	7th in Kentucky with win over Holly McPeak
7th in Kentucky: Angela and her new partner Lauren Fendrick took a 7th place in the Louisville, Kentucky AVP over the weekend. It was the first time the duo competed together and after only one practice, they stormed their way to a 7th place finish. However it wasn't easy. The first match of the day was against Paige Davis and Courtney Guerra. Out of the gate, Fendrick and Knopf played well taking the first match 21-15. However, Davis and Guerra weren't done fighting, and won game two 21-19 to set up a third and deciding match to 15 points. The pressure was thick for the new team of Knopf and Fendrick not only because they were the higher ranked team and should have won, but in the new format for the AVP, the first match of the day is single elimination. Game three was a battle. Both teams were fighting for survival. 7-7, 10-10, until Knopf made a great dig that landed on Davis/Guerra side for the lead 11-10. From then on Fendrick and Knopf stepped up their play and won the match 15-11 in the deciding game. "That was a close one!" Knopf said as she realized that they were able to beat a good team. "They played great and it was a little interesting still trying to find Lauren and my rhythm together. I guess that is why it's actually good to play with each other before being thrown into the lion's dens!" The win placed Knopf and Fendrick in the 13th spot still moving through the bracket and would face their next opponent, Jenny Kropp and Nancy Mason later that afternoon. Kropp and Mason were the 7th seed and previously finishing 5th, and 7th. Kropp is 6'4, and Mason is a crafty veteran playing on the tour for a while. Game one began on stadium court, where Angela and Lauren were able to run out on the court after a personal introduction by Chris McGee, the tour's announcer. The last time Knopf faced this team with partner Saralyn, they took this 7th ranked team to 3 games almost beating them in Miami. However, this time Mason's great defense and Kropp's block were effective and took Knopf and Fendrick 21-12, 21-19. "They are a great team, and Mason was playing great defense today. I think Lauren and I are still trying to figure things out but felt like I learned a lot after this match and to see the potential of Lauren and I is exciting!" With the loss, Angela and Lauren were still alive since they survived the single elimination first round and would play the next morning against Angela McHenry and Lisa Rutledge. The morning was a little rough for Knopf/Fendrick and lost game one 13-21. However, Knopf a fighter, knew it wasn't over yet and switched up the strategy and won the second game 21-16 to push it to yet another game 3. Since the pair already won a tough one yesterday they were confident they could fight back one more time. However, they faced a different situation. Looking at the scoreboard, Knopf realized that being down 9-12 in a game to 15 is hard to come back from but made two great defensive plays and with a block by Lauren, they fought back point by point. Rutledge/ McHenry had 3 match points, but Knopf and Fendrick stayed aggressive and actually pulled off the comeback 16-14 to put the team in the 9th place spot! "Yay! I can't believe we pulled that match off. Being behind in rally scoring is really tough and I am so proud of Lauren for sticking in there with me and for never giving up. I never want to give up and ever since my High School team came back in the Championship match after being down 3-12, I never doubt that anything's possible! Fortunately, we were able to pull this out. And it's great, because I feel like Lauren and I are getting better each match. Um, well maybe that's because every time we play is only doubles, triples the actual time we have played together! Ha ha!" Sitting at the 9th spot, Knopf's 1st ever, set their next match against a well known and legendary volleyball player, Holly McPeak and her partner Angie Akers. This duo is ranked 3rd and have been playing well all season long. Not only that but before Misty broke her record last year, Holly was the winnningest beach volleyball player in the history of the sport. She also was a medalist in the Olympics and known all over the world for her career on the beach tour. Needless to say, her experience, knowledge and skills are one of, if not the top, on the beach tour. Knopf had played Mcpeak/Akers the previous weekend in Huntington Beach falling in two games, so she had nothing to lose, and she sure played like it. In game one, points were being traded back and forth, but Angela's defense was starting to get better and better as the match went on. In previous years with different partners Angela was either the primary blocker or blocked half the time while playing defense half the time. However this year with the partner's she has played with, she has committed to be the sole defender, playing only defense. This commitment was evident as she was flying all over the court digging Holly's shots and hits then making smart hits back over to win points. Angela's digs and Lauren's blocks were working and McPeak and Akers were forced to call a time out when Angela and Lauren were leading 19-16. This is usually the time when the Olympic silver medalist steps up her game and wins the match. Not this time, as Knopf and Fendrick played tough and won game one, 21-19. Knopf and Fendrick's small fan club of close friend Peter Chin and wonderful new friends Jim and Joni Lyman were in uproar after game one. In contrast all McPeak's fans were a bit stunned but knew the match wasn't over yet. Neither did Knopf and Fendrick, knowing that just because you win game one doesn't mean anything! A team can still come back. Game two was similar to game one, point for point. Knopf and McPeak were both flying all over the sand and Lauren and Akers were putting up great blocks. 10-10, 14-14, 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, before Fendrick made a great hit for the lead 21-20. She then went back to serve, and served Holly. Angela was playing defense in the opposite corner of where Holly hit the ball but sprinted and dove in the air to barely touch it. The ball went back over the net and Akers tried to play it but wasn't able to get it, and Knopf and Fendrick won the match 22-20! "Seriously!! Someone pinch me!! That was the most fun I have ever had as a professional athlete! That was great volleyball and so fun to be a part of. I don't know how I learned to play defense and hope that it wasn't a fluke, but my partner blocked really well AND set amazingly! I can't believe it! To be able to beat a team of that caliber is a great accomplishment. I feel so blessed, I feel like I just won the lottery! Ha ha! Just kidding" Angela and Lauren's small fan club went nuts and you could see Angela run to her bag screaming to her family on the phone, we just won! The excitement was evident and yet it wasn't the last match for the excited pair. They would be sitting on the 7th spot and would play again in a few hours for a 5th place finish. This next match would be against the Lindquist sisters who had just upset the #4 team and are playing great defense this season. They are known to take down the big teams on tour by serving tough and playing amazing defense. Their defense turned out to be a little tough to stop for Knopf and Fendrick and they fell to the Lindquist sisters 21-16, 21-16 to end a long day of playing. "What a great day! This was such a fun day playing. I was so fortunate to have my little fan club of Peter, Joni, and Jim and played with a talented partner as well. This weekend will live in my memory for years. It's definitely one of my top favorite moments as an athlete." Angela finished the weekend ranked #2 out of all the players in the tournament in digs with 75 digs in 12 games. The team looks to make another run next weekend in Atlanta, GA for the 6th stop on the AVP tour. For more details, please go to http://www.bvbinfo.com/ or http://www.avp.com/

