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Sandra Pires:
 
Sandra Pires Tavares
Brazil  
      
 
Vital Statistics
 

Photo: FIVB
Birth Date June 16, 1973 (50 years old)
Home Town Rio de Janeiro
Resides Rio de Janeiro
Height 5'9"
  Best Finish Winnings
United States 1st (3 times) $29,795
   AVP 1st (3 times) $25,402
   WPVA 9th $825
   Bonus Money   $3,568
International 1st (20 times) $773,543
   FIVB 1st (20 times) $709,623
   Bonus Money   $63,920
Overall 1st (23 times) $803,338
 
Bio Bits

After being tutored by the legendary Jackie Silva in the mid-1990s, three-time Olympian Sandra Pires has assumed the role as the player/coach as she starts her 13th season on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour tutoring Brazilian indoor veteran Virna Dias after spending 2005 with Agatha Bednarczuk.  Sandra will turn 33 during the 2006 season.
 

After playing one SWATCH event in 1993 in Karina Silva, Sandra (21 at the time) skipped the 1994 international season to play on the American domestic tour with Jackie (32 at the time) as the pair won three events along with posting eight podium placements and 10 “final four” finishes.  Sandra and Jackie returned to the SWATCH tour in 1995 and won the international points titles twice along with capturing the gold medals at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and the 1997 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships at Los Angeles.  For four seasons together on the SWATCH tour, Sandra and Jackie won 84.2 percent of their matches (139-26) and 12 of their 18 title matches.  The pair never finished below fourth in 29 SWATCH stops with 28 podium placements.

 

Sandra joined forces with Adriana Samuel at the start of the 1998 SWATCH season as the pair played together through the 2000 season.  Sandra and Adriana were fourth at the 1999 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships in Marseille before claiming the bronze medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

 

After playing with Tatiana Minello (2001, 12 events, 53-22 match record, Goodwill Games gold medal) and Leila Barros (2002, 11, 32-18) the next two seasons, Sandra teamed with Ana Paula Connelly in 2003 to pursue a spot in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.  Highlighted by the 2003 SWATCH points championships, Sandra and Ana Paula qualified for the Olympics where they placed fifth.  Due to injuries, Sandra and Ana Paula played in only 16 SWATCH events with five gold medals, nine medals and an 81-17 match mark.

 

Pires is one of 14 players to compete in all three Olympic Beach Volleyball competitions.  She had a 5-0 record with Jackie in Atlanta, 4-1 with Adriana in Sydney and 3-2 with Ana Paula in Athens.  Only Natalie Cook of Australia has won more Olympic Beach Volleyball matches (13) than Sandra (12).  Sandra was also honored by her country’s Olympic Committee at the Sydney 2000 Games by becoming the first women to carry the Brazilian flag into the opening ceremonies.

 

On the Brazilian domestic tour, Sandra has won the 2000 and 2001 Queen of the Beach competition.  She teamed with Jackie to win the 1995 points title followed by championship with Adriana in 1998.  She finished fourth in 2005 with Agatha.

 

As for her role as Beach Volleyball tutor, Sandra said “it is very rewarding to know that I can continue to play at a high level with athletes that are starting their Beach Volleyball career.  I am very happy to help a inexperienced Beach Volleyball players learn the game.”  Sandra will try for a fourth Olympic spot in 2008.  "Obviously, my last Olympic participations did not match by initial experience in 1996 with Jackie,” said Sandra.  “The Athens experience was very disappointing as Ana Paula and I were never healthy as the same time in 2004.”

