Players and fans enjoyed three days of intense but fun-filled beach volleyball action at the Pacific Islands Club sand courts over the weekend with U.S. pros sweeping the exhibition match.
U.S. pros Paul Baxter and Phil Dalhausser defeated Japan's Yoshiumi Hasegawa and Shinya Hata, while women's pair Janelle Koester and Jenn Snyder beat Koreans Jeeyeun Han and Ji Youn June.
But serving as the highlight of the 16th edition of the annual Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival was the two-day tournament where several lucky individuals got the chance to team up with the eight professional spikers.
Baxter teamed up with 2004 partner Randy Steele while Baxter was paired with Chris Nelson. Hasegawa partnered with Evan Hunsberger, while Hata had Rod as his partner.
In the women's side, Snyder was paired with Mili Saiki and Koester teamed up with Kelley. Koreans Han and June were partnered with E.J. Lee and Pacific and Mini Games veteran Melissa Halaby, respectively.
After two days of action, the men's pair of Baxter and Steele, and the women's team of Chie Iwana and Yoko Miki emerged as the top winners of the 2008 edition of Micronesia's longest-running beach volleyball event.
Baxter and Steele regained the title they had won in 2004, foiling the back-to-back title bid of last year's winners Shigekazu Fujimatsu and Dasiuke Matsumoto, 21-13.
Iwana and Miki, meanwhile, thwarted the title retention bid of Italy's Federica Tonon, who teamed up with Dawn Penebaker of Hawaii. The Japanese duo defeated Tonon and Penebaker, 15-12, in Game 2.
Iwana and Miki enjoyed a twice-to-beat edge and lost the first game to Tonon and Penebaker, 20-22.
More than 100 players joined both divisions were 30 teams signed up for the men's side, while close to 20 registered for the women's division.
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