COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – John Hyden and Tri Bourne used a win against their compatriots in the quarterfinals before advancing on to a bronze-medal finish at the FIVB World Tour Finals.
Twelve-seeded John Hyden and Tri Bourne won bronze at the season finale World Tour Finals from Toronto on Sunday afternoon. The pair was the top finishing American team of three that competed. Hyden and Bourne eliminated Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena in the quarterfinals and also tying for fifth were April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Hyden and Bourne were the lone men’s team in the competition that did not play at the 2016 Olympics. The pair finished fifth in the World Tour rankings to qualify for the Finals, but were seeded 12th in the tournament.
Hyden and Bourne hit their stride in Pool D with wins against No. 4 Canada and No. 5 Brazil for an automatic path into the quarterfinals. There they met Dalhausser and Lucena, who made their way after finishing 1-1 in pool and beating Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16.
The all-American quarterfinal saw Hyden and Bourne top Olympians Dalhausser/Lucena 21-18, 21-19 in 35 minutes on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, Hyden and Bourne suffered their only loss of the tournament, 21-19, 21-18 to Brazil’s Pedro Solberg and Evandro Goncalves, who they beat just four days earlier in pool play, 19-21, 21-19, 15-12.
Dusting off the setback, the pair once again met a pool play opponent in Canada’s Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk, this time for bronze. Much like their pool match, Hyden and Bourne maintained control and won the match 21-14, 22-20.
The bronze medal is Hyden and Bourne’s fourth podium finish of the year and third bronze. Dalhausser and Lucena tied for fifth for the fifth time in their partnership. On Saturday, USA’s only women’s team at the tournament, April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings, tied for fifth after being eliminated in the quarterfinals by the eventual winners from Germany.
WEEK IN REVIEW
World Tour Finals
– John Hyden/Tri Bourne won bronze, their fourth podium finish of the year and first since May at the Sochi Open
– April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings tied for fifth, only the second time in 2016 the duo did not medal at an FIVB event
– Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena tied for fifth, their 12th Top 5 finish on the year
Related Links
FIVB Bourne and Hyden post bronze medal win
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FIVB “Johnny Hyden, young and getting younger”
FIVB High stakes on Polson Pier Saturday
FIVB Women’s elimination matches highlight Friday’s SWATCH Finals schedule
FIVB Hyden’s clock still ticking in Toronto
FIVB Brazilians, Canadians and Swiss post opening women’s SWATCH Finals wins