COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sep. 25, 2023) – Three U.S. pairs earned medals at BPT Futures Halifax, plus we turn our attention to the upcoming weekend of competition at Elite 16 Paris.
BPT Futures – Halifax
U.S. pairs won three medals at BPT Futures Halifax which ran Sept. 22-24 in Halifax, Canada.
In the men’s bracket, Logan Webber/Hagen Smith won four matches on their way to a silver medal in the tournament. The pair fell in the final to No. 1 seeded Sam Schachter/Daniel Dearing (CAN) 21-17, 27-25.
Coming off a silver medal at BPT Miguel Pereira with Katie Lindstrom, Teegan Van Gunst made it two silver medals in a row this past weekend. This time, it was with partner Kim Hildreth. The duo defeated U.S. pair Carli Lloyd/Kylie Deberg in the semifinals to face Heather Bansley/Sophie Bukovec (CAN) in the final, where they ultimately fell 2-0 (21-16, 25-23).
Lloyd/Deberg faced off against fellow Americans Kahlee York/Mariah Whalen in the third-place match. Lloyd/Deberg were victorious by a 2-1 score (21-15, 19-21, 15-13) and took home the bronze medal. This was the first FIVB beach medal for Lloyd, a former setter with the U.S. Women’s Indoor National Team. She won bronze with the team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Elite 16 Paris
Elite 16 Paris begins Wednesday, Sept. 27, with qualifying and runs through Saturday Sept. 30.
Four top pairs will represent the U.S. on the men’s side. Miles Partain/Andy Benesh are the No. 1 overall seed for the main draw.
In qualification, Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner, Chaim Schalk/Tri Bourne, and Miles Evans/Chase Budinger are all set to compete.
In the women’s bracket, the U.S. has three teams in the main draw. Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth are the overall No. 2 seed. Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes are the No. 5 seed and Betsi Flint/Julia Scoles are the No.9
In qualification and making their international debuts as pairs, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Alix Klineman and her partner Hailey Harward will compete, as will Terese Cannon and partner Megan Kraft.
Rankings
Rankings remain unchanged before the first match in Paris as teams will look to improve upon their current standings.
Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes are number two in the world behind Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA). Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are just 200 points behind Hughes/Cheng, taking third place in the world rankings with 7280 points.
Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint are inside the top 10, sitting at ninth with 5860 points.
In the men’s rankings, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh are still tied for number three in the world with Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan.
Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner are ranked No. 25 with 4,180 points. Just below them are Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk, who have 4,160 points.
Current World Rankings – Women
Provisional Olympic Ranking – Men
Provisional Olympic Ranking – Women
NORCECA Puerto Plata
The 2023 NORCECA Beach Puerto Plata event runs from Sept. 28 – Oct. 3 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The U.S. will send two men’s teams and two women’s teams.
For the men, Logan Webber/Hagen Smith will look to keep the momentum going from their Halifax medal finish. Tim Brewster/Kyle Friend join them as the other U.S. pair competing.
For the women, Lexy Denaburg/Molly Turner join Corrinne Quiggle/Sarah Murphy as the two pairs looking to finish on the top step of the podium.
Upcoming Events
The 2023 USA Volleyball Beach Tour continues in the North Texas Region with the Madsand Volleyball Boys Regional Qualifier on Sept. 30 in Plano, Texas. More information can be found HERE.
The 2023 NTDP Beach Fall Training Series will be held Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 in Virginia Beach, Va.