The Hague, Netherlands, August 24, 2010 - Two women's teams from the United States played the opening match here Tuesday at the US$380,00 Milner Open to help set the field for Wednesday's Qualification Tournament for the 12th and final double gender event on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar.

Ashley Ivy and Lisa Rutledge secured the final spot in Wednesday's qualifier by defeating American rivals Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson 21-18 and 21-19 in 39 minutes. The men's Country Quota playoff matches were also played Tuesday as Wednesday's double gender schedule will feature the busiest day on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour.

Capturing the men's Milner Open Country Quota matches were Guido Mopman/Kees Spil of The Netherlands, and Eskil Holtan/Oyvind Wergeland and Iver Horrem/Oivind Hordvik of Norway. Mopman and Spil ousted Robert Meeuwsen/Jan-Joost van den Bogert (21-19, 21-18, 34 minutes), Holtan and Wergeland eliminated Ronny Berntsen/Geir Eithun (21-23, 21-19, 15-11, 61) and Horrem and Hordvik removed the Stromsvag brothers (Dag and Andres, 21-19, 21-17, 39).

The second annual Milner Open is being played on The Hague BeachStadion in the Scheveningen district where the site also hosted the 2008 FIVB youth world championships for players under the age of 19. From 2006 through 2008 The Hague BeachStadion entered the European tour with the 2006 stop being the continental championships.

Led by Olympians Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil, The Netherlands has already placed three teams each in the men's and women's Main Draw as the "money" rounds start Thursday leading to Sunday's medal matches for both genders where the winning Beach Volleyball pairs will share the $30,000 first-place prizes.

Nummerdor and Schuil, who captured the inaugural Milner Open last year by defeating Spain's Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera in the SWATCH finale, enter this season's event after winning both the European and Dutch national championships the past two weeks in Berlin and The Hague, respectively. Nummerdor and Schuil have now captured three-straight continental titles after topping the podium the past two seasons in Germany (Hamburg) and Russia (Sochi).

Other men's Main Draw entries for the host country are Rodin Merx/Joppe Paulides and Daan Spijkers/Emiel Boersma with the teams of Jon Stiekema/Christiaan Varenhorst, Tim Oude Elferink/Richard Kogel, Mopman/Spil and Stan van Laanen/Frank van den Outenaar seeking additional spots for The Netherlands in the "money" rounds via Wednesday's qualifier where the final eight berths will be determined.

The top Dutch women's team in the competition will be Sanne Keizer and Marleen Van Iersel, who are currently the No. 14th-ranked team on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour. Before winning the Dutch championship last week, Keizer and Van Iersel placed fourth at the European championship in Berlin. Both players have won FIVB world championships with Keizer teaming with Arjanne Stevens to win the 2002 youth world title in Greece.

Van Iersel, who competed in a total of nine youth and junior world championships, teamed with Danielle Remmers to win the 2008 junior world title for players under the age of 21 in England. Van Iersel and Keizer have played 22 SWATCH FIVB World Tour events with three semi-final appearances and a bronze medal together at a 2009 stop in Osaka, Japan.

The teams of Madelein Meppelink/Marloes Wesselink and Remmers/Sophie van Gestel are the other Dutch women in the Main Draw with the pairs of Roos Van der Hoeven/Jantine van der Vlist, Rebekka Kadijk/Merel Mooren, Rimke Braakman/Michelle Stiekema and Mered de Vries/Margo Wiltens seeking one of the eight remaining "money" rounds berths Wednesday.

Kadijk, a three-time Dutch Beach Volleyball Olympian, and Marrit Leenstra are the only women from the European country to win a SWATCH FIVB World Tour event at a 2003 stop in Lianyungang, China. Nummerdor and Schuil are the only Dutch men to top a SWATCH podium with six gold medals, including three titles in 2009. Kadijk and Mooren played together at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

With the US$380,00 Milner Open being the last of 14 men's events on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour, the women's 15-stop circuit will conclude at the end of October and the first of November with stops in China (Sanya, October 26-31) and Thailand (Phuket, November 2-7). The international Beach Volleyball tour will have visited 17 sites in 14 countries over an eight-month period in 2010 with $6.83-million in prize money.