 
 
Awards
 
 
Career Summary
 
United States
Season Assoc Played 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th Money Points Rank 13th 17th 25th 41st CQ
1994 AVP 14 3 1 4 2 4 0 0 $28,970.00     0 0 0 0 0
1997 WPVA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 $825.00 16.0 77th 0 0 0 0 0
Total
(Rank)
  15
(535th)
3
(65th)
1 4 2 4 0 1 $29,795.00
(158th)
16.0   0 0 0 0 0
 
International
Season Assoc Played 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th Money Points Rank 13th 17th 25th 41st CQ
1993 FIVB 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 $2,250.00 15.0 13th 0 0 0 0 0
1995 FIVB 11 3 4 4 0 0 0 0 $45,500.00 231.0 1st 0 0 0 0 0
1996 FIVB 10 7 2 1 0 0 0 0 $177,950.00 1,233.0 1st 0 0 0 0 0
1997 FIVB 7 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 $84,120.00 856.0 7th 0 0 0 0 0
1998 FIVB 8 2 2 3 0 0 0 1 $79,750.00 1,122.0 3rd 0 0 0 0 0
1999 FIVB 7 0 0 1 4 2 0 0 $41,000.00 907.0 5th 0 0 0 0 0
2000 FIVB 9 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 $41,500.00 954.0 14th 0 1 0 0 0
2001 FIVB 12 1 2 1 3 3 2 0 $87,000.00 1,440.0 3rd 0 0 0 0 0
2002 FIVB 11 0 0 0 0 6 0 3 $29,422.50 815.0 13th 0 1 1 0 0
2003 FIVB 10 4 4 0 0 1 0 1 $115,000.00 1,932.0 1st 0 0 0 0 0
Season Assoc Played 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 7th 9th Money Points Rank 13th 17th 25th 41st CQ
2004 FIVB 6 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 $32,250.00 606.0 35th 0 0 1 0 0
2005 FIVB 11 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 $32,550.00 812.0 31st 0 2 0 0 3
2006 FIVB 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $0.00 9.0 242nd 0 0 0 1 0
2007 FIVB 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 $4,000.00 150.0 120th 0 0 0 0 0
2008 FIVB 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $1,250.00 60.0 188th 0 1 0 0 4
Total
(Rank)
  110
(66th)
20
(10th)
16 16 13 17 4 9 $773,542.50
(15th)
11,142.0   0 5 2 1 7
 
 
 
 
Overall
Total
(Rank)
  125
(122nd)
23
(23rd)
17 20 15 21 4 10 $803,337.50
(21st)
11,158.0   0 5 2 1 7
 
Red denotes ranked 1st
 
Victory List
 
Victory Date Assoc Location Partner Seed Winnings
1 6/19/1994 AVP Milwaukee Jackie Silva   $2,857
2 7/31/1994 AVP Belmar Jackie Silva   $2,857
3 8/21/1994 AVP San Diego Jackie Silva   $5,714
4 2/12/1995 FIVB La Serena Jackie Silva   $5,500
5 3/5/1995 FIVB Rio de Janeiro Jackie Silva   $11,000
6 5/7/1995 FIVB Clearwater Jackie Silva   $5,000
7 3/3/1996 FIVB Rio de Janeiro Jackie Silva   $15,000
8 4/14/1996 FIVB Maceió Jackie Silva 2 $14,600
9 4/21/1996 FIVB Recife Jackie Silva 1 $14,600
10 6/23/1996 FIVB Hermosa Beach Jackie Silva   $14,600
Victory Date Assoc Location Partner Seed Winnings
11 7/27/1996 FIVB Atlanta Jackie Silva 1  
12 8/11/1996 FIVB Espinho Jackie Silva 1 $14,600
13 8/18/1996 FIVB Ostende Jackie Silva 1 $14,600
14 3/16/1997 FIVB Melbourne Jackie Silva 1 $12,500
15 9/13/1997 FIVB Los Angeles Jackie Silva 3 $30,000
16 6/21/1998 FIVB Toronto Adriana Samuel 2 $16,000
17 7/25/1998 FIVB Marseille Adriana Samuel 2 $16,000
18 9/4/2001 FIVB Brisbane Tatiana Minello 4 $15,000
19 6/15/2003 FIVB Rhodes Ana Paula Connelly 5 $11,000
20 6/28/2003 FIVB Berlin Ana Paula Connelly 4 $22,500
Victory Date Assoc Location Partner Seed Winnings
21 7/5/2003 FIVB Stavanger Ana Paula Connelly 3 $11,000
22 8/10/2003 FIVB Osaka Ana Paula Connelly 1 $11,000
23 9/25/2004 FIVB Rio de Janeiro Ana Paula Connelly 3 $13,500
 

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