Koh Phangan, from the modern-day masterpiece.

If the book is your only reference point to this somewhat estranged location on the map, Koh Phangan is the spot that acts as Richard’s last connection with civilization before he surrenders himself entirely to the search for Daffy’s mapped out mystical utopian society.

Put it this way: The Beach made me want to be an author, and Alex Garland inspired me to publish by the time I turned 26. If only I could rewind the clock. Fortunately, just stepping foot on Sunset Beach again should reinvigorate the soul enough to produce some fresh new pages of first-person narrative. And I’m not talking about the famous Half Moon Party on the other side of the island. This trip isn’t about “tripping,” it’s about setting up a net and playing the game I love with friends at a location where no one else has ever played. The only problem with Sunset Beach is once we get there, it’s so otherworldly, we’re going to want to stay awhile.

Although I’ve only been to Greece once, my memories will never fade: white homes, blue shudders, open windows, cobblestone streets, scooters, carports, endless sunshine, limitless plates of souvlaki, olive oil on everything, parties, the Greek Isles and an indescribable history intertwined with the land and its people like no other place on earth. Oh, and I forgot one thing: perfect beaches.   

Kalo Livadi is an epic stretch of sand located on the famous island of Mykonos. Its name means Good Valley and its personality lightly whispers peace and tranquility with every syllable. The only foreseeable problem with the inclusion of Kalo Livadi in my dream volley vacation is that it doesn’t necessarily follow the same rules and regulations as the rest. Bottom line: I won’t be the first to have ever played volleyball on Mykonos’ one-of-a-kind coastline. In fact, I believe I remember actually seeing permanent posts just behind the straw umbrellas and sun beds near the parking lot at the end of the beach. So, if they’re still standing, it just saves us from having to set up and take down, and allows for extra time spent relaxing post-game in the warm Mediterranean Sea or at the Taverna across the street eating fresh lobster while watching a local soccer game. And extra time in Mykonos is a spectacular thing, trust me.

Fifth Stop: Vernazza, Italy

The fourth of five small fishing villages in the Tuscan region known as Cinqua Terre, Vernazza isn’t exactly what one would call a “beach town.” In fact, it barely has a beach at all. But what it lacks in sheer space, it makes up for in magnificent character. Its neighbor to the north, Monterosso al Mare, has significantly more room to hold an actual beach volleyball court, but in this particular circumstance, I’m not interested in legroom –so to speak. Vernazza holds considerable meaning to me and the thought of playing one match beneath the eclectically colored apartment buildings, umbrella shades and suspended laundry as local Vernazzans cheer on each rally from their windowsills actually gives me goose bumps.

The last time I visited, I mapped out the exact distance required for each corner of the court and I believe there’s adequate space for exactly one 8×8 set of lines. We just won’t have much wiggle room for errant serves or shank digs. Then again, that’ll be half the beauty of playing there: getting our toes wet after a long rally.

It’s been almost 14 years since my appendix ruptured in nearby Pisa, which, as I now state out loud, sounds crazy. But as they say, time flies, and if someone would have told me back then I’d be writing an article today about vacationing in the most over-populated stretch of Italian Coast with the hope of gently sliding each and every sunbather off the sand in order to set up a volleyball net for me and three friends to spike on, I would have said they sounded even crazier. And then I would have brought out the pen and paper to begin the planning process.

My mother is right: life is short. And she didn’t need cancer to come to that conclusion. The world is meant to be traveled, circumnavigated and explored; for anyone to believe differently is madness. The sport of beach volleyball has the most beautiful backdrop of any being played on the planet and yet, avid players only tend to visit their local sand for a game so they can claim some sort of territorial right. Well, not for me, or the three ex-pros I ask to partake on this tremendous journey so I can write it off as editorial content (Jason Ring, have your phone on). But not until my health improves, so the game can return to its rightful place in my heart. I can’t be for certain when that will all go down, but when it does, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to send postcards…

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The new hub for all things international beach volley...

Thankfully, professional beach volleyball continues to take place overseas on the FIVB World Tour, despite the weekend’s happenings domestically, and I’ll still be able to report on it with my somewhat unique style, albeit at a new address. My temporary (hopefully one day permanent) home is now UniversalSports.com. My first contribution came today and covered Phil and Todd’s record-breaking eighth international victory of the season. What Dalhausser and Rogers have managed to pull off this summer is otherworldly and I can only hope their current accomplishments do not get lost in the AVP bankruptcy shuffle.

