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Korean, Japanese pros test mettle against Americans
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Posted on Mar 05 2009
Four Korean and four Japanese professional beach volleyball players will test their mettle against a strong field of Americans led by Olympic gold medalist Phil Dalhausser in today’s exhibition games that spice up the 17th Marianas Cup at the Pacific Islands Club.
Matches will start at 5:15pm and is open to the public at the PIC beach sand courts.
The opening game will be between Japan’s Shinako Tanaka and Hiromi Suzuki against the tandem of Korea’s Ji Yuon Jung and Mi Hwa Shin.
This will be followed by the match between the U.S. pair of Jennifer Snyder and Jenelle Koester and the Japanese women’s team.
After that, the Koreans and the Americans will battle it out at 6:15pm.
There will be intermission numbers during the net change as well as raffling of prizes.
In the men’s play, Dalhausser will team up with Paul Baxter and the duo will go up against the Japanese tandem of Shimpei Aoki and Yasuo Nakaya.
The Japanese will then play against Korean pros Kyung Su Shin and Su Min Jun.
The finale exhibition play will be between the Americans and the Koreans at 8pm.
Korea’s 27-year-old Jun stands 6’3” and graduated from Kyunghee University. He plays with the Incheon Hyundai Steel team and placed second in the 2008 National Sports Festival.
Shin, 30 and stands at 6’5”, is also a graduate of Kyunghee University. He played for Hyundai Motors in 2000, Sangmoo’s in 2002, and the Hyundai Capital’s in 2004.
Ji Youn is competing on Saipan for the second straight year. The 28-year-old, 5’8” lady spiker played for the Suwon City Hall team and was champion in the 2000 Industry Federation Cup and Classified Women’s Volleyball Tournaments.
Mi Hwa, 22 and stands 5’7” tall, teamed up with Ji Yuon. Her achievements include first place finishes in the 2007 and 2008 Hyundai Capital Cup and second place in the 2008 National Beach Volleyball Sports Festival. A pool of media practitioners from Korea’s AB-Road magazine and Maeil Economic Daily newspaper will be present to cover the longest running beach volleyball event in the Marianas.
The 2009 Marianas Cup kicked off with a free clinic with kids yesterday.
The tournament proper will be held tomorrow and continue on until Sunday.
