Where there's a part one, there's a part two.
Rosenthal/Dalhausser vs. Kadziola/Szalankiewicz
This is one of those matches I denoted yesterday as winner-take-all. These teams both won twice yesterday, to give them berths in the knockout stage. That meant this match was for a first-round bye. Another fashion alert — Rosenthal and Dalhausser wore pink shorts for this match, and the Polish team donned what were pretty spot-on the colours of the Ukrainian flag (the exact blue and yellow).
The Americans led 5-2 at the first side change, helped by some unforced Polish errors. Dalhausser, surprisingly getting a few hitting opportunities, likewise made the most of his usual duties — namely, blocking. He came up with 3 roofs in a row to make it 10-4 at the second side change, surprising (or not too surprising) dominance of a team that won twice yesterday just as the Americans did. It was sideout volleyball to the midpoint, coming at 14-7 in favour of the Americans.
Dalhausser served them out to a 9-point lead at 16-7 before the Poles sided out. Then 16-8 was one of those 'pinball' rallies where the ball touched all four players in the span of about two seconds, ending in favour of the Poles. On 18-8, Rosenthal received the serve so cleanly that he was effectively able to set Dalhausser's hit on 2, which is something you don't often see. They were clearly excited to execute that well. The Polish player doing most of the setting (and I very nearly typed out 'Ukrainian' given their attire) seemed to double-hit nearly every time on his overhand sets, but it's meant to be called looser in the beach game. After leading by as many as 11, the Americans finished off the set winning 21-14.
After a few early sideouts, the Americans took the lead at the first side switch in the 2nd set 5-2. It was 9-5 after 14 points, and Dalhausser and Rosenthal just looked to have a little bit more spring in their steps. Kadziola and Szalankiewicz pulled back a point with one on serve ahead of the technical timeout, but even just a 12-9 deficit against this good a team playing this well is a tall hill to climb. And indeed, while it was mostly just sideout volleyball the rest of the way, that was more than enough to secure Phil and Sean their third win and a knockout-stage bye.
Liliana/Baquerizo vs. Ross/Hochevar
Definitely pleased at having another opportunity to see Summer Ross. Don't know if Hochevar is her 16th partner or if she's played with her before, but I still hope she eventually ends up having the same name next to hers at most tourneys.
The Americans wore pants while the Spanish team just rolled in bikini. Getting cold again perhaps? The Spanish team seized control early, leading at the first two side changes and forcing the Americans to call time while doubled up at 10-5. Hochevar did well to direct traffic for Ross much like Kessy usually does for her Ross. Summer came up with an ace to pull back within 10-7, but her next serve was well wide. The midpoint timeout came with the Spanish team ahead 12-9.
On the rally ending 14-11, Hochevar coached Ross to "Just touch it, just touch it, just touch it!" while receiving, so I'm not really sure what that means. Hopefully Summer did 😛 The Spanish seemed half a step ahead on most rallies but didn't run away with it, leading just 15-13 after four side changes. The Spanish lead extended to 4 at 17-13 but Ross and Hochevar still did not go away, closing to within 17-16 and prompting Liliana and Baquerizo (as they're know) to call time. They got the sideout to keep it from coming even, and got the first set point at 20-18. They converted on reception to go up a set. It was an interesting set because while Liliana and Baquerizo led basically the whole way (if not literally the whole way) Ross and Hochevar have to feel okay about it too because they kept it from getting away from them. Stood to make the beginning of set 2 all the more important.
An early point in set 2 made the nature of the Ross/Hochevar partnership pretty clear. Ross came up with a good terminating swing, to which Hochevar emphatically responded "Okay, kid!" As the Americans took an early lead, one of the Spanish players (can't say I know which is which, and the camera wasn't high enough quality to discern uniform numbers) seemed to be moving a little gingerly after a few belly-flops onto the sand going for digs. Ross and Hochevar, now having shed their pants, led 4-3 after one side change. The Spanish went ahead 8-6 at the second change, though, and really poured it on to the midway point as the Americans called time trailing 11-7. The actual midpoint timeout came with Spain leading 13-8. The Spanish extended to 6 a few times and 7 at 19-12, eventually putting this one to bed (look what's on my brain) pretty early.
Keizer/Van Iersel vs. Schwaiger/Schwaiger
Don't know much about either of these teams. The first side change, at 4-3 Austria, was delayed a little by the team of sisters asking for the up referee to overrule the flagger on a line/out call. No such luck, but they did take 4 of the second 7 just as they did the first 7 to lead 8-6 after two side changes. A lot of the time, that's all you can really do. The Dutch duo cut in a point at the 21-point timeout, making it 11-10. They pulled even for the first time at 12-all when the Schwaiger sisters were called for a net fault. The Austrians won a long rally on their serve to stay ahead, 14-12, ahead of the Dutch team calling time.
The Dutch team knotted set for the first time at 17 and despite some great hustle on the Austrian side they got the sideout down 18-17 to keep it tied. They then came up with an ace to make it 19-18, prompting the Schwaigers to take a moment to talk it over. The Dutch gals got the first set point at 20-19, but the first wasn't the last. They eventually did finish it off 23-21.
