COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA’s junior team of Kathryn Plummer and Milica Mirkovic won bronze at the FIVB Under 19 Beach World Championships in Larnaka, Cyprus.
Plummer and Mirkovic entered the tournament as the No. 2 U.S. team, earning their way into the main draw following two victories in qualification. They were the top American finishers at the tournament, which saw three other U.S. teams place in the Top 25.
Sixth seed Megan Muret and Alexis Filippone opened strong with a 3-0 record in pool play but were eliminated in the quarterfinals for a fifth-place finish. Both boys’ teams tied for 17th.
As Plummer and Mirkovic made their way out of pool action on a 2-1 record, they topped Cyprus in two before upsetting No. 9 Austria, 21-12, 21-10, in the round of 16. Both women’s teams now in the quarterfinals, it was Plummer and Mirkovic who once again stunned a higher seed, taking down No. 15 Latvia, 24-22, 21-19. Muret and Filippone were halted by Brazil’s Vitoria Rodrigues/Ana Carolina Costa, 21-18, 21-16, one of two Brazilian teams that would make it to the semifinals.
Plummer and Mirkovic would face the other Brazilian duo in the semis, Eduarda Lisboa/Victoria Tosta where they fell 21-16, 19-21, 15-10. Redeeming themselves, the pair topped Vitoria/Carolina 21-10, 21-15 for bronze, a career best for Mirkovic.
Clay Messenger and Robert Mullahey opened the tournament with consecutive wins in the qualification bracket to advance into the main draw. Alongside the other U.S. boys’ team, Lucas Lossone and Aidan Brown, both pairs finished 1-2 in pool play, enough for first round entry.
Unfortunately for the two teams, their journey would end in the round of 24. Lossone and Brown fell to Latvia’s Milhails Samoilovs/Kristaps Smits, 21-16, 21-19. Messenger/Mullahey met a similar fate, being eliminated by the score of 21-16, 21-19 to New Zealand’s Daniel Kilpatrick/Gregory Vukets.
WEEK IN REVIEW
FIVB U19 World Championships
– Kathryn Plummer/Milica Mirkovic won bronze, international debut for Mirkovic, Plummer won the 2014 U17 World Championships with Morgan Martin
– Megan Muret/Alexis Filippone tied for fifth in their first international event individually and as a team
– Lucas Lossone/Aidan Brown tied for 17th in the second youth World Championship for the duo, they previously tied for ninth at 2014 U17 World Championships together
– Clay Messenger/Robert Mullahey tied for 17th in the first event for Messenger, Mullahey’s previous best was ninth at 2014 U17 World Championships