Beach Volleyball: Ross wins FIVB match No. 500

GSTAAD, Switzerland – Costa Mesa resident April Ross became the ninth woman to win 500 Federation International de Volleyball World Tour match Friday and along with partner Kerri Walsh Jennings advanced to Saturday’s semifinals of the Gstaad Major event at Swiss Alps Village.

Ross and Walsh Jennings, seeded No. 2, defeated No. 18-seeded Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler of Germany, 21-17, 21-17, in the quarterfinals.

The Americans will meet No. 3-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany on Saturday for the right to reach the final.

Ross, a Newport Harbor High product and 2012 Olympic silver medalist, won No. 500 in her first match Friday, a 21-14, 21-12 triumph over No. 26-seeded Americans Lane Carrico and Summer Ross.

Ross and Walsh Jennings went 2-1 in pool play, falling to No. 15-seeded Americans Brooke Sweat and Lauren Fendrick, 15-21, 21-19, 15-13, in a 50-minute match.

Brazilians Larissa Franca Maestrini and Talita Da Rocha Antunes, the No. 1 seeds and the defending champions, face No. 7-seeded Madelein Meppelink and Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands in the other semifinal.

The final and the third-place match are also Saturday.

— From staff reports

Hughes adds title

Costa Mesa resident Sara Hughes’ impressive summer of beach volleyball continued when she and partner Kelly Claes won the NORCECA Continental Tour event in North Bay, Ontario, Canada on July 4.

Hughes and Claes, who as juniors helped USC win the inaugural NCAA beach volleyball title then had two top-three finishes on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tour, defeated Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson and Julie Gordon, 21-16, 21-13, in the final.

Hughes and Claes, seeded No. 7, lost to top-seeded Wilkerson and Gordon, 22-20, 21-12, in pool play.

The Americans bounced back to top a No. 3-seeded Canadian duo of Camille Saxton and Rachel Cockrell, 21-14, 21-10, in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Hughes and Claes defeated the No. 2-seeded American duo of Kelly Reeves and Ali McCulloch, 19-21, 21-14, 20-18, in a 52-minute battle.

— From staff reports