The sixth-seeded Fischer and Torsone was the only tandem from the United States in action Saturday on the eighth and final day of Pan Am beach volleyball competition. Fifth-seeded Michelle Morse (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Liz Pagano (San Diego, Calif.) placed fifth after being eliminated Friday's by third-seeded Nancy Gougeon and Wanda Guenette of Canada 21-14 and 21-17 in the women's quarterfinals.

"We expected to do better Saturday," said Fischer (Venice, Calif.) after he and Brad Torsone (Redondo Beach, Calif.) dropped their second match of the day by losing 21-17 and 21-14 in 43 minutes to third-seeded Ramon Hernandez and Raul Papaleo of Puerto Rico in the men's Bronze Medal match.

"Our play was not bad," Fischer added, "but the Puerto Ricans played much better. Nothing we attempted worked against them. Both Puerto Ricans saw the court real well and had the ability to convert their defensive plays into points. We are disappointed by not winning a medal for the United States, especially after playing the top-seeded Cubans very tough this afternoon."

Fischer and Torsone were forced into the Bronze Medal match after dropping a 21-14 and 24-22 match to top-seeded Francisco Alvarez and Juan Rosell of Cuba in a 50-minute semifinal match Saturday afternoon. Hernandez and Papaleo, who defeated Fischer and Torsone in pool play Tuesday 21-10 and 21-12, were also defeated in the semifinals 21-16, 16-21 and 15-11 by second-seeded Paulo Emilio Silva and Luizao De Jesus in the longest match of the 2003 Pan Am Games (67 minutes).

"I guess they have us figured out pretty well," said Torsone about the Puerto Ricans, who finished the competition with a 5-1 record as compared to Fischer and Torsone's 3-3 record. "We had no momentum from a pretty good effort this afternoon against the Cubans. We could not create any scoring opportunities. We had trouble scoring tonight (only four points on serve comparted to 14 for Puerto Rico).

In the Bronze medal match, Fischer and Torsone led 6-4 in the first set before Hernandez and Papaleo scored four straight points to take the lead for good at 8-6. After Torsone scored the first point of the second set, the Puerto Ricans scored four-straight points to take control of the match. The USA men pulled to within one at 7-6 in the second set, but the Puerto Ricans steadily increased their lead to 20-13 before closing out the match.

In the semifinals against the Cubans, Fischer and Torsone rebounded from a first set defeat to take a 7-3 lead in the second set. The Cubans fought back to tie the match at 17s. Following four more "side out" ties, Alvarez and Rosell took advantage of an USA setting error to take 22-21 lead. After a Torsone kill tied it at 22, a Rosell kill earned a "side out" point to make it 23-22. Alvarez' potential block at the net forced Torsone's attack shot to go wide to the end the 50-minute match.

Despite the two setbacks Saturday, Fischer and Torsone have posted their best career finishes on the beach. Torsone's best previous placement was a seventh with Peter Goers at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. Fischer's best finishers were ninths with Torsone last season in Belmar, N. J., and earlier this season in Tempe, Ariz. Fischer and Torsone are competing in their ninth event together.

In the men's Gold Medal match, Alvarez and Rosell defeated Paulo Emílio and Luizao 23-25, 21-11 and 15-12 for the title. The women's Gold Medal for the Pan American Games was won by top-seeded Dalixia Fernandez Grasset and Tamara Larrea Peraza as the Cubans defeated Mayra Garcia and Hilda Gaxiola of Mexico, 21-16 and 21-15. Fourth-seeded Larissa Franca and Ana Richa Medeiros of Brazil defeated Gougeon and Guenette 21-6 and 21-9 for the Bronze Medal. In the women's semifinals, Cuba defeated Canada 21-15 and 21-17 while Mexico outlasted Brazil 21-17 and 21-18.

