The Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals launched Tuesday at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park where three of the four "wild card" entrants in the international Beach Volleyball event posted opening pool play match wins.

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With the FIVB World Tour returning to Florida for the second-time this season, "wild card" entrants Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai of Italy joined Americans Lauren Fendrick/April Ross and Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena in validating their presence in the USD 500,000 event where the winning teams in each gender will share the richest winning purses of USD 100,000 when the event concludes Sunday with the medal matches.  Emily Day and Jen Kessy of the United States, the fourth "wild card" had an opportunity to make it a perfect day for late additions, but dropped a three-set match to a team from Canada.  The Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals features the top eight men's and women's teams on the FIVB World Tour as of September 6 after the Rio "test" event for the 2016 Olympic Games earning a berth in the tournament as well as two wild card teams per gender.

The action at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park continues today, with exciting face-offs of the international beach volleyball elite.

Photocredit: Andreas Langreiter

Wednesday's Schedule

Men's (#side court, *rescheduled from Tuesday)
* 11 a.m. - Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson, United States (No. 1-seeded team) vs. Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera, Spain (8)
* 11 a.m. - Reinder Nummerdor/Christiaan Varenhorst, Netherlands (3) vs. Ben Saxton/Chaim Schalk, Canada (7)#
* 1 p.m. - Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg, Brazil (5) vs. Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai, Italy (9)
* 3 p.m. - Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt, Brazil (2) vs. Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, United States (10)
* 3 p.m. - Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen, Netherlands (4) vs. Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera, Spain (8)#*

Women's (#side court, *rescheduled from Tuesday)
* 10 a.m. - Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, Brazil (2) vs. Madelein Meppelink/Marleen Van Iersel, Netherlands (6)
* 10 a.m. - Heather Bansley/Sarah Pavan, Canada (3) vs. Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude, Germany (10)#
* 12 p.m. - Lauren Fendrick/April Ross, United States (1) vs. Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas, Brazil (4)
* 12 p.m. - Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst, Germany (5) vs. Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada (9)#
* 2 p.m. - Madelein Meppelink/Marleen Van Iersel, Netherlands (6) vs. Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude, Germany (10)
* 4 p.m. - Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, Brazil (2) vs. Emily Day/Jennifer Kessy, United States (7)
* 4 p.m. - Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas Brazil (4) vs. Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada (9)#*