QUEENSLAND'S MOWEN SISTERS CAUSE BEACH VOLLEYBALL UPSET
March 13: Queenslander sisters Justine and Jordan Mowen have caused the first major upset of the Lifestyle Asset Australian Beach Volleyball Championships in Brisbane today - defeating number one seeds Louise Bawden and Becharra Palmer from the AIS.
The exciting Queensland Academy of Sport duo were the talk of the town after an enthralling two sets to love win (28-26, 23-21) on a back court, to advance straight through to tomorrow morning's semi-finals.
They will play Dutch combination Margo Wiltens and Merel Mooren early tomorrow morning for a place in the final which is scheduled for later in the day at the Sandstorm Beach Club at QSAC.
Their maiden Australian championship win could well cap a winning weekend for team Mowen, with older brother Ben, a member of the NSW Waratahs squad that thumped the Lions 73-12 in last night's lopsided Super 14 Rugby win at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Bawden, a 2000 Indoor Olympian and 2009 FIVB Rookie of the Year and fellow AIS partner, Palmer were scheduled to play a quarter-final match tonight for the right to play in the semi-finals.
A quarter-final win would see them play the new combination dual Olympian Tamsin Barnett and Australia's number one tour player for 2009-10, Alice Rohkamper in the second semi-final.
In another gripping fourth round match-up, Beijing Beach Volleyballer Barnett and Rohkamper had to claw their way back to beat Wiltens and Mooren two sets to one.
After losing the opening set 21-16, they leveled the set scores, taking the second 23-21 before running away with the deciding set 15-7.
The AIS-based Rohkamper, who hails from Manly on Sydney's Northern Beaches, said she was looking forward to her semi-final battle.
"I really enjoyed it out there, playing with Tamsin is a real inspiration and we'll be ready for who ever we play in the semi-final," said Rohkamper.
"We started to get it together in the second and third sets, it was a little nerve-wracking but the crowd got right behind us and it certainly helped."
Meanwhile number two men's seed and the leading Australian team throughout the 2009-10 season, South Australia's AIS 
pair Sam Boehm and Chris McHugh also had a third round battle on their hands from number six seeds, fellow AIS pair, triple Olympian Josh Slack and new partner Isaac Kapa.
Boehm and McHugh took the first set 21-13 before Slack and Kapa bounced back to level, winning the second 21-19.
The decider saw Slack and Kapa save four match points and serve for the match themselves before losing 20-18 in the first to 15 final set.
Slack and Kapa will now have to come through the quarter-final draw to qualify for the semi-finals, where they are scheduled to play top seeds Bo Soderberg and Anders Kund Hoyer from Denmark.
LIFESTYLE ASSET MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS, FINALS SCHEDULE, Sunday, March 14:
8am: Women's Semi-finals
9am: Men's Semi-finals
10am: Women's Bronze Medal Play-off
11am: Men's Bronze Medal Play-off
Noon: Women's Gold Medal Match
1pm: Men's Gold Medal Match
Date: March 14
Location: Sandstorm Beach Club, Nathan, QLD (just outside Brisbane)