COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – This week in beach volleyball, the Under 21 World Championships begin in China, one team plays on the FIVB World Tour in South Korea, Americans hit up the NORCECA Tour in Cuba, and a USA vs The World exhibition heads to Long Beach, California.
A lot is happening in beach volleyball this week from the junior level to the professionals. In 2017, the FIVB will host the World Championships for the top professionals, and this week the Under 21 age group competes in their own, in Nanjing, China.
The U21 World Championship teams were selected in a Team Trials event last December of 2016. Team USA athletes that won the event were selected for main draw bids, while the runners-up each earned qualification bids.
Last week, three of the four U.S. teams going to the World Champs competed in the first ever USAV Collegiate Beach Open. The tournament served as the High Performance program’s national championships for the U23 and U21 age groups. Earning gold at the CBO, were Mima Mirkovic/Kathryn Plummer over World Champ teammates Savannah Simo/Torrey Van Winden, and with bronze, Adam Wienckowski/Clay Messenger.
| U21 World Championships Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Entry | |||||
| Kathryn Plummer (Stanford) | Mima Mirkovic (California) | Main Draw | ||||
| Savannah Simo (UCLA) | Torrey Van Winden (UCLA) | Qualification | ||||
| Clay Messenger | Adam Wienckowski | Main Draw | ||||
| Marcus Partain | Miles Partain | Qualification | ||||
Congrats Mima on another tournament victory! Now off to China for the U21 World Championships. #CalBeachVball #USAVBeach https://t.co/5LI9sNKCUQ
— Cal Beach Volleyball (@CalBeachVball) July 9, 2017
| FIVB Daegu 1-Star Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Entry | |||||
| Amanda Dowdy | Irene Pollock | Main Draw | ||||
FIVB 1 Star in Daegu, South Korea, is a women’s only event running July 14-16. Amanda Dowdy and Irene Pollock represent the lone American team at the tournament, which is a 16-team single elimination bracket. Last time out, the duo tied for ninth in Nanjing and Nantong in China, both 2-Star tournaments.
| NORCECA Varadero Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Entry | |||||
| Karissa Cook | Katie Spieler | Main Draw | ||||
| Jace Pardon | Lara Dykstra | Main Draw | ||||
| John Mayer | Jeremy Casebeer | Main Draw | ||||
| Jon Mesko | Syklar Del Sol | Main Draw | ||||
| Staff | ||||||
| Eddie Stanislawski | Sports Medicine, DC, DCBSP, CSCS | |||||
The fourth tournament of the 2017 NORCECA Continental Tour, USA has five medals this season, three women’s and two men’s. The U.S. is sending the same two women’s teams that played in the last Tour stop, with Karissa Cook/Katie Spieler earning bronze in the outing in Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol were also in Ochos Rios, the pair finished fifth; this week’s tournament will be their fourth on the NORCECA circuit in 2017. Jeremy Casebeer/John Mayer are making their first appearance as a team internationally, the first international event for Casebeer this year.
| Long Beach Presidents Cup – exhibition | ||||||
| Athletes | Coach | Entry | ||||
| Brooke Sweat | Summer Ross | Ty Tramblie | Main Draw | |||
| Lauren Fendrick | April Ross | Jon Daze | Main Draw | |||
| Kelly Claes | Sara Hughes | Main Draw | ||||
| Brittany Hochevar | Emily Day | Hector Gutierrez | Main Draw | |||
| Kerri Walsh Jennings | Nicole Branagh | Marcio Sicoli | Main Draw | |||
| Emily Stockman | Kimberly DiCello | Jennifer Snyder | Main Draw | |||
| Betsi Flint | Kelley Larsen | Scott Davenport | Main Draw | |||
| Lane Carico | Caitlin Ledoux | Main Draw | ||||
| Heather McGuire | Kendra Vanzwieten | Reserve | ||||
| Irene Pollock | Amanda Dowdy | Reserve | ||||
| Phil Dalhausser | Nick Lucena | Jason Lochhead | Main Draw | |||
| Casey Patterson | Theo Brunner | Rich Lambourne | Main Draw | |||
| Jake Gibb | Taylor Crabb | Marcio Sicoli | Main Draw | |||
| John Hyden | Ryan Doherty | Main Draw | ||||
| Sean Rosenthal | Trevor Crabb | Jeff Alzina | Main Draw | |||
| Stafford Slick | Billy Allen | Jon Daze | Main Draw | |||
| Marty Lorenz | Mark Burik | Main Draw | ||||
| Casey Jennings | Bill Kolinske | Gustavo Rocha | Main Draw | |||
| John Mayer | Jeremy Casebeer | Reserve | ||||
An exhibition event featuring USA vs The World format, the event host Management Plus Enterprises (MPE) offers an action-packed lineup July 13-16. Eight USA teams per gender, selected by MPE, will play in two pools of four American teams, into a single elimination bracket, when the U.S. will once again face off against each other.
Once at the semifinals, Americans will take on the international teams, who earn their spot in the semifinals in the same fashion but from the other side of the bracket. Thus ensuring USA vs The World in the medal matches.
The tournament will be broadcasted on ESPN Networks starting July 13, with replays being shown on ESPN2 on July 17-18.
JUNIOR BEACH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hotels in the Sarasota, Florida, area are filling up ahead of the 2017 USA Volleyball Junior Beach Championships. As the JBT regular season comes to a close and teams finalize their bids, click here to learn more information about Junior Beach Tour Championships, including items for participating athletes, local deals and age-group schedules.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Gstaad 5-Star
– 1st Place: Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, the second gold medal and third podium finish of 2017
– Tied for 5th: John Hyden/Ryan Doherty, duo started tournament in qualification and the third T5 finish for the pair
– Tied for 9th: Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes, third T10 finish; Kerri Walsh Jennings/Nicole Branagh, best team finish since 9th in Aug. 2012; Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb, fourth T10 finish
– Tied for 17th: April Ross/Lauren Fendrick, their first FIVB tourney since late May; Sean Rosenthal/Trevor Crabb, third time pair have tied for 17th
– Tied for 25th: Brooke Sweat/Summer Ross, the first time the team did not advance out of pool play this year; Kimberly DiCello/Emily Stockman, their fifth T25 finish in 2017; Casey Patterson/Theo Brunner, duo went 0-3 in pool play
– Lost in country quota: Brittany Hochevar/Emily Day fell to Kimberly DiCello/Emily Stockman, 31-29, 21-19