United States Beach Volleyball Results

Men - David Fischer/Brad Torsone, 3-3 match record, fourth-place finish
Monday defeated Hugo Andres Gaona Gamarra/Ramon Martinez Gaona, Paraguay, 21-11 and 21-15.
Tuesday lost to Ramon Hernandez/Raul Papaleo, Puerto Rico, 21-10 and 21-12.
Thursday defeated Sean Morrison/Nolan Tash, Trinidad and Tobago, 21-12 and 21-7.
Friday defeated Djordje Ljubicic/Mike Slean, Canada, 21-17 and 21-17
Saturday lost to Francisco Alvarez/Juan Rosell, Cuba, 21-14 and 24-22
Saturday lost to Hernandez/Papaleo, Puerto Rico, 21-17 and 21-14

Women - Michelle Morse/Liz Pagano, 2-2 match record, fifth-place finish
Monday lost to Larissa Franca/Ana Richa, Brazil, 15-21, 21-16 and 15-9.
Wednesday defeated Laura Fernanda Herrera/Alejandra Porteiro, Uruguay, 21-14 and 21-18.
Friday defeated Claudia Augeni Pavisic/Maria Antoniet Villarroel, Bolivia, 21-11 and 21-8
Friday lost to Nancy Gougeon/Wanda Guenette, Canada, 21-14 and 21-17

MEDIA SERVICES - Tim Simmons (e-mail bfishinc@aol.com) is the beach Media Services Officer for USA Volleyball. Simmons is on-site for the 2003 Pan Am Games at the Feria Ganadera. He can be reached at the Main Press Center (809/792-0429) or by local cell telephone (809/374-9113). Simmons is headquartered at the Barcelo Gran Hotel Lina in Santo Domingo (809/563-5000). The USA Volleyball national office is located in Colorado Springs, Colo. (715 S. Circle Dr., 80910; 719/228-6800; FAX 719/228-6899).

XIV Pan American Games Beach Volleyball
Saturday (August 9) Match Results & Schedule at Feria Ganadera

Women's Semifinals
·Dalixia Fernandez Grasset/Tamara Larrea Peraza, Cuba (No. 1-seeded team) def. Larissa Franca/Ana Richa Medeiros, Brazil (4), 21-15 and 21-17 (38 minutes);
·Mayra Garcia/Hilda Gaxiola, Mexico (2) def. Nancy Gougeon/Wanda Guenette, Canada (3), 21-17 and 21-18 (39);
Men Semifinals
·Francisco Alvarez/Juan Rosell, Cuba (1) def. David Fischer/Brad Torsone, United States (6), 21-14 and 24-22 (50);
·Paulo Emílio Silva/Luizao De Jesus, Brazil (2) def. Ramon Hernandez/Raul Papaleo, Puerto Rico (3), 21-16, 16-21 and 15-11 (67).

Women's Bronze Medal Match
·Larissa/Ana Richa, Brazil (4) def. Gougeon/Guenette, Canada (3), 21-6 and 21-9 (32);
Men's Bronze Medal Match
·R. Hernandez/Papaleo, Puerto Rico (3) def. Fischer/Torsone, United States (6), 21-17 and 21-14 (43);
Women's Gold Medal Match
·Fernandez Grasset/Larrea Peraza, Cuba (1) def. Garcia/Gaxiola, Mexico (2), 21-16 and 21-15 (40);
Men's Gold Medal Match
·Alvarez/Rosell, Cuba (1) def. Paulo Emílio/Luizao, Brazil (2), 23-25, 21-11 and 15-12 (62).