The Dutch took the early lead in set 2 again, being up 8-6 through two side changes. I've got to admit, I was getting pretty sleepy by this point and finding it a little hard to pay strict attention to two teams I've barely heard of. The Schwaigers called time down 10-7 a few points after the second switch. If anything, it only spurred on the Dutch team's roll, as they went ahead 13-8 at the midpoint following a hit into the net. They kept on keeping on, going up 16-9 after a long rally. Either people moved closer to wherever the crowd mic was or a lot of people moved over to this match midway through, because the cheers and claps from whoever was there were a lot louder as the match reached its conclusion. The Dutch girls' lead got as high as 8 at 18-10. The Schwaigers staved off a few match points, but it was only delaying the inevitable, the Dutch team winning 21-16.
Cicolari/Menegatti vs. Bawden/Clancy
I was confused at first as to exactly when this match would be starting, and where, so I kinda missed out on covering one match. But for how sleepy I was getting, I'm not sure the coverage would have been all that wonderful anyway. Both teams, surprisingly, entered this match bearing a loss earlier in that day, as the #3 overall seeds from Italy lost to a 30th-ranked Austrian duo.
But it was the Italians going out ahead first. After the two sides split the first 10 points, Menegatti got three in a row on serve, the last a nice ace, to go ahead. Her jump-float landed short on the next point, making it 8-6 at the side change. The Australians ran back with a run of their own to go ahead 10-9, taking the lead on a left-side block with picture-perfect timing. An Italian hitting error and Aussie kill later, and it was suddenly 12-9 Australia at the halfway point. The streaky set continued as the Italians came back to knot it again at 13, and go ahead once more at 15-14. The Italian service error made the first set boil down to a race to 6.
Court 2 was easily close enough to centre court to hear PA announcements coming from there, and when centre court's match ended, you could hear the PA announcer giving her 'thanks for coming, see you tomorrow' announcement, making this (mercifully) the last match going on the day.
Lots more ties occurred in this first set, at every numerical score from 15 to 19. After a hard-fought point on 19-all led to a kill for Menegatti, the Italians took service on set point. And they played a beauty of a point, with Mengatti going all out for a dig and then popping up to angle her shot to unoccupied court, putting the Italians up 1-0.
The Australians started the slightly stronger in set 2, leading 4-3 at the first side switch, but the Italians quickly tied it up with a point on serve at 5-5. They went ahead for the first time in the set at 7-6 ahead of the side change with the score knotted. Great effort from the Italians on 8-8, with both of them laying out to keep the ball alive. But you know how a team will almost never score in indoor when they do that, despite the great job of keeping the ball alive? The odds don't improve when you have 4 fewer teammates. Play was briefly stopped on 10-9 as Menegatti spoke to someone at courtside. That's not a common sight, because coaching during a beach volleyball match is strictly forbidden. I wonder who she was talking to (and why). The Australians edged ahead at the midpoint, 11-10.
The Aussies also took the first two back from the timeout to go up three for the first time in the match. The Italians came back even at the fourth side change, on Cicolari's serve. Then it became sideout after sideout again until a front-line block for the Aussies put them ahead 18-16. That prompted the Italians to call time. The rally ending 18-all ended going to the Italians with a disputed block touch called on the Aussies. They were pretty clearly displeased with the call, certain they had not touched the ball. The camera I was watching couldn't have made it clear.
The Italian team let out a huge roar upon staving off the Aussies' first set point at 20-19. They also snuck a kill in on the right side to stave off the second, making it 21-all and a sixth side change. The Aussies' third shot at at it, they decided themselves, with a serve landing well long. Italy got their first match point at 23-22, but the Australians saved it. The Italians converted match point on their second attempt to win 25-23. Got to be a disappointing loss for the Australians considering how tightly they played one of the better teams in the tournament.