7th in Kentucky with win over Holly McPeak

7th in Kentucky:

Angela and her new partner Lauren Fendrick took a 7th place in the Louisville, Kentucky AVP over the weekend. It was the first time the duo competed together and after only one practice, they stormed their way to a 7th place finish. However it wasn't easy.

The first match of the day was against Paige Davis and Courtney Guerra. Out of the gate, Fendrick and Knopf played well taking the first match 21-15. However, Davis and Guerra weren't done fighting, and won game two 21-19 to set up a third and deciding match to 15 points. The pressure was thick for the new team of Knopf and Fendrick not only because they were the higher ranked team and should have won, but in the new format for the AVP, the first match of the day is single elimination. Game three was a battle. Both teams were fighting for survival. 7-7, 10-10, until Knopf made a great dig that landed on Davis/Guerra side for the lead 11-10. From then on Fendrick and Knopf stepped up their play and won the match 15-11 in the deciding game.

"That was a close one!" Knopf said as she realized that they were able to beat a good team. "They played great and it was a little interesting still trying to find Lauren and my rhythm together. I guess that is why it's actually good to play with each other before being thrown into the lion's dens!"

The win placed Knopf and Fendrick in the 13th spot still moving through the bracket and would face their next opponent, Jenny Kropp and Nancy Mason later that afternoon. Kropp and Mason were the 7th seed and previously finishing 5th, and 7th. Kropp is 6'4, and Mason is a crafty veteran playing on the tour for a while. Game one began on stadium court, where Angela and Lauren were able to run out on the court after a personal introduction by Chris McGee, the tour's announcer. The last time Knopf faced this team with partner Saralyn, they took this 7th ranked team to 3 games almost beating them in Miami. However, this time Mason's great defense and Kropp's block were effective and took Knopf and Fendrick 21-12, 21-19.

"They are a great team, and Mason was playing great defense today. I think Lauren and I are still trying to figure things out but felt like I learned a lot after this match and to see the potential of Lauren and I is exciting!"

