New American doubles tested with 10 three-pointers at Itapema Challenge

Six of the eight U.S. groups that began Friday in the principle draw of the Volleyball World Itapema Problem in Brazil might be described as comparatively new:

Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint and Savvy Simo and Toni Rodriguez are competing collectively of their fifth occasion. Miles Partain and Andy Benesh’s first event of the yr locations fourth as a duo. And Kelley Kolinske and Hailey Harward, Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk, and Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner solely play of their third.

So it is sensible that they may all use a couple of additional repetitions. And fortunately they caught them on the east coast of Brazil on Friday. Of the 18 video games performed by eight American groups on Friday, 10 had been completed in three units, and 7 fell in favor of the USA.

Bourne and Schalk had been victorious in each three units on Friday, making them the one U.S. group to win twice in three units. They received their first set defeats to Austria and Australia 15-13 and 15-7 respectively. These victories earned them a 7 am Saturday Pacific time rendezvous with the Polish Piotr Kantor and Maciej Rudol.

Sponcil and Cannon accompanying Bourne and Schalk within the undefeated class, and Scoles and Flint each took three-set wins within the opening spherical earlier than sweeping their second-round opponents.

Scoles and Flint, the second seed of the event, will face Emi Van Driel and Brecht Piersma from the Netherlands at 05:00 Pacific time. On the similar time, Sponcil and Cannon will face Brazil’s Andressa Cavalcanti and Vitoria De Souza, whereas Kolinske and Harward will face Finland’s Niina Ahtiainen and Taru Lahti.

In the meantime, Partain and Benesh will proceed to play who’s who in Brazilian seaside volleyball. Partain and Benesh, who eradicated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Alison Cerutti within the qualifiers on Thursday, had been swept in Friday’s second recreation by George Wanderley and Andre Loyola, who received back-to-back gold medals at Itapema. They are going to be tasked with keeping off the shuttles of Evandro Goncalves and his new companion, Arthur Mariano, within the Pacific at 7 a.m. Saturday.

Three US pairs had been eradicated on Friday. Trevor Crabb and Brunner had been swept by Australia and Austria, whereas Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander had been swept by Cuba within the fortunate losers spherical after a stout three-set win over Canadians Sam Schachter and Dan Dearing. Quickly after, Simo and Rodriguez made a comeback within the third set, blocked by Emma Piersma and Mexime van Driel, and completed their Problem run early.

Nonetheless: The weekend will host a complete of 5 American groups, nearly half of the {couples} making the journey.

Dutch ladies present depth, promise

The Netherlands is among the deepest federations on the lads’s facet with three, typically 4 groups at Elite 16 stage, whereas the ladies’s foot is extraordinarily heavy. Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon, the present world quantity 4, have carried the Dutch torch since Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink and Pleasure Stubbe and Marleen Van Iersel retired in 2021.

Enter the Van Driel and Piersma brothers.

Emi van Driel and Brecht Piersma completed twentieth in Thursday’s qualifiers, whereas Mexime van Driel and Emma Piersma had been #1. Each have made the principle draw and now each discover themselves in ninth place on Saturday. If all goes effectively, they may play one another within the semifinals on Sunday.

Cuba’s triumphant return to the Seashore Professional Tour

It isn’t unusual for followers of seaside volleyball to be booked with Cuban {couples} on the Seashore Professional Tour. They usually compete regionally, dominate the NORCECA circuits, and seem on the World Championships annually. However in 2023, Cuba’s prime duo Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz traveled twice to compete on the Seashore Professional Tour, ending ninth within the La Paz Problem and at the least assured that at Itapema.

The Cubans narrowly escaped elimination by beating Evan Cory and Logan Webber 21-18, 19-21, 15-10 within the closing spherical, defeating Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander within the fortunate losers rounds to seize the night time. This win earned them a first-round match in opposition to the Dutch’s Matthew Immers and Steven Van De Velde.

Click on right here for Volleyball World results and schedule. You possibly can watch all of the matches of the Itapema Problem right here: VolleyballWorld.television (At 9, 10, 11 and 12 within the morning, I’ll at all times touch upon midfield video games within the Pacific).