Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 8, 2016 - Madelein Meppelink and Marleen Van Iersel posted their second Rio 2016 Olympic Games victory here Monday over a team from Costa Rica as the Dutch girls are one win away from matching their combined win total at the London 2012 Summer Games when they played with two different partners.
After opening Rio action with a two-set win Saturday over a team from Venezuela, Meppelink and van Iersel scored a 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) Pool E win in 36 minutes over Natalia Alfaro and Karen Charles of Costa Rica. Both Copacabana wins for the Dutch tandem have been over pairs that qualified for the Copacabana quadrennial via the Continental Cup competition.
At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Meppelink and van Iersel finish ninth with Sophie van Gestel and Sanne Keizer, respectively. Meppelink and van Gestel won twice, including a “lucky loser” match to enter the 16-team elimination bracket. Van Iersel and Keizer’s only win was in pool play as the pair was eliminated by eventual gold medal winners Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States.
In Monday’s match with the Costa Rican, Meppelink and van Iersel broke from a 12-12 tie in the first set to take the lead for good with a four-point run to make it 16-12. In the second set, the Dutch pair trailed 6-7 before taking command with a 3-0 run.
Chief Pool F rival Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy of Australia seek their second Rio group win later Monday evening against Norisbeth Agudo and Olaya Pazo of Venezuela. If successful, the Aussies play Meppelink and van Iersel Wednesday for the pool title. The two teams have met eight times internationally with Bawden and Clancy leading 6-2.