To view my first beach report for Universal Sports,  ”Phil and Todd’s season won’t be matched,” click here.     

Just because we’re hurting
Doesn’t mean we’re hurt
Doesn’t mean we didn’t get
What we deserved
No better and no worse

We just got lost
Every river that we tried to cross
Every door we ever tried was locked
Ohhh and we’re…
Just waiting ’til the shine wears off

The opening lyrics from “Lost” by Coldplay just seem fitting at this particular moment, call me crazy. To accompany, here are a couple shots from my last day in the office/warehouse, working as an editorial writer for the AVP. Saying goodbye was not easy, let me tell you, but I did make out with a couple 24 packs of Gatorade Rain. I’m just saying…

Front door of AVP offices on Knox St. in Torrance, CA.

My "desk," when not at Starbucks, otherwise known as the "front meeting table."

Upstairs workspace, post-operational shut down.

The boardroom, looking out over the warehouse.

The warehouse court, eventually meant to contain sand, if only we survived...

AVP trucks: packing up and shipping out.

One last look at the warehouse and everything necessary to run a professional beach volleyball tournament, including Gatorade.

And the doors close for the last time...

Who's not interested in a front row Red Bull rematch between last week's Grand Slam finalists on the Kaneohe Sandbar? I mean, really...

Red Bull is simply the only company out there today doing unique, creative projects with its athletes. In this instance, they took 2009 FIVB World Champions Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann to a cavern 800 ft. below sea level so they could work on their mental and physical toughness. My guess is it was more for the camera crew than Brink and Reckermann’s game, but who cares, they’re collectively putting together a sick video project for a brand that, believe it or not, cares about its gentlemen volleyers. I only hope Dalhausser and Rogers have something similar in the works this off-season. My thought is to set up a net on the Kaneaohe sandbar off the windward coast of Oahu and have Todd and Phil play Julius and Jonas in a little calf-high water volley. Tell me that wouldn’t be ridiculous. Fans chillin’ waist deep in sand chairs, passing floating coolers full of ice-cold beers back and forth in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific. I don’t know what we’re waiting for, Hawaii in September sounds perrrfect… 

Cap ready to tilt, eyes ready to close...

Back to my roots. Songs that “will change your life,” as Natalie Portman might say.

It’s a transitional period. I need some new jams. Especially for those upcoming Autumn afternoons when the car randomly stops while facing the ocean and a beautiful nap ensues; toes feeling the salt water air, eyes covered gently by the brim of my hat…

  I Was Made for Sunny Days by The Weepies

  Ageless Beauty (The Most Serene Republic) by Stars

  Long Play by Dick Prall

  Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

Stadium Court in Klagenfurt at 9:00 a.m. on a Thursday or 3:00 p.m. on a Saturday - always a packed house.

Two annual beach volleyball tournaments on this planet mean more than all the rest. In fact, they are beach volleyball. What’s odd is they happen to take place halfway around the globe from each other in two entirely different locales. But besides the two spectacular sporting events that essentially define each of their individual communities, Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Klagenfurt, Austria, have almost nothing else in common.

One is the Mecca for all of beach volleyball’s faithful disciples, with an engraved pier delicately tracing the history of the game’s greatest athletes and ambassadors, located in a southwestern region of Los Angeles known only as the South Bay. The other is the capital of the federal state of Carinthia, located on Lake Worthersee, just 27 miles and a Karawanken Mountain Range north of Slovenia. And yet, somehow, both peaceful little village towns are perfectly aware of exactly what’s required to pull off the grandest beach volleyball tournament their half of the world has ever seen. It’s uncanny to say the least, and wonderfully magnificent all the same.

I’m guessing you, fine readers of avp.com, have a basic idea what the Wimbledon of beach volleyball looks like, so I will refrain from posting any sick photos of the venue in years past. But you may, on the other hand, have no idea what Klagenfurt looks like, or that a beach volleyball tournament even takes place in Southern Austria. If that’s the case, take a look at this video and tell me you’re not ready to hit up Lufthansa for a cheap flight departing now. I seriously just got goose bumps watching that video and immediately emailed Jake Gibb with only one sentence, “Win this tournament and become a [expletive] god.”

Bottom line: the A1 Grand Slam in Klagenfurt began main draw action on Wednesday, and instead of waiting until Monday to give AVP readers a look back at how their favorite athletes did over the weekend, I’ve decided Klagenfurt is worth a daily report.

