RIO DE JANEIRO -- They call her Six Feet of Sunshine, and Kerri Walsh Jennings is pretty good under the moonlight, too.The three-time gold medalist and partner April Ross advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament in a midnight match, dispatching Italy 21-10, 21-16 in just 35 minutes.It was the third time in four matches the Americans played at midnight to showcase them for the U.S. television audience.You wont hear them complain: The gold medal match is also scheduled for 12 a.m. local time.We know that we wanted to get used to the midnight matches because thats when the later (round) matches are, Walsh Jennings said.Ross said she has been getting to bed around 3:30 a.m. after the midnight madness. Walsh Jennings said its more like 5 a.m.Were just so amped, she said. But we dont have to set an alarm in the morning.Walsh Jennings earned her nickname from her sunny disposition.But, as her opponents can attest, shes fierce on the court.One match after losing a set to Switzerland -- just the first set the Americans lost in Rio, and the second Walsh Jennings has lost in 25 Olympic matches -- the Americans rallied from deficits in both sets to put Italy away.That made it an early night of sorts for the fans who packed the Copacabana venue, despite the late start. Among those in the stands: comedian Leslie Jones, who draped an American flag around her shoulders and led her section in cheering.Walsh Jennings said she made eye contact with the Ghostbusters star on her way out to the court, and appreciated the energy she brought to the crowd. Shes just on fire, she said.The Americans first formed their partnership in London, when Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor won their third straight gold medal -- beating Ross and Jennifer Kessy in the final. With May-Treanor retiring, Walsh Jennings asked Ross to join her on the quest for a fourth.Four years isnt all that long for a beach volleyball partnership, but its an eternity compared to Italians Marta Menegatti and Laura Giombini.Menegatti had qualified for Rio with Viktoria Orsi Toth, finishing a comfortable eighth in the world tour standings that fill out most of the field. But Orsi Toth failed a doping test just days before the Olympics were to begin, and she was replaced by Giombini.I want to thank Laura. It wasnt easy for her, Menegatti said. I am sad about Vicki. I am sad because shes not here and she should be here. But I think everything will work out because shes in the right. I have no doubt.The Italians had four training sessions before their opener in Rio, but still managed to advance out of group play and into the knockout round.Its the easiest thing in the world, Menegatti said with a smile, with four days of training when you work four years for this competition. cheap jerseys from china . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. wholesale nfl jerseys . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. 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PETERSBURG, Russia -- Few professional sports teams had grander beginnings than Kunlun Red Star.With Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping looking on, Chinas biggest venture in hockey to date joined the Kontinental Hockey League in June at a lavish ceremony in Beijing. For the Russia-based KHL, Kunlun is a chance to beat the NHL to the Chinese market. Chinese officials hope the club can groom enough talent to strengthen its feeble national team in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2022.This project was organized at the highest level, said Vladimir Yurzinov Jr., Kunluns Russian coach. Its good that were first because if it wasnt us (in the Chinese market), it would be the North Americans.China offers a vast potential fan base for foreign sports leagues, but there are challenges in turning interest into revenue.English Premier League soccer is the biggest success story, having built a dedicated Chinese following in part by playing preseason games in Hong Kong. That has helped to push its global TV rights deals to record levels. The Womens Tennis Association now hosts some of its most lucrative events there, thanks to the breakout popularity of Chinese player Li Na, while the British-based sport of snooker has also reversed its fortunes by finding a younger audience in China.Still, Tom Doctoroff, an U.S.-based expert on marketing in China, cautioned that hockey has limited potential in China because it is too overtly aggressive for Chinese consumers, and persuading them to pay to watch sports broadcasts is difficult.Free remains the frame of reference for most consumers, he said in an email.That hasnt stopped Kunlun from rushing through a summer of recruitment and training to create a club in record time. The team is off a sobering start to life in the KHL, widely considered the worlds second-strongest league.Kunlun had lost three in a row when it arrived for a recent game at SKA St. Petersburg, which had ex-NHL stars Slava Voynov and Ilya Kovalchuk on the ice. There were a few giggles when the announcer asked fans to stand for the Chinese anthem, and SKA barely had to sweat for a 3-0 win as Kunluns Canadian and European import players struggled to deal with one of the strongest rosters outside the NHL.The KHL sprawls across eight countries and nine time zones, meaning players face a punishing schedule of long flights across Eastern Europe and Asia. Thats a new world for ex-Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Bellemore, who had never left North America until he joined Kunlun before the season. For Bellemore, the move was more about seeing the world with his new wife, Natasha, than the financial side of playing in China.Id never even had jetlag before, he said. Its been aa bit of a ride, but its been exciting.ddddddddddddKunlun boasts players from nine countries, ranging from 36-year-old NHL veteran Alexei Ponikarovsky to young Chinese players just starting their careers. Among them is Rudi Ying, an 18-year-old who grew up in the United States after moving there at age 10 to pursue his dream of being a professional hockey player.Spreading hockey beyond Chinas wealthier classes will be hard, given the cost of equipment and facilities. Right now, soccer is attracting the lions share of government and private funds, with President Xi the countrys No. 1 fan.Ive had one foot in either culture, said Ying, who comes from a privileged background. It helps me to see how far behind Chinese hockey is. Chinas not to blame, its just a sport thats not very popular ... We dont have much time to catch up.Despite the political fanfare around Kunlun in Russia and China, club spokesman Oleg Vinokurov said no government money is involved and funding comes from Russian and Chinese companies. So far, there are mixed signals on the success of the fledgling team: While almost 8,000 people watched Kunlun win its first home game in Beijing, a game at its secondary arena in Shanghai attracted just 550 fans.For the KHL, moving into Asia is something of a plan B after its westward expansion into Europe stalled, with several teams experiencing chronic financial difficulties. The long-term aim is for Kunlun to be the basis for the Chinese national team, just as CSKA Moscow was for the Soviet Union.Yurzinov said part of his mission as Kunlun coach is to improve the Chinese players on his roster with mentoring from older teammates and simply practice after practice. The focus is firmly on developing local talent, not attracting foreigners to represent China in international play, as 2018 Olympic host South Korea has done.If it cant improve the national team by 2022, China will be the first Olympic host not to take part in the mens tournament. The national team was pounded 9-0 by the Netherlands earlier this year and will play next years world championship in Division II B, competing against the likes of Mexico and North Korea.Ying will be 23 when the 2022 Olympics take place and hopes he will be a star on home ice for the Chinese national team. He worries the timetable is just too tight, even with Kunlun spawning a new generation.The reason we created this organization to try to help promote Chinese hockey is because one person cant do it, he said. If 2022 comes around and Im the only one whos at that level, its not going to be enough. 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