Fort Lauderdale, United States, September 30, 2015 - Wednesday’s action at the US$500,000 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals featured the reigning Beach Volleyball world champions where Brazilians Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt and Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas played American pairs in the men’s and women’s pool play rounds matches, respectively.
With 12 matches scheduled here Wednesday on the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park courts, the first featured Brazilian match had the fourth-seeded Agatha and Barbara losing to top-seeded Americans Lauren Fendrick and April Ross 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-11) in a 56-minute Pool A contest. It was the first FIVB World Tour meeting between the two teams as Fendrick and Ross are playing on the international circuit for the first-time.
Americans also were successful in the meeting with the newly-crowned men’s world champions as 10th-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena upset the second-seeded Alison and Bruno 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 15-11) in a 56-minute Pool B match. It was the second FIVB World Tour match between the two pairs with Alison and Bruno defeating the Americans in the three-set gold medal finale last month in Long Beach, Calif.
Both American teams are now 2-0 in pool play after opening play Tuesday with victories over Canadian teams. Fendrick and Ross defeated ninth-seeded Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas 2-0 (24-22, 21-14) in 40 minutes Tuesday while Dalhausser and Lucena scored a 2-0 (23-21, 21-12) win in 34 minutes over seventh-seeded Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk.
For a change, the two unbeaten Americans pairs will play different countries Thursday in a battle of unbeatens. Fendrick and Ross will play fifth-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst as the Germans are also 2-0 after defeating Broder and Valjas 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) in 36 minutes Wednesday. The Germans opened play Tuesday with a three-set win over a Spanish pair.
Third-seeded Reinder Nummerdor and Christiaan Varenhorst of The Netherlands, the silver medalists at the FIVB World Championships at the start of July where they dropped the title match to Alison and Bruno in three-sets, play Dalhausser and Lucena in the first international meeting between the two teams.
The Dutch played their first match of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals Wednesday with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) win in 44 minutes over seventh-seeded Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk of Canada. Dalhausser and Lucena defeated the Canadians 2-0 (23-21, 21-14) in 34 minutes Tuesday.
Other unbeaten women’s teams in the competition with 2-0 records in Pool B are second-seeded Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca of Brazil and third-seeded Heather Bansley/Sarah Pavan. Talita and Larissa won twice Wednesday with victories over pairs from The Netherlands and the United States. Bansley and Pavan posted their second win of the competition Wednesday by downing a Germany pair. The Canadians defeated a United States tandem Tuesday.
In men’s Pool A, the pairs of fourth-seeded Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen of The Netherlands and fifth-seeded Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg of Brazil are the group leaders with 1-0 records. Evandro and Pedro, who captured the bronze medal at the 2015 FIVB World Championships in The Hague, out-lasted ninth-seeded Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai of Italy 2-1 (13-21, 21-19, 15-12) in 54 minutes.
Brouwer and Meeuwsen, the 2013 FIVB World Championships, scored a 2-1 (19-21, 26-24, 15-11) win in 64 minutes over eighth-seeded Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera of Spain. The Dutch will play Evandro and Pedro in an opening contest Thursday in the first-ever FIVB World Tour meeting between the two teams.
Here are Wednesday’s results and Thursday’s schedule as the men’s and women’s teams are seeking to finish in the top three spots in their pool to advance to Friday’s elimination rounds where the group winners will net a “bye” for the quarter-finals and earn a spot in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Wednesday's Results
Men's
Pool A• Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson, United States (No. 1-seeded team) def. Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera, Spain (8), 19-21, 21-16, 18-16 (62 minutes)
• Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg, Brazil (5) def. Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai, Italy (9), 13-21, 21-19, 15-12 (54)
• Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen, Netherlands (4) def. Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera, Spain (8), 19-21, 26-24, 15-11 (64)
Pool B• Reinder Nummerdor/Christiaan Varenhorst, Netherlands (3) def. Ben Saxton/Chaim Schalk, Canada (7), 21-18, 21-18 (44)
• Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, United States (10) DEF. Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt, Brazil (2), 18-21, 21-16, 15-11 (56)
Women's
Pool A• Lauren Fendrick/April Ross, United States (1) def. Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas, Brazil (4), 17-21, 21-19, 15-11 (56)
• Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst, Germany (5) def. Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada (9), 21-18, 21-17 (36)
• Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas, Brazil (4) def. Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada (9), 19-21, 21-18, 15-12 (60)
Pool B• Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, Brazil (2) def. Madelein Meppelink/Marleen Van Iersel, Netherlands (6), 21-17, 15-21, 15-13 (48)
• Heather Bansley/Sarah Pavan, Canada (3) def. Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude, Germany (10), 21-13, 21-16 (34)
• Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude, Germany (10) def. Madelein Meppelink/Marleen Van Iersel, Netherlands (6), 21-17, 23-21 (42)
• Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, Brazil (2) def. Emily Day/Jennifer Kessy, United States (7), 21-13, 21-18 (34)
Thursday (October 1) Schedule
Men (# - side court)10 a.m. - Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera, Spain (No. 8-seeded team) vs. Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai, Italy (9)
10 a.m. - Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen, Netherlands (4) vs. Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg, Brazil (5)#
1 p.m. - Reinder Nummerdor/Christiaan Varenhorst, Netherlands (3) vs. Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, United States (10)
2 p.m. - Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen, Netherlands (4) vs. Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai, Italy (9)
3 p.m. - Clemens Doppler/Alexander Horst, Austria (6) vs. Ben Saxton/Chaim Schalk, Canada (7)
4 p.m. - Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson, United States (1) vs. Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg, Brazil (5)
Women (# - side court)11 a.m. - Emily Day/Jennifer Kessy United States (7) vs. Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude Germany (10)
11 a.m. - Heather Bansley/Sarah Pavan Canada (3) vs. Madelein Meppelink/Marleen Van Iersel Netherlands (6)#
12 p.m. - Lauren Fendrick/April Ross United States (1) vs. Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst Germany (5)
12 p.m. - Elsa Baquerizo/Liliana Fernandez Spain (8) vs. Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas Canada (9)#
3 p.m. - Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca Brazil (2) vs. Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude Germany (10)#