Sunday’s Action

Men

More than making up for the women, U.S. men battled it out for the gold Sunday in Klagenfurt. Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena defeated Ricardo Santos and Marcio Araujo in an epic semifinal that required extra points in the third set, 21-19, 18-21, 17-15, to earn the American duo’s first championship appearance as a team. In the finals, they faced world No. 1 Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, after they dispatched of Spain’s Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira Collada in the other semi, 25-23, 21-16.

Staying true to form, Dalhausser and Rogers prevailed in the finals, 21-18, 21-19, to give the Ventura and Solvang natives their sixth gold medal of the FIVB season and a payday of $43,500 to bring their international earnings to $284,200 on the year. Fuerbringer and Lucena settled for $29,500, their highest payday of the summer, and 720 of those all-too-important points used for standings and tournament entry. With two fifths and one second in their last three events, Matt and Nick have firmly established themselves as the No. 2 team competing for the United States on the FIVB Tour.    

Saturday’s Action

Women

Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca won gold today in Klagenfurt after defeating Germans Laura Ludwig and Sara Goller in an epic semifinal, 19-21, 33-31, 15-11, and fellow Brazilians Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima in the finals, 21-13, 21-19. The win marks the fifth time Brazil’s top team has brought home the gold.

Goller and Ludwig defeated Austrians Barbara Hansel and Sara Montagnolli, 21-15, 23-21, for the bronze; it marks their fourth podium finish of 2010. Klagenfurt marks the third-straight tournament a U.S. women’s team has failed to reach the podium.

Men

In a banner day for U.S. men, three representatives reached the quarterfinals for only the second time this season on the Swatch FIVB Tour. Starting things off were Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers with their remarkable 500th match win together over Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil, 21-18, 21-19. Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal followed suit and took down China’s Penggen Wu and Linyin Xu, 21-15, 17-21, 15-9, for their third quarterfinal of the year. And Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena once again continued their roller coaster of a season by defeating Brazilians Pedro Cunha and Thiago Santos Barbosa, 18-21, 21-19, 15-11, to advance into fifth place.

In the quarters, Fuerbringer and Lucena took a giant step towards advancing to their first international final as a team by defeating Grzegorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel of Poland, 21-18, 21-15. In the semifinals, they’ll face Marcio Araujo and Ricardo Santos of Brazil, who took down Gibb and Rosenthal in three sets, 21-17, 11-21, 15-8. The 16th-seeded Americans were only a set away from making one half of the bracket an all-American affair.

On the other side, Dalhausser and Rogers continued their magnificent streak of final fours by reaching their 11th straight semifinal with a two-set win over Spaniards Adrian Gavira Collado and Pablo Herrera, 25-23, 21-16. They’ll face Alison Cerruti and Emanuel Rego in the semis for a possible spot in the finals against fellow countrymen Fuerbringer and Lucena. It’s Brazil vs. the United States in Austria for the FIVB’s top prize. Play commences Sunday morning at 10:00.  

Friday’s Action

Women

In one of the worst days in American women’s beach volleyball history, both candidates for medals, May-Treanor/Branagh and Kessy/Ross, lost well before reaching the podium, killing any chance of a repeat silver and bronze performance from a year ago.

May-Treanor and Branagh lost their first match of the single-elimination playoffs to Austrians Barbara Hansel and Sara Montagnolli, 20-22, 19-21, on a sold-out Stadium Court. The loss gave May-Treanor and Branagh their third ninth-place finish of the season.

Kessy and Ross prevailed in their first playoff match against Kristyna Kolocova and Marketa Slukova of the Czech Republic, 21-16, 21-12, but couldn’t sustain the momentum in the quarterfinals against rivals Felisberta Silva and Franca of Brazil and lost, 21-17, 19-21, 8-15, sending Kessy and Ross to their second consecutive fifth-place finish and fourth straight non-podium finish.

In one semifinal, top seeds Felisberta Silva and Franca of Brazil will face Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig of Germany; in the other, Hansel and Montagnolli of Austria will play the surprise team of Cunha and Lima of Brazil, who came out of the qualifier and entered the main draw as the 24th seed.

Men

In Pool J, Dalhausser and Rogers elected to forfeit their third match against Maia and Rosas of Portugal after winning pool outright following their 2-0 start. This also secured a first-round bye in the playoffs and a match-up with Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands at ninth place for a shot at their 500th match win as a team. The accomplishments just keep coming for Dalhausser and Rogers, arguably one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport.

