Italians Score Win to Open Friday's Play

NEW YORK, N. Y. - Despite a light early morning drizzle, the 1998 Goodwill Games women's beach volleyball schedule continued here Friday (July 31) with the Italians tandem of Laura Bruschini/Annamarie Solazzi scoring a 15-7 win over Eva Celbova and Sona Dosoudilova of the Czech Republic in a 40-minute Group B match.

The win left the Italians with a 2-1 match mark as Bruschini and Solazzi have to wait for the completion of Friday's final round-robin match to see if they advance to Saturday's medal rounds at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Maike Friedrichsen and Danja Musch of Germany must defeat second-seeded Lisa Arce and Holly McPeak of the United States in at 6:45 p.m. Friday to earn a medal round berth.  Even with a 15-0 loss to the Germans, Arce and McPeak are assured a spot in the medal round.  Arce and McPeak currently have a plus-17 point-differential (first tie-breaker) compared to Friedrichsen and Musch's plus-six points and the Italians' plus-two point-differential.

Brazilians Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar and the Arce/McPeak are the only unbeaten teams (2-0) in the 1998 Goodwill Games competition after both tandems won their second- straight match Thursday.

Bede and Behar, the top ranked team on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, face Karolyn Kirby (Brookline, Mass./San Diego) and Liz Masakayan (San Diego) at approximately 1:15 p.m. (EDT) Friday.

Kirby and Masakayan, the defending Goodwill Games champions after winning the title in 1994 at St. Petersburg, must defeat the Brazilians to have the opportunity to advance to the medal round.  Kirby and Masakayan are tied for second in Group A with Pauline Manser and Kerri Pottharst of Australia with 1-1 marks.  The United States tandem owns a plus-five point differential while the Aussies, who face the Kristine Drakich and Guylaine Dumont of Canada at 5:30 p.m. Friday, have a minus-one differential.

The medal and playoff rounds for the 1998 Goodwill Games start Saturday with matches scheduled 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.