CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM FRIDAY'S ACTION

Courtesy of AVP, INC

BELMAR, N.J. (June 20, 2008) - The excitement in Belmar has begun as the AVP Crocs Tour Belmar kicked off with a successful day of action Friday.  The top-seeded teams of Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan and Matt Olson and Kevin Wong both won easily in their first matches of the tournament to advance to play Saturday.   The tournament continues Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at the Fourth Ave. and Ocean beach here in Belmar.

Davis and Johnson Jordan defeated 16th-seeded Jenny Pavley and Alicia Polzin 22-20, 21-11 in the morning round.  The top-ranked duo next plays 9th-seeded Michelle More and Suzanne Stonebarger in round three on Saturday morning.  Davis and Johnson Jordan are three-time finalists on the 2008 AVP Crocs Tour and are favorites here in Belmar to win their first title of the season. 

On the men’s side, Olson and Wong defeated 17th-seeded Jeff Carlucci and Albert Hannemann 21-13, 21-19.  They will take on 8th-seeded John Mayer and Jeff Nygaard on Saturday morning.

In other women’s action, the second-seeded women’s team of Carrie Dodd and Tatiana Minello defeated Julie Romias and Lisa Rutledge (18) 21-12, 21-12 to advance to Saturday play.  The third-seeded team of Angie Akers and Holly McPeak are among the other women’s’ team to move on through the Winner’s Bracket. 

Back on the men’s side, the second-seeded duo of John Hyden and Brad Keenan defeated 18th-seeded Canyon Ceman and Casey Patterson 21-17, 21-15.  Also advancing through the Winner’s Bracket are 3rd-seeded Nick Lucena and Sean Scott, who won easily in their first match of the tournament. 

Local favorite AJ Mihalic and teammate Scott Davenport lost to 12th-seeded Mike Morrison and Ty Tramblie 16-21, 21-19, 13-15 in a hard-fought three game match.  With the first round of the Belmar tournament structured as single-elimination, Mihalic was unfortunately ousted early here on his home beach. 

The AVP Crocs Tour Belmar Open will continue on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 on the beach at 4th Ave. and Ocean in Belmar.  Tickets start at $20 for general admission and are available at www.avp.com. 

Gates open Saturday at 8:30 a.m. with play beginning at 9 a.m.  On Sunday, gates will open at 9 a.m. with play beginning at 9:30 a.m.  The men’s final will be played at approximately 2:30 p.m. followed by the women’s final at 4 p.m.

For the latest news and information and to purchase tickets to upcoming AVP Crocs Tour stops, visit www.avp.com.

Fans of the AVP Crocs Tour are encouraged to donate their worn-out Crocs to SolesUnitedSM - a first-of-its-kind recycled footwear donation program from Crocs, Inc., dedicated to providing new quality footwear to people in need worldwide.  Used Crocs™ shoes will be collected at every AVP Crocs Tour stop and participating retail locations, after which the Crocs™ shoes are cleaned, ground into new material and made into new recycled shoes.  To date, Crocs has donated over one million pairs of shoes. In 2008, the goal is to donate 2 million pairs of recycled shoes to those in need.