Beijing, China, August 10, 2008 - The “thrill” of earning a spot in the 24-team women’s field at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was not enough for the Schwaiger sisters here Sunday as the Austrians posted the first and only seed-break through of the women’s competition so far at the 12,200-seat Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground.

Facing two-time European champions Vassliki Arvaniti and Vasso (Karadassiou) Karantasiou, the 18th-seeded Schwaigers (Doris and Stephanie) validated an earlier win this season in Paris over the seventh-seeded Greeks by posting a 21-18 and 21-18 win in 47 minutes to gain a share of the Pool F lead with sixth-seeded Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro of Brazil, who opened with an 18-21, 21-16 and 15-8 win over 19th-seeded Bibiana Candelas and Mayra Garcia of Mexico Sunday.

Other pool play winners Sunday were teams from China, Cuba, Germany and the United States as the first set of preliminary matches were completed as women’s tandems from Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Norway and the United States secured opening wins Saturday.

Reigning Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States opened play Sunday morning with a 21-12 and 21-15 Pool B win over 23rd-seeded Chiaki Kusuhara and Mika Teru Saiki in 36 minutes.

The Americans face 14th-seeded Dalixia Fernandez and Tamara Larrea Peraza of Cuba in their next match Tuesday followed by a Thursday meeting with 11th-seeded Nila Ann Hakedal and Ingrid Torlen of Norway. The Cubans opened with a 22-20 and 21-19 win Sunday after over Hakedal and Torlen in 51 minutes.

Sunday’s second session saw the teams of fourth-seeded Xue Chen/Zhang Xi of China and ninth-seeded Sara Goller/Laura Goller of Germany posting Pool D victories over pairs from Greece and South Africa, respectively. The Germans opened Sunday’s second session with a 21-12 and 21-14 victory in 34 minutes over 21st-seeded Judith Augoustides and Vitalina Nel of South Africa.

With host China now 2-0 in the women’s competition after top-seeded Tian Jia and Wang Jie won their first match Saturday over a team from Switzerland, Xue and Zhang posted their fifth-straight win over 16th-seeded Efthalia Koutroumanidou and Maria Tsiartsiani of Greece with a 21-18, 19-21 and 15-12 victory in 57 minutes.