Brazil and United States On Top At SWATCH FIVB World Championships

The 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Championships ended in Norway with Brazilian and U.S. Teams each winning two matches on Wednesday, at the 10^th annual 1 to 1 energy Grand Slam. It was Talita Antunes and Maria Antonelli and Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca as well as Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Connelly who were competing in the medal rounds on Saturday in Stavagner, for the World Finals, but Jen Kessy and April Ross from America took the highest level of the podium at Norway.

Kessy and Ross are the top seeded pairing in the 1to1energy GS, with two set wins over Cuban and Belgium teams to take command of Pool A, in this year's $600,000 event. On Thursday, Kessy and Ross finished their group play with a match against the 16^th seeded pairing of Maria Tsiartsiani and Vassiliki Arvaniti from Greece. Jen Kessy said that they know they had to be focused from the gen-go, because of a tough pool and the Cubans played great in last week's tournament in Norway

The teams that finish in the top three from each pool will move onto the 24 team elimination tournament with each group winner being chosen based on match record/point ratio, getting a bye into their first bracket match. Friday marks the beginning of the women's quarter finals. The 1to1energy Grand Slam will continue through this weekend with the women's semis as well as the medal matches being played on Saturday, and then the same format will be held for the men on Sunday. The women's main draw pool play tourneys will be Wednesday, while the men's qualifiers were set for Thursday at the opening of the main draw round. The top male and female teams will split the first place prizes of $43,500.