COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Volleyball’s beach programs are in high gear this week with three FIVB World Tour stops and the Junior Beach Tour Championships.
In the summer of beach volleyball, events are kicking into high gear with multiple events happening around the globe this week. The high profile FIVB Olsztyn 4 Star is pulling athletes in as a final tune-up before the FIVB World Championships. Back in the U.S., junior athletes will compete in their biggest event of the year with the Junior Beach Tour Championships, which starts on Thursday, July 20.
The FIVB World Tour has three events this week, between Olsztyn (July 19-23), Agadir (1 Star, July 21-23), and Ulsan (1 Star, July 20-22). The Junior Beach Tour comes to a close with the season finale Championships in Florida starting on Thursday.
JUNIOR BEACH TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Over 430 teams will play on 60 courts in a six day span at the Junior Beach Tour Championships, which have arrived and start this Thursday, July 20-25, with the Under 14 and Under 12 Boys, and Under 16 and Under 12 Girls open and club divisions. The JBT Championships will host hundreds of teams from 12-and-under to 18-and-under at Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Florida.
| FIVB Olsztyn 4-Star Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Coach | Entry | ||||
| Brooke Sweat | Summer Ross | Main Draw | ||||
| Lauren Fendrick | April Ross | Jon Daze | Main Draw | |||
| Kelly Claes | Sara Hughes | Main Draw | ||||
| Kerri Walsh Jennings | Nicole Branagh | Marcio Sicoli | Country Quota | |||
| Emily Stockman | Kimberly DiCello | Jennifer Snyder | Country Quota | |||
| Phil Dalhausser | Nick Lucena | Jason Lochhead | Main Draw | |||
| Casey Patterson | Theo Brunner | Rich Lambourne | Main Draw | |||
| John Hyden | Ryan Doherty | Main Draw | ||||
| Staff | ||||||
| Phil Noyes | Video | |||||
| Mei Brownfield | Sports Medicine, PT, SCS, COMT, ATC | |||||
| Carolina Orrego | Sports Medicine, DC | |||||
Main Draw action begins on July 20 for six U.S. teams already locked in. Prior to that, Emily Stockman/Kimberly DiCello will play Kerri Walsh Jennings/Nicole Branagh in a country quota match. Winner of that will face a field of 23 other teams in the qualification single-elimination bracket, on July 19. Both teams have played in country quota already this season, showing the depth of competition coming out of the USA.
In the main draw, Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena lead the men’s ranks, entering the tournament seeded third. They are currently on an 11-match win streak, and last time on the World Tour earned the Gstaad 5-Star gold medal. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on July 22, with the medal matches taking place on July 23.
| FIVB Agadir 1-Star Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Entry | |||||
| Miles Evans | Bill Kolinske | Main Draw | ||||
A dual gendered event, the U.S. is sending one team to Morocco for the 1-Star tournament, Bill Kolinske and Miles Evans. The pair are coming off a silver medal at NORCECA Ochos Rios in June, their only other event together all time. The tournament features a 16 team single elimination main draw, which begins on July 21, with the finals being played July 23.
| FIVB Ulsan 1-Star Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Coach | Entry | ||||
| Betsi Flint | Kelley Larsen | Scott Davenport | Main Draw | |||
| Irene Pollock | Amanda Dowdy | Main Draw | ||||
A women-only tournament, USA’s two teams will compete in the 16-team main draw, single elimination competition. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen enter the event as the No. 1 seed, while Amanda Dowdy/Irene Pollock are not far behind, playing as the fifth seed. Main Draw action begins on July 20, with the finals being played on July 22.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Long Beach Presidents Volleyball Cup – exhibition, not for FIVB World Tour points
– 1st Place: Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, won gold for the second week in a row
– 2nd Place: April Ross/Lauren Fendrick, fell to Brazil in the final
– 3rd Place: Sara Hughes/Kelly Claes, best finish against the international field of play
– 4th Place: Casey Patterson/Theo Brunner fell to Poland in the bronze medal match
– Tied for fifth: Summer Ross/Brooke Sweat, Kimberly DiCello/Emily Stockman; Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb, John Hyden/Ryan Doherty
– Tied for ninth: Emily Day/Brittany Hochevar, Kerri Walsh Jennings/Nicole Branagh; Billy Allen/Ed Ratledge, Casey Jennings/Bill Kolinske
– Tied for 13th: Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen, Lane Carico/Caitlin Ledoux; Sean Rosenthal/Trevor Crabb, Mark Burik/Marty Lorenz
FIVB Under 21 World Championships
– 3rd: Kathryn Plummer/Mima Mirkovic went 6-1 to earn bronze, Plummer’s third FIVB Age World Champs medal, Mirkovic’s second
– t9th: Clay Messenger/Adam Wienckowski, a personal best for Messenger and first international event for Wienckowski
– Eliminated in qualification: Savannah Simo/Torrey Van Winden; Marcus Partain/Miles Partain
NORCECA Varadero
– 1st Place: Jace Pardon/Lara Dykstra won their first career international individual, and team, gold medal
– 2nd Place: Jeremy Casebeer/John Mayer earned silver in their first NORCECA event of 2017
– 4th Place: Karissa Cook/Katie Spieler, their second Top 5 finish of the NORCECA Tour
– 7th Place: Jon Mesko/Skylar Del Sol, an improvement from ninth in their last NORCECA outing
FIVB Daegu 1-Star
– Amanda Dowdy/Irene Pollock tied for fifth, their third Top 10 finish of 2017