XIV Pan American Games Beach Volleyball Rankings
August 2-9, 2003 at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Rank, Women's Teams, Country (seeding), Match Record
1st, Dalixia Fernandez Grasset/Tamara Larrea Peraza, Cuba (1), 5-0
2nd, Mayra Garcia/Hilda Gaxiola, Mexico (2), 4-1
3rd, Larissa Franca/Ana Richa Medeiros, Brazil (4), 5-1
4th Nancy Gougeon/Wanda Guenette, Canada (3), 3-2
5th, Michelle Morse/Liz Pagano, United States (5), 2-2
5th, Patricia Alvarado Diaz/Xinia Alvarado Diaz, Costa Rica (7), 1-2
5th, Dominique Raab/Maesol Ibarra, Chile (9), 1-2
5th, Maria Orellana Arago/Sylvana Rivera Gomez, Guatemala (11), 1-2
9th, Judith Taylor/Yndys Novas Guzman, Dominican Republic (6), 0-2
9th, Charlotte Heenstadt/Annedy Tromp, Aruba (8), 0-2
9th, Chalony Teera/Vincia Shauna, Antigua and Barbuda (10), 0-2
9th, Laura Fernanda Herrera/Alejandra Porteiro, Uruguay (13), 1-2
13th, Claudia Augeni Pavisic/Maria Antoniet Villarroel, Bolivia (12), 0-3

Rank, Men's Teams, Country (seeding), Match Record
1st, Francisco Alvarez/Juan Rosell, Cuba (1), 6-0
2nd, Paulo Emílio Silva/ Luizao De Jesus, Brazil (2), 5-1
3rd, Ramon Hernandez/Raul Papaleo, Puerto Rico (3), 5-1
4th, David Fischer/Brad Torsone, United States (6), 3-3
5th, Djordje Ljubicic/Mike Slean, Canada (4), 3,-1
5th, Tomas Hernandez/Juan Rodriguez Ibarra, Mexico (5), 2,-2
5th, Rafael Vargas Coreas/J. Medrano Valle, El Salvador (9), 2-2
5th, Christian Garcia/Alejandro Salas, Dominican Republic (10), 1-3
9th, Alexander Villegas/Gilberto Villegas, Costa Rica (7), 1-2
9th, Renato Boerleider/Michael Clarissa, Netherlands Antilles (8), 1-2
9th, David Ramirez/Sergio Pavisic, Bolivia (13), 2-2
9th, Hugo Andres Gaona/Ramon Martinez, Paraguay (14), 2-2
13th, Sean Morrison/Nolan Tash, Trinidad and Tobago (11), 0-3
13th, Shervin Rankin/Olney Thompson, Caiman Islands (12), 0-3
13th, Julio Bardales/Antonio Rodriquez, Ecuador (15), 2-3
13th, Gerardo Peralta/Guillermo Williman, Uruguay (16), 2-4
17th, Jorge Bolanos Acevedo/Jose Gonzales Flores, Guatemala (17), 0-3

USA'S FISCHER & TORSONE FALL TO TALENTED PUERTO RICAN TEAM TUESDAY; MORSE & PAGANO TAKE PAN AM BREAK BEFORE ENDING BEACH VOLLEYBALL POOL PLAY COMPETITION

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - The momentum that the David Fischer and Brad Torsone left the Feria Ganadera with Monday following a win over Paraguay was all, but lost here Tuesday (August 5) as the United States tandem suffered a 21-10 and 21-12 setback to third-seeded Ramon Hernandez and Raul Papaleo of Puerto Rico.

"We had no momentum," said a disappointed David Fischer following the 42-minute match Tuesday. "I had a horrible game setting and did not give Brad much of a chance to hit the volleyball cleanly. However, the Puerto Ricans played great and had a near-perfect game against us. We knew that they would be good, but today, they were great."

While Fischer (Venice, Calif.) and Brad Torsone (Redondo Beach, Calif.) were playing the top team in their pool Tuesday, United States women's team of Michelle Morse (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Liz Pagano (San Diego, Calif.) have a day off from the beach volleyball competition at the XIV Pan American Games.

Fischer and Torsone, who defeated 14th-seeded Hugo Andres Gaona and Ramon Martinez of Paraguay 21-11 and 21-15 Monday in 42 minutes, conclude pool play Thursday at 2 p.m. against 11th-seeded Sean Morrison and Nolan Tash of Trinidad and Tobago and will probably need a win to advance Friday's quarterfinals. Morrison and Tash play Gaona and Martinez Tuesday evening as both teams are 0-1 in the competition.

