COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 28, 2023) – U.S. Beach National Team stars of today gear up for the AVP Chicago Open, and an exciting new pair joins the fray for international competition. Meanwhile, the stars of tomorrow brought three medals back to the States from BPT Futures international events.
Futures Results
U.S. pairs showed up and stood out at BPT Futures across the globe last week.
In Seoul, Korea, Carly Kan and Lexy Denaburg took gold, losing only one set en route to the event victory. They defeated Charanrutwadee/Woranatchayakorn (THA) 2-0 in the final.
Iya Lindahl and Xolani Hodel took home their first medal from an international event. The duo won silver at BPT Futures AL-Alamein, Egypt. They lost 2-1 to Vasiliauskaite/Kovalskaja (LTU) in the final.
Kim Hildreth and Teegan Van Gunst added to the U.S. medal haul from the week with a silver medal from a second-place finish in Brno, Czech Republic. The U.S. team fell to Hermannova/Stochlova (CZE) 2-0 in the final.
At the Futures event in Baden, Germany, Logan Webber and Hagen Smith just missed the podium, placing fourth behind Sagstetter/Sagstetter (GER).
This week, BPT Futures Corigliano, Italy, will run from Aug. 31-Sept. 3. U.S. pairs Jessica Mcguire/Logan Beitler and Katie Oldja/Jessica Hoeffner are set to compete.
Klineman Returns
Alix Klineman is back! The Olympic gold medalist returns to competitive volleyball after giving birth to a baby boy in June. She will partner with Hailey Harward, a two-time NCAA beach champion at USC.
Klineman and Harward were granted a wild card spot for the Beach World Championship in October in Mexico, and they are on the entry list for Elite16 Paris on Sept. 27-Oct. 1.
“I am stoked to partner with Alix for world champs,” Harward said. “She’s incredible. From our short time together so far, I have learned a lot from her work ethic, focus and intentionality with every rep, and her encouraging communication. I can’t wait to see what we can do on the court together.”
Klineman last competed in October 2021 and underwent shoulder surgery in January 2022. She won the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with April Ross.
Current FIVB World Rankings
Klineman and Harward will be looking to catch up to top U.S. pairs Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes, and Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss. Olympic qualification is open through June 2024, but only two pairs per country per gender can qualify.
As it currently stands, Hughes/Cheng are ranked number two in the world with 7,480 points, behind Brazilians Ana Patricia/Duda, who have 8,900 points.
Kloth/Nuss are close behind, ranked number three with 7,280 points. They most recently placed second at Elite 16 Hamburg.
The U.S. has two additional teams ranked inside the top 10 going into this week. Sarah Sponcil/Terese Cannon are eighth with 5,940 points. AVP Manhattan Beach Open winners Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles are ranked ninth with 5,860 points.
On the men’s side, the U.S. has only one pair currently ranked inside the top 20. Miles Partain/Andy Benesh are tied for number three in the world with Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan.
Current World Rankings – Men
Current World Rankings – Women
AVP Chicago Preview
Top U.S. teams will compete this weekend at the 33rd AVP Chicago Gold Series.
Kloth/Nuss will return to competition after missing the Manhattan Beach Open to win silver at the Hamburg Elite 16. Hughes/Cheng, winners of the NOLA Open and the Huntington Beach Open, will also compete in Chicago. Partain/Benesh return for AVP Chicago as well. The duo won gold in Atlanta.
2023 Manhattan Beach Open winners Flint/Scoles will look to defend their recent victories in Chicago, as will Taylor Sander/Taylor Crabb. The winning pairs were honored this past week by LAFC of Major League Soccer before their match with Colorado. Scoles even served as the Honorary Falconer for the team’s pre-game Falcon Flight ritual.
Register for Beach Collegiate Challenge
Register now for the Men’s and Women’s Beach Collegiate Challenge. All participants will have the opportunity to be scouted through the Beach National Team Development Program. Two athletes must register as a team, but they do not have to attend the same college/university.
The Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge will be held in Maryland Sept. 15-17.
The Women’s Beach Collegiate Challenge will be held in Virginia Beach Sept. 29-Oct. 1.