For Gibb and Rosenthal, the day started off with a disappointing three-set loss to Doppler and Mellitzer, 23-25, 21-13, 13-15, in front of the Austrians’ home crowd on Stadium Court, but it ended with a gratifying victory in the first round of the playoffs over Igor Kolodinsky and Yaroslav Koshkarev of Russia, 21-17, 18-21, 15-10, to stay alive. Next up is second-seeded Penggen Wu and Linyin Xu of China for a shot at the quarterfinals.

In Pool N, Fuerbringer and Lucena followed Gibb and Rosenthal’s lead with an untimely loss to close out pool and a huge win to open up playoffs. Their loss came against Adrian Gavira Collado and Pablo Herrera of Spain, 20-22, 21-18, 8-15, and their win against Harley Marques and Pedro Salgado of Brazil, 21-17, 21-19. Fuerbringer and Lucena now face fourth-seeded Pedro Cunha and Thiago Santos Barbsoa at ninth place.

In Pool L, Jennings and Keenan chose to forfeit their third match against Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerruti after finishing day one with a 0-2 record, mathematically eliminating themselves from advancing. They finished the event tied for 25th place. 

Thursday’s Action

Women

In Pool D, May-Treanor and Branagh finished what they started and took down Lenka Hajeckova Felbabova and Hana Klapalova of the Czech Republic, 19-21, 21-14, 15-6, to remain undefeated and emerge with a first-round bye in the single-elimination playoffs. Friday morning at 9:00, they’ll face the ninth-seeded Austrian pair of Barbara Hansel and Sara Montagnolli on Stadium Court. The atmosphere for that match is going to be insane as the native Austrians look to channel energy from the crowd for a huge upset win over the two-time gold medalist. Let’s hope May-Treanor finds inspiration from her bike rides and gets enough rest in preparation.

In Pool F, Jen Kessy and April Ross also polished off the competition, but did it in much easier fashion as their third opponent, Sanne Keizer and Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands, elected to forfeit after realizing they had already been mathematically eliminated from advancing. At ninth place in the elimination bracket, Kessy and Ross will face 16th-seeded Kristyna Kolocova and Marketa Slukova of the Czech Republic. If Kessy and Ross are victorious, they’ll most likely face top seeds, Felisberta Silva and Franca of Brazil, in the quarterfinals — a team they currently hold a disheartening 2-12 record against, with one of those wins coming in the gold medal match at the 2009 World Championships in Stavanger. So the odds are against them, but if they play like they did in Norway last year, they’ll be on the fast track to their third FIVB gold medal of the summer.

In Pool G, Angie Akers and Tyra Turner forfeited their third match after realizing they also had no way out of pool following their 0-2 start. Their withdrawal against 10th-seeded Schwaiger and Schwaiger allowed the Austrian sisters to claim the top seed out of pool and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Akers and Turner move on to Poland next week with a second unfortunate 25th place added to their points and seed resume, which doesn’t bode well considering their position in the grand slam qualifier Tuesday morning due to registration complications by USA Volleyball. More on that Monday…

In Pool A, Rutledge and Ivy came up with a huge three-set win over Kerstin Pichler and Cornelia Rimser of Austria, 13-21, 21-19, 20-18, to finish third in pool and advance to the playoffs. Regrettably, that’s where the third-set magic ran out as Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez Steiner of Spain returned the favor, 16-21, 21-14, 16-14, to send the Americans packing. Rutledge and Ivy finished the tournament tied for 17th place.

Men

In Pool J, top seeds Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers opened up play with an absolute barn-burner against fellow countrymen Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, coming out on top, 21-16, 16-21, 16-14. No strangers on the court, their first-round pool play match marked the eighth time they’ve met this year on the FIVB alone, with the gold medalists emerging victorious five times. In their second match, Dalhausser and Rogers defeated local heroes Clemens Doppler and Matthias Mellitzer of Austria in routine fashion, 21-18, 21-15. Gibb and Rosenthal bounced back to also win easily in their second match, defeating Miguel Maia and Pedro Rosas of Portugal, 21-12, 21-16. Both teams sit in excellent position to advance out of pool as competition continues Friday morning with Dalhausser and Rogers facing Maia and Rosas, and Gibb and Rosenthal taking on Doppler and Mellitzer.

