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BUDA, SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO – After two events of "cashing"
second-place checks, top-seeded Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos
regained their gold medal form here Sunday (May 30) in capturing the
$180,000 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event for the second title of the 2004
international season.

Following silver medal finishes in South Africa and China, Emanuel and
Ricardo returned to the top of podium by defeating third-seeded Markus
Dieckmann and Jonas Reckermann of Germany 21-18 and 21-19 in 43
minutes to shared the $27,000 first-place prize. The Germans split
$18,000 for finishing second.

In March, Emanuel and Ricardo won 2004 SWATCH-FIVB season opener in
Brazil before being upset the next weekend in South Africa by fellow
country men Tande Ramos and Franco Neto. When the international tour
resumed in China last week, the Brazilians were upset by Javier Bosma
and Pablo Herrera of Spain in the finals.

Emanuel has now won 50 pro beach titles in his career, including 43
SWATCH-FIVB World Tour gold medals. The 2003 FIVB World Championships
after capturing the crown last October in Rio de Janeiro, Emanuel and
Ricardo have now teamed to win seven international titles together.
Ricardo, who captured the silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic
Games with Ze Marco de Melo, has now won 23 FIVB titles.

For the 29th-time in 151 "open" men's FIVB events, the "final four"
tandems were from four different countries - Brazil, Estonia, Germany
and Switzerland. Emanuel and Ricardo defeated Patrick Heuscher and
Stefan Kobel 21-14 and 21-16 in Sunday's first semi-final match
Sunday. Dieckmann and Reckermann advanced to the finals with a 21-16
and 21-16 win over 27th-seeded Kristjan Kais and Rivo Vesik of
Estonia.

Heuscher and Kobel, who were beaten by Emanuel and Ricardo in the
finals in Brazil earlier this season, captured the bronze medal Sunday
by defeating Kais and Vesik 21-17 and 21-18. The Swiss shared $14,000
while Kais and Vesik split $11,000 as a team from Estonia advanced to
an "open final four" for the first-time on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour
stop.

The Estonians, who had to qualify for this week's Main Draw, best
previous finish in an "open" international event was a 13th in March
in Salvador, Brazil. Kais and Vesik, who are competing in their 16th
international event together, posted a third in a Greece challenger
event last season.

For the second-straight week, the teams of Todd Rogers/Sean Scott and
Eric Fonoimoana/Kevin Wong paced the United States men's teams on the
SWATCH-FIVB World Tour. Both tandems placed ninth after being
eliminated Saturday to each share a $5,500 check. Rogers and Scott
placed fourth last week in China where Fonoimoana and Wong tied for
fifth.

Dax Holdren and Stein Metzger, the third American team in the 32-team
Main Draw, placed 13th after losing a 22-20 and 24-22 elimination
match Saturday morning to Fonoimoana and Wong to even the series
between the two teams at 1-1. Holdren and Metzger split four matches
this week to split $4,000.

All three teams were continuing their competition on this beach in
Southeastern Europe for a spot on the United States Olympic beach
volleyball team for the 2004 Athens Games. Dain Blanton and Jeff
Nygaard, the top United States team on the Olympic qualification list,
skipped the international event to participate this week in the first
of three-straight domestic events in Southern California. Blanton won
the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medal with Fonoimoana.

With the Olympic qualifying process for men continuing the Fourth of
July weekend, Blanton and Nygaard top the American list with 2,188
points after placing seventh last week in China for their best
international finish this season. Rogers and Scott are second on the
United States Olympic qualifying list with 1,624 points for their best
eight finishes since the start of the Olympic-qualifying process in
January 2003.

Holdren and Metzger, who placed 17th last weekend in China, rank third
on the United States Olympic qualifying list with 1,512 points for six
Olympic-qualifying events. Fonoimoana and Wong still have a chance
for the second USA spot as the pair has compiled 890 Olympic
qualifying points for their six events.

Following the completion of the Serbia and Montenegro Open where the
winning team shares the $27,000 first-place prize, the men's Olympic
qualifying continues through July 11 with events scheduled the next
five weeks in Portugal, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Germany and Norway
to determine the 24 men's teams for the Athens Games.

The teams of Rogers/Scott and Holdren/Metzger have entered in the
Portugal event. Rogers and Scott tied for fifth in last year in
Espinho, which is hosting its 10th SWATCH-FIVB World Tour men's event.
Metzger teamed with Wong to win the 2002 Portugal event.

For news, results, standings and more go to http://www.FIVB.org, http://www.USAV.org
& http://www.bvbinfo.com

Men's Serbia & Montenegro Open Main Draw Results – May 30

Semi-finals
• Ricardo Santos/Emanuel Rego, Brazil (No. 1-seeded Main Draw team)
def. Patrick Heuscher/Stefan Kobel, Switzerland (4), 21-14 and 21-16
(38 minutes);
• Markus Dieckmann/Jonas Reckermann, Germany (3) def. Kais/Vesik,
Estonia (27, No. 7-seeded Qualification Tournament team), 21-16 and
21-16 (39).

Bronze Medal Match (winner places third, split $14,000 winner vs.
loser places fourth, split $11,000)
• Heuscher/Kobel, Switzerland (4) def. Kristjan Kais/Rivo Vesik,
Estonia (27, 7), 21-17 and 21-18 (41).

Gold Medal Match (winner places first, split $27,000 winner vs. loser
places fourth, split $18,000)
• Ricardo/Emanuel, Brazil (1) vs. Dieckmann/Reckermann, Germany (3),
21-18 and 21-19 (43).