"We'll have to get a lot better," said Torsone, who placed seventh in the 1999 Pan American Games at Winnipeg, Canada. "With David having a tough day setting, I was having a tough time getting my footing at the net. This is a very slick surface and I had a lot of trouble adjusting. That makes the game very difficult when you are playing a quality team like the Puerto Ricans."

The "big" difference in Tuesday's match was points-on-serve as Hernandez and Papaleo out-scored Fischer and Torsone 23-3. In the first-set, the Puerto Ricans never trailed as they built 9-4, 11-6, 13-6, and 16-6 leads before winning 21-10. Fischer and Torsone broke from a 3-3 tie in the second set to lead 6-4 and 7-6. From there, Hernandez and Papaleo out-scored the United States team 12-3 to take a commanding 18-10 lead.

"We never felt like we were in the match," Torsone noted. "Maybe it is hard for us to adjust to playing only one match a day. The key is to have a quick start. We had it Monday, but it was nowhere to be found today. Now, we have more than a day to get this awful match out of our system. A quick start is a must come Thursday against the Trinidad and Tobago team."

The USA-Puerto Rico contest was the third of eight men's matches at the Feria Ganadera as the 13 teams in the women's competition take a break before completing pool play Wednesday and Thursday. The pool play competitions for both men and women will determine the final eight for both genders with quarterfinals being held Friday with the semifinals and medal matches being played Saturday.

Morse and Pagano, who dropped a 15-21, 21-16 and 15-9 decision to fourth-seeded Larissa Franca and Ana Richa Medeiros of Brazil in 56 minutes, return to action Wednesday at 2 p.m. against 13th-seeded Laura Fernanda Herrera and Alejandra Porteiro of Uruguay. The USA women play Claudia Augeni Pavisic and Maria Antoniet of Bolivia in the final pool play match at 9 p.m. Thursday.

The 2003 Pan American Games' beach volleyball competition began Saturday with a five-country men's qualifier followed by the opening pool play matches for men and women at the Feria Ganadera, a converted rodeo arena in front of the Caribbean Sea on George Washington Avenue.

United States Pool Play Results & Schedule

Men - David Fischer/Brad Torsone
Monday defeated Hugo Andres Gaona Gamarra/Ramon Martinez Gaona, Paraguay, 21-11 and 21-15.
Tuesday lost to Ramon Hernandez/Raul Papaleo, Puerto Rico, 21-10 and 21-11.
Thursday 14:00 vs. Sean Morrison/Nolan Tash, Trinidad and Tobago

Women - Michelle Morse/Liz Pagano
Monday lost to Larissa Franca/Ana Richa, Brazil, 15-21, 21-16 and 15-9.
Wednesday 14:00 vs. Laura Fernanda Herrera/Alejandra Porteiro, Uruguay
Thursday 21:00 vs. Claudia Augeni Pavisic/Maria Antoniet Villarroel, Bolivia

FISCHER & TORSONE NET USA BEACH VOLLEYBALL WIN MONDAY EVENING AT FERIA GANADERA; USA'S MORSE & PAGANO DROP OPENING PAN AMERICAN GAMES MATCH TO BRAZIL MONDAY AFTERNOON

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - David Fischer and Brad Torsone gave the United States a split here Monday (August 4) in the beach volleyball competition at the XIV Pan American Games as the sixth-seeded men's team defeated 14th-seeded Hugo Andres Gaona and Ramon Martinez of Paraguay 21-11 and 21-15.

