COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 4, 2019) – The USAV Beach team of Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings strengthened its hold on the second U.S. spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with a silver medal finish on Sunday at the FIVB World Tour three-star event in Qinzhou.
Sweat/Walsh Jennings went undefeated at the tournament until the final. In the semifinals, they came back from a first-set loss to defeat Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Taliqua Clancy, 17-21, 21-18, 15-12.
Sweat/Walsh Jennings played the final a couple hours later and fell to Germany’s Karla Borger/Julia Sude, 21-16, 21-19.
Sweat/Walsh Jennings are in second place among U.S. teams in the FIVB provisional Olympic rankings and fifth place overall with 6,960 points. Alix Klineman/April Ross lead all U.S. teams and are in second place overall with 8,760 points.
Among other U.S. teams in Qinzhou, Kelley Larsen/Emily Stockman went undefeated until the third round where they lost to Clancy/Artacho Del Solar (21-15, 17-21, 15-12) and finished fifth. In the second round, Larsen/Stockman beat their U.S. teammates Sara Hughes/Summer Ross (21-18, 21-14).
Qinzhou was the first tournament for Hughes/Ross since Gstaad in July. Ross has been recovering from a back injury since then.
Hughes/Ross finished ninth as did Kelly Claes/Sarah Sponcil. Claes/Sponcil are in third place among U.S. teams in the provisional Olympic rankings and Larsen/Stockman are fourth.
Miles Evans/Ryan Doherty went 1-1 in pool play and won their first- and second-round matches before losing to Russia’s Valeriy Samoday/Igor Velichko (21-16, 21-14) in the third round.
FINAL U.S. RESULTS FROM QINZHOU
Women
1 Borger/Sude GER
2 Sweat/Walsh Jennings USA
3 Wen/Wang CHN
5T Stockman/Larsen USA
9T Claes/Sponcil USA
9T Hughes/S Ross USA
Men
1 Heidrich/Gerson SUI
2 Ermacora/Pristauz AUT
3 Samoday/Velichko RUS
5T Evans/Doherty USA
25T Mewhirter/Boag USA
NORCECA HATO MAYOR
USAV Beach teams won double gold at the NORCECA Tour event in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. Falyn Fonoimoana/Corinne Quiggle won the women’s bracket and Chaim Schalk/Jeremy Casebeer took the men’s.
Schalk won his first tournament as a USAV athlete. Schalk is Canadian and had competed for Canada until he married American beach volleyball player Lane Carico and switched affiliations.
In the final, Schalk/Casebeer beat Canadians Jake MacNeil/Simon Fecteau-Boutin, 21-15, 21-18.
In the semifinals Schalk/Casebeer beat their U.S. teammates Tim Brewster/Jon Ferrari, 21-17, 21-19. Brewster/Ferrari finished fourth.
In the women’s final, Fonoimoana/Quiggle beat Cuba’s Yanisleydis Sánchez and Lidianny Echeverría, 21-12, 22-20.
COMING UP
FIVB One-Star in Tel Aviv
Melissa Fuchs/Delaney Knudsen and Travis Mewhirter/Tim Brewster will compete Nov. 13-17 at the FIVB one-star in Tel Aviv, Israel.
FIVB One-Star in Qatar
Chris Austin/Earl Schultz will compete Nov. 12-15 at the FIVB one-star in Qatar.
FIVB Four-Star in Chetumal
Emily Day/Betsi Flint and Bill Kolinske/John Hyden won the country quota playoff on Oct. 25 to compete at the FIVB four-star on Nov. 13-17 in Chetumal, Mexico.
W1: Flint/Day def Corinne Quiggle/Amanda Dowdy
M1: Kolinske/Hyden def Mewhirter/Boag
W2: Flint/Day def Stockman/Larsen
M2: Kolinske/Hyden def Miles Evans/Ryan Doherty
U.S. Women’s Teams in Chetumal
Main draw
7 Sweat/Walsh Jennings
9 Sponcil/Claes
12 Hughes/S Ross
Qualifying
1 Flint/Day
U.S. Men’s Teams in Chetumal
Main draw
4 Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb
6 Trevor Crabb/Tri Bourne
17 Billy Allen/Stafford Slick
Qualifying
3 Bill Kolinske/John Hyden
Sports Med Support
Karla Wolford and Joe Houde
NORCECA Jamaica
Falyn Fonoimoana/Corinne Quiggle, Chaim Schalk/Jeremy Casebeer and Miles Partain/Paul Lotman will compete Nov. 15-17 at the NORCECA Tour event in Jamaica.