Emily Stockman
6-0
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 5, 2022) – After a few weeks of rest and practice following the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship, some of the world’s best beach volleyball pairs will return to competition this week at the Beach Pro Tour’s Gstaad Elite 16.
Three U.S. teams will compete in the tournament:
- Emily Stockman/Megan Kraft
- Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth
- Sarah Schermerhorn/Corinne Quiggle
This will be the first Elite 16 for Schermerhorn, Quiggle and Kraft; Nuss/Kloth took fifth at the Jurmala Elite 16 last month and Stockman competed at the Rosarito event in March with Lauren Fendrick.
Kloth/Nuss haven’t competed internationally since early June, while Stockman/Kraft won a Futures event June 26. Schermerhorn/Quiggle took fourth at a King of the Court contest the same day.
Nuss/Kloth and Schermerhorn/Quiggle are drawn together in Pool F and will face each other to begin the tournament. That match begins Wednesday, July 6, at 5 a.m. Pacific. Stockman/Kraft will face Swiss pair Esmee Bobner/Zoe Verge-Depre one hour later in Pool G.
The Gstaad Elite 16 brings a new format to the top level of tournaments on the Beach Pro Tour. Instead of a qualifier, 32 teams will be separated into eight pools of four. Modified pool play will determine pool winners who advance directly to the Round of 16. Teams who place second and third will compete for the other eight playoff berths.
Five of the six World Championships medalists will compete in Gstaad. Brazil’s Ana Patricia Silva Ramos/Eduarda Santos Lisboa won the world title, beating Canada’s Sophie Bukovec/Brandie Wilkerson in the women’s gold medal match. On the men’s side, gold medalists Anders Mol/Christian Sorum are competing as are Brazilian duos Renato Andrew Lima de Varvalho/Vitor Goncalves Felipe (Worlds silver medalists) and Andre Loyola Stein/George Suoto Maior Wanderley (Worlds bronze medalists).
There’s one other Beach Pro Tour event occurring this weekend: a Futures tournament in Lecce, Italy. Melissa Fuchs Powell/Tambre Nobles are the only U.S. pair registered for the tournament and will begin play in the qualifier Thursday, July 7.
Last Time Out
Both Fuchs Powell/Nobles and Jade Race/Lydia Smith competed at Futures events last week. Fuchs Powell/Nobles participated in Ios, Greece, and Race/Smith at Giardini Naxos, Italy. Both lost in their tournament’s qualifier.