In Pool N, Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena started things off with a straight-sets loss to the streaky team of Petr Benes and Premysl Kubala from the Czech Republic, 18-21, 16-21. Rebounding in the second-round, Fuerbringer and Lucena defeated Sebastian Dollinger and Stefan Windscheif of Germany in three sets, 15-21, 21-18, 15-12, to remain in the hunt for the playoffs. They’ll need a good showing against fifth-seeded Adrian Gavira Collado and Pablo Herrera of Spain Friday at 12 p.m. if they hope to advance.

And in Pool L, Casey Jennings and Brad Keenan ended opening day with a disappointing 0-2 record. Their first loss came against Harley Marques and “Vote for Pedro” Salgado of Brazil in straight sets, 17-21, 15-21. The second came at the hands of Inocencio Lario and Raul Mesa of Spain in a battle, 34-36, 14-21. The odds are now heavily stacked against them to advance out of pool as their third match will come against third-seeded Alison Cerruti and Emanuel Rego Friday morning at 11:00.

Continue to check here daily for a full report on all your favorite stars as they attempt to win the A1 Grand Slam in Klagenfurt. 

Wednesday’s Action 

Women

In Pool D, fourth-seeded Long Beach champions Misty May-Treanor and Nicole Branagh finished the day with a perfect 2-0 record. Their first victory came against Inguna Minusa and Inese Jursone of Latvia in straight sets, 21-13, 21-18, and their second, in even more dominant fashion, came at the expense of Russians Ekaterina Khomyakova and Anastasia Vasina, 21-12, 21-16. At 10 a.m. Thursday, May-Treanor and Branagh will face Lenka Hajeckova Felbabova and Hana Klapalova of the Czech Republic to close out pool play.

In Pool F, sixth-seeded Jen Kessy and April Ross, after three straight finishes off the podium on the FIVB, got back on the winning track with two victories of their own. The first came against 2000 Olympic gold medalist Natalie Cook and partner Tamsin Barnett Hinchley of Australia in three sets, 21-17, 16-21, 15-11. The second was an old school beatdown — the kind we became accustomed to out of Kessy and Ross earlier in the year — to the tune of 21-13, 21-10 over Madelein Meppelink and Marloes Wesselink of the Netherlands. Their next foe will be 12th-seeded Sanne Keizer and Marleen Van Iersel, also of the Netherlands, at 11 a.m. Thursday.  

In Pool G, seventh-seeded Angie Akers and Tyra Turner unfortunately started out the day on a slightly different note than May-Treanor/Branagh and Kessy/Ross. At 1 p.m., they lost to Maria Bratkova and Evgenia Ukolova of Russia in extra points in the third, 21-18, 21-23, 17-19. And at 6 p.m., most likely feeling the effects from the first match, they were upset a second time, 11-21, 16-21, by the Spanish duo of Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez Steiner. Akers and Turner will face 10th-seeded Austrian sisters Doris Stefanie Schwaiger at 10 a.m.

And in Pool A, 17th-seeded Lisa Rutledge and Ashley Ivy also finished the day 0-2. Their first loss came against Kristyna Kolocova and Marketa Slukova of the Czech Republic, 19-21, 13-21. Their second came at the hands of top seeds, Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil, 12-21, 18-21. Their third match will take place against Thursday at 9 a.m. against the 32nd seeds, Kerstin Pichler and Cornelia Rimser of Austria.

Yes?

Hans
Beth is a friend. A great friend. A friend currently driving cross-country to Atlanta to begin a brand new phase of her life as Graduate Assistant Coach for her alma mater, Georgia State. Her musical taste is brilliant, therefore the request of this playlist was only natural. In fact, it should have come months ago. Don’t worry, I’ll link these jams to iTunes asap. In the meantime, feel free to read up on my last encounter with Ms. Van Fleet in the fine city of San Diego: South Mission for Life, before she left Southern California forever.

1. “The Fight” by Sia
2. “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear
3. “Merry Happy” by Kate Nash
4. “Zebra” by Beach House
5. “Your Redneck Past” by Ben Folds Five
6. “New Soul” by Yael Naim
7. “You Picked Me” by A Fine Frenzy
8. “Driftwood” by Travis
9. “It’s Amazing” by Jem
10. “Trouble is a Friend” by Lenka
11. “Fidelity” by Regina Spektor
12. “All We Ask” by Grizzly Bear
13. “Burn in My Skin” by Ray LaMontagne
14. “Almost Lover” by A Fine Frenzy
Bonus Track: “Oh Atlanta” by Allison Krauss