July 23, 2004

Former University of San Diego women's volleyball player, Petia Yanchulova (1995-99), a two-time First Team All-America, is heading to Athens to participate in the 2004 Olympic Games in the sport of beach volleyball. She will team up with her sister, Lina, to form one of the 24 women's teams selected to participate by the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation). Petia and Lina, both currently residents of San Diego, will represent Bulgaria.

Petia, who helped lead USD to back-to-back West Coast Conference women's volleyball championships in 1997 & 1998, has been playing professionally since graduating in 1999 with a double major in Business and International Relations. The Yanchulova tandem, currently 26th in the World Tour Rankings, head to the Olympics with an official olympic ranking of 23rd.

The tournament will be played in a pool play format followed by single elimination, starting on August 15th and finishing August 25th. The Klagenfurt Grand Slam will play host to the Drawing of Lots ceremony on July 31st at 7:30 p.m. (in the Wappensaal) to determine the seeding of the Pools.

Yanchulova is the second Torero to be invited to the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Ali Cox, a 2001 USD graduate and 2nd Team CRCA All-American, will compete with the U.S. women's eight boat, August 14-22nd. Yanchulova also becomes the second Torero to participate in the sport of beach volleyball. Mike Whitmarsh teammed up with Mike Dodd in 1996 to earn a silver medal in Atlanta, Georgia.