Italians Upset Germans - Brazil, USA Remain Unbeaten in Goodwill Games Beach Event

NEW YORK, N. Y. - Italians Laura Bruschini and Annamarie Solazzi scored a 15-10 upset win here Thursday (July 30) over Maike Friedrichsen and Danja Musch of Germany in a Group B women's beach volleyball match in the 1998 Goodwill Games at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

The win tied the sixth-seeded Bruschini and Solazzi with the third-seeded Germans in the Group B standings as both teams have an 1-1 record.  Friedrichsen and Musch have the point-differential edge (first first tie-breaker) at plus-six points.  The Italians are minus-six after winning Thursday's 37-minute match with their European rivals.

Karolyn Kirby (Brookline, Mass./San Diego) and Liz Masakayan (San Diego), the defending Goodwill Games champions after winning the title in 1994 at St. Petersburg, Russia, face Kristine Drakich and Guylaine Dumont of Canada in Thursday's fourth and final match.

Brazilians Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar and the United States tandem of Lisa Arce/Holly McPeak remained unbeaten in the 1998 Goodwill Games women's beach volleyball competition by winning Thursday afternoon matches.

The Australian tandem of Pauline Manser/Kerri Pottharst dropped a 15-9 decision to the top-seeded Bede and Behar in a 39-minute Group A match.  The Brazilians broke a 3-3 tie to take a 12-3 lead enroute to their second win of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event.

The second-seeded Arce and McPeak, who both reside in Manhattan Beach, Calif., scored a 15-9 win over Eva Celbova and Sona Dosoudilova of the Czech Republic in a 40-minute Group B match to end Thursday's afternoon session.

The pool player leaders end round-robin play Friday with Bede and Behar facing Kirby and Masakayan at 1:15 p.m. (EDT) in a Group A match.  Arce and McPeak play Friedrichsen and Musch at 6:45 p.m. in the final Group B contest.

The medal and playoff rounds for the 1998 Goodwill Games starts Saturday with matches schedule for 12 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.  The competition ends Sunday with the Bronze and Gold medal matches starting at 12 p.m. in the $100,000 event.  Sunday's Gold medal team will share the $30,000 first-place prize.