Three Pairs Advance at Worlds, Hughes/Kolinske Win Pool

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 12, 2022) – In another strong day of competition at the 2022 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, three U.S. Beach National Team duos clinched a playoff berth and Sara Hughes/Kelley Kolinske won their pool Sunday.

Hughes/Kolinske downed the Spanish pair Maria Belen Carro Marquez de Acuna/Angela Lobato Herrero, 2-0 (21-13, 21-14). The win moved Hughes/Kolinske to 2-1 in pool F and tied with both Carro/Lobato and Italians Marta Menegatti/Valentina Gottardi. By posting a pool-best 1.32 point ratio, Hughes/Kolinske get the group’s top slot and a guaranteed berth in the 32-team playoff bracket.

Also punching their tickets to the playoffs were Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil and Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb. Cannon/Sponcil swept Egypt’s Farida El Askalany/Doaa Elghobashy, 2-0 (21-9, 21-13). They never trailed during the match. The pair will face Olympic silver medalists Taliqua Clancy/Mariafe Artacho del Solar of Australia Monday, June 13, for the pool title.

Bourne/Crabb also won in two sets, beating Colombia’s Johan Murray/Sneider Rivas, 2-0 (21-14, 21-17). The win put Bourne/Crabb at 2-0 in pool play and tied atop Pool K with Italy’s Paolo Nicolai/Samuele Cottafava. Both Bourne/Crabb and Nicolai/Cottafava will advance to the playoff round, and they’ll face off for a pool title Monday.

Emily Day/Emily Stockman picked up their first win of the tournament, beating the Dominican Republic’s Julibeth Payano Veras/Jeneiry Wismery Rosario Hernandez, 2-0 (21-18, 21-11). They broke a first-set tie at 18-18 by winning the frame’s final three points, then they led the entire second set.

Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint faced Canadian pair Brandie Wilkerson/Sophie Bukovec for the top spot in Pool E. Cheng/Flint battled, but Brandie/Bukovec took the match, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19). With the loss, Cheng/Flint take second in the pool but will still advance to the playoffs.

Pool play at the 2022 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships wraps up Monday, and five American pairs will once again take the sand at Foro Italico. With a 1-1 record, Day/Stockman, Taylor Sander/Taylor Crabb and Chaim Schalk/Theo Brunner can each clinch a playoff berth with a win Monday.