U.S. Men’s Teams Are Eliminated

Two Brazilian teams joined tandems from Argentina and Switzerland Saturday in the semifinals of the $400,000 Oldsmobile Chicago Grand Slam tournament.

The Brazilian tandems Ricardo Santos and Ze’Marco deMelo and Emanuel Rego and Jose Loiola advanced, as did Argentina’s Jose Salema and Mariano Baracetti.

Emanuel and Loiola, the reigning FIVA beach volleyball world champions, will play Salema and Baracetti in one semifinal today.

Santos and deMelo, who will be playing in their fifth semifinal of the season in seven events, will meet Martin Laciga and Paul Laciga of Switzerland in the other semifinal. Among the Lacigas’ victories Saturday was a 15-7 defeat of top-seeded Marcio Araujo and Benjamin Insfran of Brazil.

The U.S. teams of Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana and Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson were eliminated. Blanton and Fonoimoana dropped a 15-9 decision to Lee Zahner of Australia. Kiraly and Johnson were eliminated by the Lacigas, 15-12.

In women’s play, No. 1-seeded Misty May and Holly McPeak were among three U.S. teams to advance.

May and McPeak opened with a 15-0 victory against Nancy Gougeon and Marie-Andree Lessard of Canada. They followed with a 15-2 defeat of Manastsanan Pangka and Aoy Arlaisuk of Thailand.

May and McPeak then scored a 15-5 victory against the American team of Danalee Bragado and Ali Wood.

Also advancing from the U.S. were Stephanie Cox and Katy Eldridge and Leanne Schuster and Karrie Poppinga.

Among the victories by Cox and Eldridge was a 15-11 decision over Americans Nancy Mason and Marsha Miller.

Schuster and Poppinga also defeated Mason and Miller, 15-10, but had to overcame a 14-6 deficit to defeat Bragado and Wood, 16-14.

The women’s championship match is scheduled for Tuesday.