COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 29, 2018) – Four U.S. beach volleyball teams finished in the top 10, earning important points toward ranking and Olympic qualification, at the FIVB World Tour four-star event on April 18-21 in Xiamen, China.
Sara Hughes/Summer Ross had the top finish of any team in fourth place. The pair went through the tournament undefeated until the semifinals, when they fell to Brazil’s Ana Patricia Silva/Rebecca Cavalcanti Barbosa, 21-18, 21-17.
In the third-place match Hughes/Ross fell to Australia’s Mariafe Artacho/Taliqua Clancy, 21-18, 21-13.
Xiamen was the first competition for the pair since the FIVB four-star in Las Vegas in 2018.
Also on the women’s side, Alix Klineman/April Ross tied for fifth and Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings placed ninth.
For the men, Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb placed ninth.
Final Results in Xiamen
Women
1 Ana Patricia/Rebecca BRA
2 Hermannova/Slukova CZE
3 Clancy/Artacho Del Solar AUS
4 Hughes/S Ross USA
5T Klineman/A Ross USA
9T Sweat/Walsh Jennings USA
17T Stockman/Larsen USA
Men
1 Stoyanovskiy/Krasilnikov RUS
2 Herrera/Gaviera ESP
3 Charif/Ahmet QAT
9T Gibb/Ta Crabb USA
17T Slick/Allen USA
25T Dalhausser/Lucena USA
DNQ Hyden/Doherty USA
Athlete Support: Mike Martinez (ATC), Tyler Hildebrand (Coach), David Koh (DPT)
NORCECA CAYMAN ISLANDS
Two U.S. women’s teams won medals at the NORCECA Tour stop in Cayman Islands.
Brittany Hochevar/Carly Wopat took silver and Falyn Fonoimoana/Nicolette Martin won bronze. The men’s team of Benjamin Vaught/Spencer Sauter placed fourth.
In the women’s semifinals, Hochevar/Wopat beat Fonoimoana/Martin, 21-19, 21-17.
In the gold-medal match, Cuba’s Maylen Deliz/Leila Martinez beat Hochever/Wopat, 21-18, 21-19. In the bronze-medal match, Fonoimoana/Martin beat Mexico’s Zaira Orellana/Martha Revuelta, 21-14, 21-18.
In the men’s semifinals, Vaught/Sauter fell to Cuba’s Sergio González/Luis Enrique Reyes. 21-19, 19-21, 15-12. In the bronze-medal match, the U.S. pair lost to Ruben Mora/Dany López of Nicaragua, 18-21, 21-19, 18-16.
NORCECA PLAYOFF
There will be a playoff for the NORCECA Tour event in La Paz, Mexico (June 7-9) on May 7 near the Hermosa Beach Pier. Keep an eye on the USAVBeach Twitter account for teams and brackets.
April 29-May 5: FIVB three-star in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
Women
Main Draw
Kerri Walsh Jennings/Brooke Sweat
Qualifier
Corinne Quiggle/Amanda Dowdy (Coach Megan Burgdorf)
Men
Main Draw
John Hyden/Ryan Doherty (Coach Evie Matthews)
Theo Brunner/Reid Priddy (Coach Jordan Cheng)
Miles Evans/Bill Kolinske
May 3-5 NORCECA Tour in Nicaragua
Women
Kaley Melville/Lindsey Fuller
Men
Tim Brewster/Michael Boag
May 3-5: NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala.
May 3-5: AVP Huntington Beach Open
May 9-11: USAV Beach Collegiate Championships in Hermosa Beach, Calif.
May 9-12: FIVB one-star in Tuan Chau Island, Vietnam
Women’s Qualifier
Lindsey Fuller/Kaley Melville
May 10-12: NORCECA Tour in Varadero, Cuba
Women
Falyn Fonoimoana/Nicolette Martin
Caitlin Ledoux/Geena Urango
Men
Ian Satterfield/Eric Zaun
Troy Field/Ty Loomis
May 15-19 FIVB four-star in Itapema, Brazil
Women
Main Draw
Alix Klineman/April Ross
Sara Hughes/Summer Ross
Kelley Larsen/Emily Stockman
Qualifier
Carly Wopat/Brittany Hochevar
Country Quota (on site)
Betsi Flint/Emily Day
Sarah Sponcil/Kelly Claes
Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings
Men
Main Draw
Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb
Stafford Slick/Billy Allen
Ryan Doherty/John Hyden
Chase Budinger/Casey Patterson
Country Quota (on site)
Tim Brewster/Michael Boag
Bill Kolinske/Mile Evans
Reid Priddy/Theo Brunner
May 17-19: AVP Austin Open