COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four U.S. pairs will embark on the final event of the 2017 FIVB World Tour, with the Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals starting Aug. 23 in Hamburg, Germany.
Beach volleyball’s 2017 FIVB season finale plays August 23-27 in Hamburg, Germany with the World Tour Finals. The United States has the maximum number of teams a country can enter at the tournament, with two women’s and two men’s teams competing.
Representing the United States are Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, Casey Patterson/Theo Brunner, April Ross/Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat/Summer Ross.
Twelve teams total, per gender, will compete in four pools of three teams each for pool play. All teams advance into the single elimination bracket. The women’s final will be played on Saturday, Aug. 26, with the men’s final to follow on Sunday, Aug. 27.
This is the third year of the World Tour Finals. In the inaugural year, 2015, the U.S. saw Dalhausser/Lucena earn silver in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 2016, the USA’s top finish came from John Hyden/Tri Bourne, who won bronze in Toronto.
In 2017, Dalhausser and Lucena are the only U.S. team with a winning record against the field, at 19-6. First place will yield $100,000 (per gender), with second taking home $75,000 and third $50,000. No FIVB World Ranking points are given at the World Tour Finals.
The 2017 calendar isn’t over for the World Tour following the World Tour Finals. The official 2017-18 season will begin in September in Montpellier, France.
| USA Pool Play Schedule | ||||||
| Aug. 23 | ||||||
| 4 a.m. ET | Dalhausser/Lucena | Herrera/Gavira Spain | ||||
| 5 a.m. ET | Patterson/Brunner | Evandro/Andre Brazil | ||||
| 11 a.m. ET | Patterson/Brunner | Krasilnikov/Liamin Russia | ||||
| Aug. 24 | ||||||
| 5 a.m. ET | A. Ross/Fendrick | Betschart/Huberli Switzerland | ||||
| 7 a.m. ET | Sweat/S. Ross | Larissa/Talita Brazil | ||||
| 8 a.m. ET | Dalhausser/Lucena | Doppler/Horst Austria | ||||
| 11 a.m. ET | A. Ross/Fendrick | Agatha/Duda Brazil | ||||
| 1 p.m. ET | Sweat/S. Ross | Ludwig/Walkenhorst Germany | ||||
USA experience at the World Tour Finals
2016
3rd John Hyden/Tri Bourne
t5th April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings; Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena
2015
2nd Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena
t5th April Ross/Lauren Fendrick
t7th Jennifer Kessy/Emily Day; Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson
| Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals Roster | ||||||
| Athletes | Coach | Entry | ||||
| Brooke Sweat | Summer Ross | Via World Rankings | ||||
| April Ross | Lauren Fendrick | Jon Daze | Wild Card | |||
| Phil Dalhausser | Nick Lucena | Jason Lochhead | Via World Rankings | |||
| Casey Patterson | Theo Brunner | Rich Lamborne | Wild Card | |||
| Staff | ||||||
| Aimee Miyazawa | USAV Beach Head Athletic Trainer | |||||
FIVB ADDS EVENTS TO 2017
The FIVB has added additional events to the 2017 calendar, though they will count as the start of the 2017-18 World Tour season. Following the World Tour Finals, the World Tour will host:
Montpellier 1-Star, Sept. 8-9 Men only France
Qinzhou 3-Star, Oct. 11-15 China
Aalsmer 1-Star, Oct. 25-29 Netherlands
Sydney 2-Star, Nov. 22-26 Australia