This is kind of a quickie post (well, it sure as hell is compared to my other Fuzhou posts) because the semifinals happened while the matches in Chicago and Provo were still ongoing. I spread myself pretty thin (and oh, my poor CPU processor) to cover both of those. No way I was going to be able to cram the semifinals in.
As it happened, the Chinese beat the Germans in what I figured to be the stronger of the two semis, and beat them pretty handily, (21-15, 21-14). Those are not close set scores. The Spanish team won the other semi over the Netherlands (21-14, 21-18). A little closer, obviously, but still not really what you'd call a challenge. In any case, the first match I saw was the bronze medal final
Holtwick/Semmler vs. Meppelink/Van Gestel
Any other week, Meppelink and Van Gestel making this final, and Liliana and Baquerizo making the gold final, would have been thought a pretty big upset and something of an underdog run. Huber and Seidl on the men's side had that pretty well taken care of this week.
The Germans took the first two points of the match on serve, with Holtwick, and nearly took a third as her last serve looked to surprise the Dutch duo, but it didn't clear the net. As if in direct one-upsmanship, Van Gestel's first serve on the Dutch side found sand for an ace. The Germans led 4-3 on serve after one side switch, and got back up two on a Dutch hitting error. The teams then traded several consecutive service errors, with the Germans finally getting one in on 7-6 that the Dutch didn't return. Goes in the books as an ace, but it's awkward to call it one, because when I think "ace" I think "instantly over." That's not how it happened there. The Dutch team clawed back a point with an ace — that the webcast didn't show (top editing there, sport), but Semmler's big block got the point right back for the Germans. The German duo played a great point to go up 3 at 11-8, with Semmler especially standing out to me, going from net coverage to deeper defence at a moment's notice. Holtwick repaid those efforts with an ace on the next ball, and it was 12-9 at the midpoint.
The German lead extended to 14-10 after the timeout, and it seemed pretty clear that they were just a step or so ahead of the Dutch team. They were siding out like fiends and winning a good chunk of their service points, too. And that's really 'how to win at beach volleyball' in a nutshell. They led 16-12 after four side changes and put it away shortly after the fifth change, 21-17 the final.
The Dutch burned their timeout early in the 2nd, staring down an immediate 3-0 deficit. It didn't make much of a difference, as the margin was 5-2 at the first side change. Holtwick's block on 7-4 made it a 4-point set for the first time, and the talent gap looked more and more stark as the match went on. Another Holtwick block made it 9-4, and only a service error got the Dutch the sideout on the side change. The Dutch had a chance to claw one back on 10-6, but Meppelink's half-backwards hit led Semmler to, overpass, really, but they had no chance of legally returning it. It was 13-8 at the midway point.
Meppelink and Van Gestel flipped a switch after the timeout, getting the sideout, a block from Meppelink, and then a kill on a long rally to pull back within 2. That prompted the Germans to call time. After a few sideouts, the Dutch girls closed to within a point at 15-14, but Holtwick got the kill to sideout and keep the Germans ahead. They got a big point on serve afterward to keep their advantage, Meppelink's swing to terminate a long rally going straight into the net. The Dutch got back within one once again at 17-16, but never got over the hump, and a service error on the Dutch side ended it, 21-18 in the 2nd.
Xue/Zhang Xi vs. Liliana/Baquerizo
This is not the gold medal final I would have predicted at the beginning of the tournament, but both teams have done well to get this far. The Spanish, still a relatively new team despite appearing at last year's Olympics, were assured of their best-ever FIVB performance either way. The Chinese duo had won gold before, though I'm unclear exactly how many.
With the home fans staunchly behind them, even starting their own cheers unprompted by the PA (something I can't recall happening in this tournament before hand), Xue and Xi started strong in set 1, winning five of the first seven points. The Spanish team called an early timeout facing a 7-3 deficit. A kill for the lefty Xi extended China to their largest lead at 9-4, and the crowd were really happy about it. Spain sided out ahead of the second side change, and then really went to work, taking five of six to go even at 10. Finally, Xue got her team the sideout to keep them ahead 11-10 at the halfway timeout.
Xi got the Chinese off on the right foot after the timeout, with a couple of great serves going for aces and then another that the Spaniards overpassed to allow for her to win a block-joust. On Spain's serve at 14-12, they were whistled for a fault of some sort, but it wasn't clear what it was. Baquerizo protested with the up official, but to no avail. Xue made it five again at 18-13 beating Liliana to the punch at the net, and followed it up with an ace to extend the lead to six. Set point made it seven, as a block by Xue put China on top one set to nil.
And the roll didn't slow in set 2. The home ladies got off to a 4-0 start, prompting Spain to take an early timeout just as they had in the 1st (on replay it looked like the fourth point, a Spanish hitting error, may have found hands). But again just as in the 1st, China led 5-2 at the first side change. The lead extended to five on what might have been scored a block, but replays showed the ball never actually touched the Chinese blocker and hit only the net. Spain's volley on the next rally landed well wide, putting the Chinese up six after two side changes. The margin held up to 13-8, with China to receive. Spain got a rare point on serve coming out of the timeout, Liliana getting the block to make it 13-9, but that was ultimately nothing. From 14-10, China served out the match, taking three aces along the way and prove just how out of their depth the Spanish were.
I've got to pay more attention to this Chinese pairing in the future, and I will try my hardest to do so.
Final day results
Semifinals
Chen Xue/Zhang Xi d. Holtwick/Semmler (21-15, 21-14)
Liliana/Baquerizo d. Meppelink/Van Gestel (21-14, 21-18)
Bronze medal final
Holtwick/Semmler d. Meppelink/Van Gestel (21-17, 21-18)
Gold medal final
Chen Xue/Zhang Xi d. Liliana/Baquerizo (21-14, 21-10)
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