avpTV will stream more than 10 hours live from the World Challenge. To give Americans and Brazilians alike the chance to watch live coverage, English and Portuguese feeds will be available on AVP.com. Tune in Saturday for round-robin matches from approximately 7:45 p.m.-1:30 a.m. and Sunday for medal matches from approximately 12:15-5 p.m. EDT. To start watching avpTV for free, please visit: http://www.avp.com/avpTV/MS-AVP-TV.aspx.

After slight shakeups to both countries' rosters, team entries are now finalized. Matt Olson has replaced Sean Rosenthal in the lone U.S. change and will play with 2008 Olympian Jake Gibb.

Brazil has scratched 2008 Olympic silver medalists Fabio Luiz Magalhaes/Marcio Araujo and replaced them with Joao "Billy" Maciel/Bruno Oscar Schmidt. On the women's side, Shaylyn Bede has replaced older sister and 2000 and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Shelda as 2004 and 2008 Olympian Ana Paula Rodrigues Connelly's partner. Vanilda Leao/Angela Vieira have also supplanted sisters Maria Clara Salgado Rufino and Carolina Salgado.

The United States will be represented by 2008 Olympians Nicole Branagh/Elaine Youngs, 2000 Olympians Annett Davis/Jenny Johnson Jordan, 2009 FIVB World Champions Jen Kessy/April Ross, and two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh on the women's side. It will be the first professional action in more than a year for May-Treanor, who missed the first 15 events of the season while recovering an Achilles tendon injury. May-Treanor stands first all-time among women with 105 career wins.

Men slated to play for the United States include 2008 Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers and AVP stars Gibb/Olson, John Hyden/Sean Scott, and Brad Keenan/Nick Lucena.

1996 Olympic silver medalist Mike Dodd will coach the U.S. teams.

Brazil brings stellar accolades to Glendale as well. 2004 Olympic gold medalists and 2008 Olympic bronze medalists Ricardo Santos/Emanuel Rego highlight the men's roster, which also includes Joao/Bruno Oscar, 2004 Olympian Benjamin Insfran and Pedro Solberg Salgado, and Harley Marques Silva/Alison Cerutti. 2008 Olympian Larissa Franca and Juliana Felisberta Silva, 2008 Olympian Talita Antunes da Rocha and Maria Elisa Antonelli, Ana Paula/Shaylyn, and Vanilda/Angela will play for Brazil on the women's side. For more information on Brazil's athletes, visit bvbinfo.com/player.asp.

International athletes haven't competed on U.S. soil in more than six years. Last time they did, Americans and Brazilians dominated the Sept. 18-21, 2003 FIVB grand slam event at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. May-Treanor and Walsh defeated Brazil's Ana Paula and Sandra Pires Tavares to take home the women's gold medal, while Brazilians Ricardo and Emanuel won men's gold. American men Mike Whitmarsh and Canyon Ceman finished third.

This time around, the USA and Brazil will battle head-to-head for beach volleyball sovereignty. Worldwide bragging rights and a $50,000 Country Challenge prize will be on the line when the teams listed above square off in the Ryder Cup-style round-robin tournament.

A total of 36 matches, each pitting an American team against a Brazilian team, worth a collective 48 points will decide the winner of the World Challenge. 32 round-robin matches, each worth one point, will take place Friday and Saturday. Bronze medal matches worth three points each and gold medal matches worth five apiece will wrap up the showdown Sunday. The nation with the most points at the end of the event will win the Country Challenge. In the event of a 24-24 tie, the men's gold medal match will serve as a tiebreaker.

Gold medal matches will be televised nationally on Versus Sunday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. EDT.

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  About AVP, Inc.:

AVP, Inc. is a leading lifestyle sports entertainment company focused on the production, marketing and distribution of professional beach volleyball events worldwide. One of the fastest growing entities in the sports world, the AVP operates two of the industry's most prominent national touring series, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (1983) and the AVP Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour (launched in 2008). The AVP is set to stage more than 35 events throughout the United States in 2009 and features more than 150 of the top male and female competitors in the sport. AVP athletes won both the women's and men's gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, marking the first gold medal sweep by a single country in the history of Olympic Beach Volleyball. AVP is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. For more information, please visit www.avp.com.

Source: AVP