With Monday's win in 42 minutes, Fischer (Venice, Calif.) and Torsone (Redondo Beach, Calif.) challenge third-seeded Ramon Hernandez and Raul Papaleo of Puerto Rico in a 2 p.m. match Tuesday at the Feria Ganadera as the top two teams in Pool C of the men's competition collide with the winner almost assured of a spot in Friday's quarterfinals. Fischer and Torsone conclude pool play Thursday at 2 p.m. against 11th-seeded Sean Morrison and Nolan Tash of Trinidad and Tobago.

While the United States men in beach volleyball were winning, the country's women's team of Michelle Morse and Liz Pagano was dropping a 15-21, 21-16 and 15-9 decision to fourth-seeded Larissa Franca and Ana Richa Medeiros of Brazil in 56 minutes.

Morse (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Pagano (San Diego, Calif.) will have Tuesday off before returning to action Wednesday at 2 p.m. against 13th-seeded Laura Fernanda Herrera and Alejandra Porteiro of Uruguay, who defeated Claudia Augeni Pavisic and Maria Antoniet of Bolivia 21-17 and 21-19 in 37 minutes earlier Monday afternoon. The USA women play the Bolivian women in the final pool play match at 9 a.m. Thursday.

"I feel our ball control and experience helped us a lot tonight," said Torsone, who placed seventh with Peter Goers at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. "I think the Paraguay players were a little tight in the first set and we were able to keep the pressure on them from the start along with forcing some errors."

After tying the first set at 1-1, Gaona and Martinez saw Fischer and Torsone score 15 of the next 19 points as the United States opened a 16-5 lead enroute to the win. With Torsone serving, the United States scored six-straight points to open a 9-5 lead in the second set. Gaona and Martinez closed the gap to two at 16-14 and 17-15 before two Tosone kills and two scoring plays by Fischer ended the match.

"Once the Paraguay team settled down, they were tough," said Fischer. "They battle hard and we did not look forward to playing a third set. We have dropped several three-setters this season after winning the first set. Give them a lot of credit for coming back after we took a four point leads on several occasions (9-5, 10-6, 11-7, 12-8, 13-9 and 15-11)."

Both Fischer and Torsone look forward to Tuesday battle with the Puerto Rican. "Those are two excellent players with solid college volleyball backgrounds in the United States," said Torsone. "Papaleo was the top rookie on the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Tour and Hernandez led Penn State to a NCAA title. They can hit the volleyball."

Fischer figures Tuesday's game to be much different than Monday's opening pool play match for the United States. "The Puerto Ricans are excellent players than are well-suited for the beach game. Ball control and defense will be the key, said Fischer. "Obviously, the team that makes the least mistakes will win this one."

In the USA women's match, Morse and Pagano broke from a 4-4 tie to take the lead for good at 8-4. Larissa and Ana Richa cut the margin to 18-15 after scoring three straight points before Morse and Pagano closed out the scoring with a Brazilian hitting error and two service winners by Pagano.

Larissa and Ana Richa broke from a 2-2 in the second set to lead for the rest of the set. Leading 11-9, the Brazilians scored four-straight points on their serve to take a 16-9 lead as the USA was called for one technical error and missed on another shot. Morse and Pagano got three points back to cut the advantage to 16-12 as each team sided out to finish the set.

After a Pagano kill tied the third and deciding set 2-2, the Brazilians fought off a "strong" serve by Morse and a block at the net by Ana Richa to take the lead for good at 4-2 in the 55-minute match. The Brazilian women then built 7-3, 9-4, 12-6 and 14-7 leads enroute to their second win of the Pan American Games after defeating Pavisic and Villarroel of Bolivia 21-9 and 21-16 Sunday evening.

"We started fast and took advantage of Michelle's serving to win the first game," said Pagano, who is competing in her second Pan American Games after finishing fifth with Carrie Busch in the 1999 event at Winnipeg, Canada. "The Brazilians played much better defense in the second game."

Morse, who had four serving aces in the first set for the USA, "felt the Brazilians finished strong since they played a match Sunday. It made a difference for them at the end having played an earlier game. They are a skilled team that takes advantage of every opportunity. They were better prepared than us."