COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (July 5, 2019) – The U.S. women’s beach volleyball team of Alix Klineman/April Ross will compete for the gold medal on Saturday at the FIVB World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.
Klineman/Ross, seeded fifth, will play Canada’s No. 9 Sarah Pavan/Melissa Humana-Paredes in the all-North American final at 6:15 a.m. PT.
NBCSports.com and the Olympic Channel have been showing World Championship matches.
“I believed we could get here, but I didn’t expect it,” Ross said. “It feels amazing to be going to the finals.”
Klineman/Ross reached the finals with two wins on Friday.
In the quarterfinals, the beat the U.S. team of Sara Hughes/Summer Ross, 21-18, 21-14.
In the semis, Klineman/Ross defeated Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Taliqua Clancy, 21-15, 21-18.
“Alix came out and fired her serve on the back line,” Ross said. “She was a huge presence at the net and sided out really well. I feel like everything was clicking for us.”
It will mark Ross’s third trip to the World Championship finals. She won gold in 2009 with Jennifer Kessy. She took silver in 2017 with Lauren Fendrick.
USA Volleyball will also have two men’s teams in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb will face Brazil’s Andre Loyola Stein/George Wanderley at 1:30 a.m. PT.
“We actually played them in the China four-star a month ago and they beat us in the bronze medal match,” Crabb said. “We’ve got some redemption; a little extra fire there.”
Bourne/Crabb, seeded 13th, upset Russia’s No. 5 Konstantin Semenov/Ilya Leshukov, 21-18, 21-18 in the Round of 16.
Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena will play Germany’s Julius Thole/Clemens Wickler at 2:45 a.m. PT.
Dalhausser/Lucena advanced by beating Russia’s No. 15 Nikita Liamin/Taras Myskiv, 21-15, 21-17.
“They’re a young really good team and I thought we sided out well,” Lucena said. “But it feels like a blur right now.”
The men’s semifinals are also on Saturday.
Among the U.S. teams that lost on Friday, Hughes/Summer Ross will finish fifth after losing to Klineman/April Ross.
“It’s definitely disappointing. We didn’t play our best,” Hughes said. “I think they played pretty close to perfect. When we play against them, it’s always a battle.”
Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb will finish ninth after losing to Russia’s Viacheslav Krasilnikov/Oleg Stoyanovskiy, 21-13, 21-18.
“Obviously, we would have liked to continue in this tournament, so that hurts right now,” Gibb said. “Throughout my career, I know when we are playing good volleyball. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pass their serve so it didn’t give us a chance. But I feel confident going into the next match.”
Billy Allen/Stafford Slick will also finish ninth after losing to Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, 27-25, 18-21, 15-13.
“We played about as good as we could all tournament,” Allen said. “When we do that and execute well and prepare, then we can fight with anybody.”
NBCSN presents live coverage beginning Friday, June 28 at Noon ET. Coverage on NBCSN will stream live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
U.S. Teams and Coaches
Women
April Ross/Alix Klineman (Jen Kessy)
Sara Hughes/Summer Ross (Jose Loiola)
Emily Stockman/Kelley Larsen (Evie Matthews)
Sarah Sponcil/Kelly Claes (Leandro Pinheiro)
Kerri Walsh Jennings/Brooke Sweat (Marcio Sicoli)
Men
Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena (Jason Lochhead)
Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb (Rich Lambourne)
Trevor Crabb/Tri Bourne (Pompilio Mercadantes)
