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Kyocera U.S. Championships of Women's Beach Volleyball Won by U.S. Olympic Teammates Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis
Event to be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net with multiple air dates in September 2000
SAN DIEGO, CA -- August 27, 2000 -- U.S. Olympic teammates Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis rallied to victory today at the Kyocera U.S. Championships of professional womens beach volleyball. In a dramatic finale for Beach Volleyball Americas inaugural season, the pair captured a $15,000 purse and clinched the BVA title just days before heading to Sydney, Australia for the 2000 Olympics.Kyocera partnered with BVA, Americas premier organization for womens professional beach volleyball, to become title sponsor for this championship event. Between the matches, fans browsed through exhibits of Kyoceras consumer products, including wireless phones, copiers, printers, faxes, cameras, solar energy systems, and ceramic knives and pens. The tournament, which was free to the public, brought 24 teams together for two days of high intensity, crowd-pleasing beach volleyball in a quest for the season title.
This tournament brought world-class competitors to San Diego and delighted a great number of fans, said Rodney Lanthorne, President of Kyoceras North American headquarters and holding company. Kyocera is pleased to have helped in making this championship possible.
The final match paired Johnson Jordan and Davis against Nancy Reno and Elaine Youngs. Reno, who represented the U.S. at the 1996 Olympics and has won more than 30 professional tournaments, had announced that she would retire after the Kyocera U.S. Championships. Although she and Youngs were clearly in top form, Davis and Johnson Jordan seemed to defy gravity as they spiked, bumped and blocked their way to a 15-7 victory in just over 44 minutes of play.
The tournament was the culmination of BVAs spectacular first season, which encompassed seven weekend tournaments from May through August in various California beach locations. Those who couldnt watch the Kyocera U.S. Championships live can catch the action on Fox Sports Net during the month of September. The broadcast schedule is available on the BVA website at www.bvatour.com, with air times presented by region.
Kyocera, with U.S. headquarters in San Diego and global headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics. By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, solar energy systems, semiconductor packages, electronic components, cameras, laser printers and copiers. During the year ended March 31, 2000, the companys net sales totaled 812 billion yen ($7.9 billion) with net income of 50 billion yen ($489 million). On August 21, 2000, Kyocera was named on IndustryWeek magazines annual list of The Worlds 100 Best-Managed Companies.