Paraná, Argentina, October 29, 2014 - Men’s action got underway Wednesday as 11 teams from eight countries advanced from the qualification tournament to advance to Thursday’s 32-team main draw at this week’s double-gender US$150,000 FIVB Paraná Open.
In the final phase of the 2014 FIVB World Tour with FIVB Open events, this is the sixth time the FIVB World Tour has had an event in Argentina and it is the first time visiting Paraná. It is the fifth men’s FIVB World Tour event to be held in Argentina.
The 2014 FIVB World Tour stop is being held in Paraná through Sunday in a purpose-built venue at Balneario Thompson in Paraná, located in the Entre Rios province on the eastern shore of the Paraná River. On Wednesday two teams from host nation Argentina and the United States along with single duos from Azerbaijan, Canada, Italy and Uruguay advanced to Wednesday’s start of the 32-team women’s main draw.
The men’s teams advancing directly from the qualification tournament were three teams from host country Argentina along with single duos from Austria, Canada, Ghana, Italy, Poland, the United States and Uruguay. Although normally eight teams t
raditional qualify late withdraws saw FIVB on-site officials determined that all 11 teams would advance to complete the full 32-team main draw even though three had lost qualification matches earlier Wednesday.
The FIVB Paraná Open continues the final portion of the 2014 FIVB World Tour, as the third of six season-ending FIVB Open events that include two remaining double-gender events and one men-only tournament. The FIVB Paraná Open is using the FIVB format of a single-day qualification tournament that was held on Tuesday for women and Wednesday for men to determine the final eight spots in each gender’s 32-team main draw tournaments, round-robin pool play which began Wednesday for women and Thursday for men. It will conclude with a single-elimination bracket for the final 24 teams. The women’s semifinals and medal matches will be held this Saturday and the men’s semifinals and medal matches on Sunday.
MEN’S QUALIFYINGThe 11 men’s teams advancing to Wednesday’s start of pool play from qualifying were led by Argentina’s Facundo Del Coto/Martin Quinoga, Joel Leon/Exequiel Yacob and Angel Verzali/Alejandro Ronconi and Uruguay’s two duos of Michael Gonzalez/German Varela and Fabio Dalmas/Andress Stoll.
The additional six teams advancing to the main draw were Austria’s Daniel Hupfer/Julian Horl, Canada’s Maverick Hatch/Garrett May, Ghana’s Isaac Barnes/Jonathan Sarpong, Italy’s Marco Carminati/Enrico Rossi, Poland’s Szymon Talka/Tomasz Gortych and USA’s Trevor Crabb/Adam Roberts.
Results of the three men’s qualifying matches that were played on Wednesday saw Italy’s Caminati/Rossi defeated Argentina’s Yacob/Leon, 21-11, 21-11 in 33 minutes, Uruguay’s Gonzalez/Varela won in two sets over Ghana’s Isaac/Sarpong, 21-14, 21-12 in 31 minutes, and USA’s Crabb/Robers came from behind to defeat Uruguay’s Dalmas/Stoll, in three sets, 12-21, 21-13, 15-13 in 44 minutes.
TEAM ARGENTINA
As the host nation, Argentina has three men’s and two women’s teams automatically pre-seeded into the main draw. For the men, the Argentine teams pre-seeded into the main draw are Santiago Aulisi/Leandro Aveiro, Pablo Bianchi/Julian Azaad and Ian Mehamed/Nicolas Capogrosso.
Additionally, Argentina's three men’s team that advanced from the qualification tournament on Wednesday to the main draw are Quiroga/Del Coto, Ronconi/ Verzzali and Yacob/Leon. All six teams from Argentina are now all guaranteed three pool play matches each over the next two days as the South American country continues to develop its international beach volley program.
THEY SAID IT
After learning of his team’s advancement to the main draw, Argentina’s Facundo Del Coto commented, “We needed an opportunity like this. We are a new team, and waited until last moment before we got the chance to play in the main draw. We have secured at least three main draw pool play matches and in an FIVB World Tour event and that is a very good way to improve our game in a hurry.”
Part of a brand new team playing in its first FIVB World Tour event as a team, USA’s Crabb said after he and Roberts won in three sets, “Our defense saved us in this match with good blocks and digs. It’s great to make and FIVB main draw in our first FIVB World Tour event as a team and my first playing in an FIVB event. I play a lot of NORCECA and AVP events, but this is my first tournament with Adam (Roberts).”
FIVB PURSE, TOURNEY TOTALS
The FIVB Paraná Open is the 312th FIVB men’s tournament since its first event in 1987 and the 276th FIVB women’s tournament since FIVB began women’s competitions in 1992. Gold medal winning teams in each gender in FIVB Paraná Open will split $11,000, silver will receive $8,000, bronze medalists get $6,000 and the fourth place finishers will earn $4,500 of the $150,000 total purse.
ARGENTINE HISTORY
Men’s champion duo in Corrientes last year was Latvia’s new duo of Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins while women’s champion team was Sophie van Gestal/Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands.
Through the 2013 event, Argentina has hosted a total of five FIVB World Tour events (4 men, 1 women) with three events held in Mar del Plata. In the men’s totals, Brazil has five medals, followed by Argentina with two and with one men’s medal each in Argentina are Australia, Italy, Switzerland and the USA.
After one FIVB World Tour women’s event held in Argentina through 2013, Brazil leads the medal parade with two total medals followed by the Netherlands with one.