Stavanger, Norway, June 27, 2008 -- After three rounds of elimination play here Friday, women’s teams from Brazil, Greece and the United States advanced to the semi-finals of this week’s SWATCH FIVB World Tour event on Vaagen Harbour.

The 10th annual ConocoPhillips Grand Slam also features men’s competition where the final 16 pool play matches were staged Friday. The women’s “final four” contests will be played Saturday while the men’s events concludes Sunday with the semi-final and medal matches. The winning teams will each share the $43,500 first-place prizes.

Leading the advancement of American teams to the ConocoPhillips Grand Slam “final four” were top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. The three-time SWATCH-FIVB World champions, May-Treanor and Walsh scored wins over teams from Cuba and Brazil Friday to net their 51st SWATCH FIVB World Tour semi-final appearance in 58 international Beach Volleyball starts together since 2001.

With May-Treanor and Walsh’s 21-15 and 21-12 win in 31 minutes over sixth-seeded Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro of Brazil, the Americans improved their SWATCH FIVB World Tour match winning streak to 60 as reigning Olympic champions have now won 72 of their last 73 international matches since November 2006.

Eighth-seeded Jen Boss and April Ross, the defending ConocoPhillips Grand Slam champions, will challenge their American compatriots in Saturday’s first semi-final. Boss and Ross advanced to their fourth SWATCH “final four” in 16 FIVB events with a 16-21, 21-19 and 15-11 win in 54 minutes over 19th-seeded Stephanie Pohl and Okka Rau of Germany.

With an American team guaranteed a spot in a SWATCH women’s gold medal match for the fifth-straight week, the bottom half of the ConocoPhillips Grand Slam will feature fifth-seeded Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Connelly of Brazil against 12th-seeded Vassiliki Arvaniti and Vasso Karadassiou of Greece.

Shelda, who has placed on the ConocoPhillips Grand Slam podium three times with long-time partner Adriana Behar, and Ana Paula scored an 18-21, 21-18 and 15-13 win in 63 minutes over 10th-seeded Nila Ann Hakedal and Ingrid Torlen to deny Norway its first-ever “final four” appearance in Stavanger.

Arvaniti, who was 20 when she won the Stavanger Arvaniti, who was 20 when she won the Stavanger sword, and Karadassiou posted a 21-16, 16-21 and 15-13 win in 59 minutes over second-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs of the United States to advance to their eighth SWATCH “final four” in 45 FIVB starts.