With the loss, Angela and Lauren were still alive since they survived the single elimination first round and would play the next morning against Angela McHenry and Lisa Rutledge. The morning was a little rough for Knopf/Fendrick and lost game one 13-21. However, Knopf a fighter, knew it wasn't over yet and switched up the strategy and won the second game 21-16 to push it to yet another game 3. Since the pair already won a tough one yesterday they were confident they could fight back one more time. However, they faced a different situation. Looking at the scoreboard, Knopf realized that being down 9-12 in a game to 15 is hard to come back from but made two great defensive plays and with a block by Lauren, they fought back point by point. Rutledge/ McHenry had 3 match points, but Knopf and Fendrick stayed aggressive and actually pulled off the comeback 16-14 to put the team in the 9th place spot!

"Yay! I can't believe we pulled that match off. Being behind in rally scoring is really tough and I am so proud of Lauren for sticking in there with me and for never giving up. I never want to give up and ever since my High School team came back in the Championship match after being down 3-12, I never doubt that anything's possible! Fortunately, we were able to pull this out. And it's great, because I feel like Lauren and I are getting better each match. Um, well maybe that's because every time we play is only doubles, triples the actual time we have played together! Ha ha!"

Sitting at the 9th spot, Knopf's 1st ever, set their next match against a well known and legendary volleyball player, Holly McPeak and her partner Angie Akers. This duo is ranked 3rd and have been playing well all season long. Not only that but before Misty broke her record last year, Holly was the winnningest beach volleyball player in the history of the sport. She also was a medalist in the Olympics and known all over the world for her career on the beach tour. Needless to say, her experience, knowledge and skills are one of, if not the top, on the beach tour.

Knopf had played Mcpeak/Akers the previous weekend in Huntington Beach falling in two games, so she had nothing to lose, and she sure played like it. In game one, points were being traded back and forth, but Angela's defense was starting to get better and better as the match went on. In previous years with different partners Angela was either the primary blocker or blocked half the time while playing defense half the time. However this year with the partner's she has played with, she has committed to be the sole defender, playing only defense. This commitment was evident as she was flying all over the court digging Holly's shots and hits then making smart hits back over to win points. Angela's digs and Lauren's blocks were working and McPeak and Akers were forced to call a time out when Angela and Lauren were leading 19-16. This is usually the time when the Olympic silver medalist steps up her game and wins the match. Not this time, as Knopf and Fendrick played tough and won game one, 21-19.

Knopf and Fendrick's small fan club of close friend Peter Chin and wonderful new friends Jim and Joni Lyman were in uproar after game one. In contrast all McPeak's fans were a bit stunned but knew the match wasn't over yet. Neither did Knopf and Fendrick, knowing that just because you win game one doesn't mean anything! A team can still come back.

Game two was similar to game one, point for point. Knopf and McPeak were both flying all over the sand and Lauren and Akers were putting up great blocks. 10-10, 14-14, 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, before Fendrick made a great hit for the lead 21-20. She then went back to serve, and served Holly. Angela was playing defense in the opposite corner of where Holly hit the ball but sprinted and dove in the air to barely touch it. The ball went back over the net and Akers tried to play it but wasn't able to get it, and Knopf and Fendrick won the match 22-20!

"Seriously!! Someone pinch me!! That was the most fun I have ever had as a professional athlete! That was great volleyball and so fun to be a part of. I don't know how I learned to play defense and hope that it wasn't a fluke, but my partner blocked really well AND set amazingly! I can't believe it! To be able to beat a team of that caliber is a great accomplishment. I feel so blessed, I feel like I just won the lottery! Ha ha! Just kidding"

Angela and Lauren's small fan club went nuts and you could see Angela run to her bag screaming to her family on the phone, we just won! The excitement was evident and yet it wasn't the last match for the excited pair. They would be sitting on the 7th spot and would play again in a few hours for a 5th place finish.

This next match would be against the Lindquist sisters who had just upset the #4 team and are playing great defense this season. They are known to take down the big teams on tour by serving tough and playing amazing defense. Their defense turned out to be a little tough to stop for Knopf and Fendrick and they fell to the Lindquist sisters 21-16, 21-16 to end a long day of playing.

"What a great day! This was such a fun day playing. I was so fortunate to have my little fan club of Peter, Joni, and Jim and played with a talented partner as well. This weekend will live in my memory for years. It's definitely one of my top favorite moments as an athlete."

Angela finished the weekend ranked #2 out of all the players in the tournament in digs with 75 digs in 12 games. The team looks to make another run next weekend in Atlanta, GA for the 6th stop on the AVP tour. For more details, please go to http://www.bvbinfo.com/ or http://www.avp.com/