Stafford Slick/Billy Allen (John Mayer)
Support Staff
Athletic Trainer: Mike Martinez
Sports Psychologist: Peter Haberl
Chiropractor: Jen Watters
National Team Coach: Tyler Hildebrand
Team Leader: Sean Scott
Performance Analyst: Tyler Widdison
USOPC Representative: John Crawley
Massage Therapist: Tony Poland
U.S. Schedule for the Beach Volleyball World Championships
(All times PT)
June 28
Dalhausser/Lucena USA def Azaad/Capogrosso ARG, 21-14, 21-13
Alison/Alvaro Filho BRA def Allen/Slick USA, 19-21, 21-15, 15-10
Stubbe/Van Iersel NED def Sweat/Walsh Jennings USA, 21-15, 19-21, 15-9
Kozuch/Ludwig GER def Larsen/Stockman USA, 25-19, 25-15
June 29
Sponcil/Claes USA def Ukolova/Birlova RUS, 21-8, 21-16
Hughes/S Ross USA def Gallay/Pereyra ARG, 21-18, 15-21, 16-14
Gibb/Ta Crabb USA def Vieyto/Cairus URU, 21-17, 21-13
Bourne/Tr Crabb USA vs Salemi/Vakili IRI, 13-21, 21-16, 15-9
Klineman/A Ross USA vs Mendoza/Lolette NCA, 21-8, 21-7
June 30
Sweat/Walsh Jennings USA def Maita/Letendrie MRI, 21-2, 21-2
Sponcil/Claes USA def Yuli/Diana COL, 21-8, 21-9
Klineman/A Ross USA def Xue/Wang CHN, 21-10, 21-11
Allen/Slick USA def Semenov/Leshukov RUS, 13-21, 27-25, 15-12
Gibb/Crabb Ta USA def Hudyakov/Velichko RUS, 21-15, 21-14
Larsen/Stockman USA def Nnoruga/Franco NGR, 21-6, 21-13
Saxton/O’Gorman CAN def Dalhausser/Lucena USA, 21-16, 21-19
July 1
Hughes/S Ross USA def Zeng/Lin CHN, 21-19, 21-13
Bourne/Tr Crabb USA def Kavalo/Ntagengwa RWA, 21-13, 21-9
Clancy/Artacho Del Solar AUS def Sweat/Walsh Jennings USA, 21-19, 24-22
Borger/Sude GER def Klineman/A Ross USA, 21-15, 21-23, 15-10
July 2
Pavan/Melissa CAN def Sponcil/Claes USA, 22-24, 21-17, 18-16
Larsen/Stockman USA def Maria Antonelli/Carol BRA, 24-22, 14-21, 15-9
Makroguzova/Kholomina RUS def Hughes/S Ross USA, 21-16, 21-18
Allen/Slick USA def Tamer Mahmoud QAT, 21-13, 21-11
Brouwer/Meeuwsen NED def Dalhausser/Lucena, 21-19, 21-15
Kantor/Losiak POL def Gibb/Ta Crabb USA, 21-17, 21-19
Thole/Wickler GER def Bourne/Tr Crabb USA, 21-16, 21-17
July 3
Women’s Round of 32
Keizer/Meppelink NED def Larsen/Stockman USA, 21-17, 13-21, 15-13
Sponcil/Claes USA def Laboureur/Ittlinger GER, 19-21, 21-19, 15-10
Hughes/S Ross USA def Kozuch/Ludwig GER, 21-15, 21-12
Agatha/Duda BRA def Sweat//Walsh Jennings USA, 21-18, 21-16
Klineman/Ross USA def Maria Antonelli/Carol BRA, 21-15, 13-21, 15-11
Men’s Lucky Loser
Dalhausser/Lucena USA def Ontiveros/Virgen, 21-15, 21-17
July 4
Men’s Round of 32
Allen/Slick USA def Evandro/Bruno Schmidt BRA, 21-19, 21-18
Gibb/Ta Crabb USA def Herrera/Gavira ESP, 21-16, 21-17
Bourne/Tr Crabb USA def Ehlers/Fluggen GER, 15-21, 21-19, 15-10
Dalhausser/Lucena USA def Cherif/Ahmed QAT, 21-18, 21-15
Women’s Round of 16
Hughes/S Ross USA def Stubbe/Van Iersel NED, 21-14, 21-19
Klineman/A Ross USA def Graudina/Kravcenoka LAT, 21-11, 21-18
Menegatti/Orsi Toth ITA def Sponcil/Claes USA, 26-24, 21-16
July 5
Women’s Quarterfinals
Hughes/S Ross USA def Klineman/A Ross USA, 21-18, 21-14
Women’s Semifinals
Klineman/A Ross def Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Taliqua Clancy AUS, 21-15, 21-18
Men’s Round of 16
Krasilnikov/Stoyanovskiy RUS def Gibb/Ta Crabb USA, 21-13, 21-18
Bourne/Tr Crabb USA def Leshukov/Semenkov RUS, 21-18, 21-18
Nicolai/Lupo ITA def Allen/Slick USA, 27-25, 18-21, 15-13
Dahausser/Lucena USA def Liamin/Myskiv RUS, 21-15, 21-17
July 6
Men’s Quarterfinals
1:30 a.m. Andre Loyola Stein/George Wanderley BRA vs Bourne/Tr Crabb USA
2:45 a.m. Julius Thole/Clemens Wickler GER vs Dalhausser/Lucena USA
Women’s Gold
6:15 a.m. Klineman/A Ross USA vs Sarah Pavan/Melissa Humana-Paredes CAN
Men’s Semifinals
July 7
Men’s Bronze and Gold