Full Day Two Results
Men (boldfaced teams get a knockout stage first-round bye, italicised teams are eliminated)
Pool A:
Brink/Fuchs d. Huber/Seidl (21-19, 21-15)
Brouwer/Meeuwsen d. Wu/Wu Jiaxin (33-31, 21-12)
Final Pool A standings:
1. Brouwer/Meeuwsen 3-0
2. Brink/Fuchs 2-1
3. Huber/Seidl 1-2
4. Wu/Wu Jiaxin 0-3
Pool B:
Rosenthal/Dalhausser d. Kadziola/Szalankiewicz (21-14, 21-17)
Spijkers/Van de Velde d. Hudyakov/Passtukhov (18-21, 21-18, 15-13)
Final Pool B standings:
1. Rosenthal/Dalhausser 3-0
2. Kadziola/Szalankiewicz 2-1
3. Spijkers/Van de Velder 1-2
4. Hudyakov/Pastukhov 0-3
Pool C:
Pedro/Bruno d. Prokopiev/Bogatov (21-18, 21-18)
Ricardo/Álvaro Filho d. Sorokins/T Smedins (21-16, 21-17)
Final Pool C standings:
1. Ricardo/Álvaro Filho 3-0
2. Pedro/Bruno 2-1
3. Prokopiev/Bogatov 1-2
4. Sorokins/T Smedins 0-3
Pool D:
Nicolai/Lupo d. Sidorenko/Dyachenko (26-24, 21-19)
Gavira/García d. Ingrosso/Ingrosso (21-16, 21-19)
Final Pool D standings:
1. Nicolai/Lupo 3-0
2. Sidorenko/Dyachenko 2-1
3. Gavira/García 1-2
4. Ingrosso/Ingrosso 0-3
Pool E:
Erdmann/Matysik d. Stiekema/Varenhorst via injury forfeit
Popov/Samoday d. Vitor Felipe/Evandro (21-19, 19-21, 15-12)
Final Pool E standings:
1. Erdmann/Matysik 2-1
2. Vitor Felipe/Evandro 2-1
3. Popov/Samoday 2-1
4. Stiekema/Varenhorst 0-3
Pool F:
Chen/Li d. Hevaldo/Thiago (21-19, 15-21, 15-13)
Dollinger/Windscheif d. J Smedins/Samoilovs (21-14, 21-13)
Final Pool F standings:
1. Dollinger/Windscheif 2-1
2. Chen/Li 2-1
3. J Smedins/Samoilovs 2-1
4. Hevaldo/Thiago 0-3
Pool G:
Fijalek/Prudel d. Doherty/Rogers (21-19, 21-19)
Semenov/Koshkarev d. Horrem/Eithun (21-18, 21-13)
Final Pool G standings:
1. Fijalek/Prudel 3-0
2. Doherty/Rogers 2-1
3. Semenov/Koshkarev 1-2
4. Horrem/Eithun 0-3
Pool H:
Kapa/McHugh d. Cès/Rowlandson (17-21, 21-19, 15-12)
Gibb/Patterson d. Xu/Gao (21-18, 21-16)
Final Pool H standings:
1. Gibb/Patterson 3-0
2. Xu/Gao 2-1
3. Kapa/McHugh 1-2
4. Cès/Rowlandson 0-3
Women
Pool A:
Xue/Zhang Xi d. Dampney/Boulton (21-10, 21-18)
Ukolova/Popova d. Khomyakova/Prokopeva (21-14, 21-17)
Xue/Zhang Xi d. Khomyakova/Prokopeva (21-18, 21-13)
Ukolova/Popova d. Dampney/Boulton (21-14, 21-15)
Pool B:
Keizer/Van Iersel d. Wang Fan/Ding Jingjing (21-19, 16-21, 15-13)
Schwaiger/Schwaiger d. Ludwig/Walkenhorst via injury forfeit
Keizer/Van Iersel d. Schwaiger/Schwaiger (23-21, 21-16)
Wang Fan/Ding Jingjing d. Ludwig/Walkenhorst via injury forfeit. Makes who'll come out of this pool sort of academic
Pool C:
Hansel/Schützenhöfer d. Cicolari/Menegatti (20-22, 21-18, 15-13)
Borger/Büthe d. Badwen/Clancy (21-16, 17-21, 15-12)
Cicolari/Menegatti d. Bawden/Clancy (21-19, 25-23)
Borger/Büthe d. Hansel/Schützenhöfer (19-21, 21-18, 16-14)
Pool D:
Ross/Kessy d. Fendrick/Branagh (21-18, 25-23)
Zumkehr/Heidrich d. Kolosinska/Brzostek (21-12, 21-13)
Ross/Kessy d. Kolosinska/Brzostek (21-15, 21-17)
Zumkehr/Heidrich d. Fendrick/Branagh (18-21, 21-19, 15-9) Didn't I tell you don't sleep on this Swiss team. I'm happy to see their match with Ross/Kessy tomorrow should be on the digital airwaves.
Pool E:
Holtwick/Semmler d. Fopma/Sweat (21-12, 21-19)
Lili/Seixas d. Forrer/Vergé-Dépré (21-11, 21-17)
Holtwick/Semmler d. Forrer/Vergé-Dépré (21-11, 21-16)
Lili/Seixas d. Fopma/Sweat (21-14, 21-16)
Pool F:
Ross/Hochevar d. Kolocova/Slukova (26-24, 18-21, 15-12)
Liliana/Baquerizo d. Bansley/Maloney (21-15, 21-8) Yowch
Kolocova/Slukova d. Bansley/Maloney (21-17, 21-18)
Liliana/Baquerizo d. Ross/Hochevar (21-19, 21-14)
Pool G:
Talita/Agatha d. Broder/Valjas (21-14, 21-12)
Van Gestel/Meppelink d. Mashkova/Tsimbalova (21-19, 21-12)
Talita/Agatha d. Mashkova/Tsimbalova (21-8, 21-17)
Van Gestel/Meppelink d. Broder/Valjas (21-17, 21-19) All six of the Canadian teams' pool play matches are on courts without cameras. How messed up is that? :
Pool H:
Yue/Ma d. Gioria/Giombini (21-16, 21-16)
Talita/Taiana d. Bonnerova/Hermannova (21-13, 22-20)
Bonnerova/Hermannova d. Yue/Ma (21-16, 21-19)
Talita/Taiana d. Gioria/Giombini (21-10, 21-17)
And that's a full day of volleyball.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
