Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 9, 2016 - FIVB World Tour leaders Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst continue to play on Copacabana in “cruise control” as the German pair posted their second Pool D win here Tuesday evening in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Winners of five international gold medals this season, Ludwig and Walkenhorst scored a 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) Pool D victory in 34 minutes over Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas of Canada. It was the Germans sixth win in seven international meetings with Broder and Valjas, who are now 1-1 in the competition.
In posting their 60th match win this season in 68 matches, Ludwig and Walkenhorst never trailed in either set as the Germans raced to an 8-2 lead in the first set and 8-3 in the second. Walkenhorst had six blocks to increase her two-match total to 10 to rank third in the statistics behind Anouk Verge-Depre and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States with 11.
With a spot in the 16-team elimination bracket guaranteed, Ludwig and Walkenhorst will be seeking to secure the fourth-seeded spot in the bracket when the German play Laura Giombini/Marta Menegatti of Italy Thursday. Broder and Valjas end pool play with a match Thursday against Doaa Elghobashy and Nada Meawad of Egypt, who lost to the Italians 2-0 (21-10, 21-13) in 35 minutes Tuesday.
