You may notice a slight bias
to today's coverage….
With the memories of the world championships still fresh in our minds, it was back to the beach yet again, as today was qualification day for the women at the Gstaad Grand Slam. As usual, all three Canadian women's teams present were relegated to the qualifier. But due to how the schedules were written and how stable the streaming was, I was able to see all their matches. This report will focus on them.
Kacie MacTavish/Caleigh Whitaker (CAN) vs. Elisabeth Klopf/Valerie Teufl (AUT)
I joined this match a little late, as the Canadian girls already had a 7-2 lead as I fired up the stream. Given Greta Cicolari's tweet yesterday about snow being on the ground on the streets of Gstaad, I wasn't surprised to see a team decked out in cold-weather gear, but I was a little surprised that it was just the one. The Austrians had tights on top and bottom, while the Canadians just wore their regular bikinis. Maybe they didn't bring any cold gear. Or maybe they're just used to it.
The winners of this match were in line for the unenviable task of Lili/Seixas to advance to the main draw (seriously, can anyone tell me how a team can go from winning the bronze medal at worlds one week to being in the qualifier the next? What if they'd won the gold?), so victory here was likely to be a moral victory at best.
The Canadians had a pretty solid 13-8 at the technical timeout, but the Austrians ran it back to 14-13, at which time the Canadians called time. The Austrian girls took off their bottoms at one of those timeouts (there's no taking off the tops, since the uniform tops go on the outside), so I guess it just wasn't especially cold despite the snow. The Canadians extended back to a 3-point lead immediately and weren't particularly threatened in the rest of the set. They reached set point at 20-17 and put it away on reception for the 21-18 final.
In set 2, the Austrians picked up a service point at 3-2 to go ahead 4-2, but aside from that it was just sideout after sideout for a long stretch. The two teams appeared quite equal, so it made me wonder a little how the Canadian girls got such a big lead in set 1. The equaliser from the Canadians came on the rally ending 8-all, but the Austrians countered with a nice dig and hit for a service point at 11-9. They added a service ace to head to the technical timeout in style, at 12-9. Another service point shortly after the technical brought them to 14-10, and then a let-serve for an ace made it 15-10. A 'field goal' ace right between the two Canadian girls made it 16-10. The Canadians never did take their timeout (or maybe they did earlier and I missed it). From 16-10, it was sideout after sideout to Austria's set point on reception at 20-15. There, they flubbed pretty badly, with both players going for the ball and neither fielding it cleanly. The ball just sort of scooted away from them, falling for an ace. They took their timeout, with four set points still in hand.
They needed most of them. Coming up short against Whitaker on the net on a joust meant the Austrian advantage slipped from 20-14 to 20-18, but they finally did stop the bleeding there and sideout to force the 3rd.
The two teams traded sideouts at the outset of the decider, both looking a little bit tentative in so doing. The Austrian net player (Teufl? She's slightly taller) had a shot to get a service point on 3-all, with an open shot up the middle available to her, but she put a little too much pace on it and it flew long. Else, each sideout tended to be a pretty simple bump-set-spike. Canada at last took a service point on the rally ending 8-6, with MacTavish making a terrific dig to lead to a hitting opportunity she didn't fub. Her partner did her one even better on the next point, getting a block on the left side. I thought maybe the Austrians would call time there, but they didn't, just making the side change on 9-6. They did call timeout when the deficit reached 10-6 on the next rally.
The timeout got them a sideout and a service point, but a wicked serve from MacTavish on 11-8 led to a goofy out-of-system rally where the Canadians got the service point back. Whitaker served for match point on 14-10, and her partner put it away for a 15-10 final.
Taryn Sciarini/Cosima Wieland (SUI) vs. Sarah Pavan/Heather Bansley (CAN)
Sarah Pavan is really tall. I think this may actually be the first time I've seen her play on the beach.
After the Canadians got one service point, their serve at 1-0 resulted in a pretty ridiculous rally. The ball must have crossed the net a dozen times, if not more. All four players sacrificed their bodies to fly far and wide to keep the rally going, and though there were probably less than 50 people watching this match, they gave a stirring cheer when the ball finally fell for a point for the Swiss team (I'm sure that part didn't hurt, but I'd like to think they'd still have cheered had the Canadians taken the rally).
But it was only just a speed bump for Bansley and Pavan. Heather scored two service aces after the first side change to put her side up 6-3. On Sarah's serve at 8-5, things got a little goofy again. She scurried to the net to block, only to lose her footing and slide to the ground. But no matter — the Swiss team didn't make a legal return, and she got a service ace out of the equation. A longer rally on 9-5 led to another service point, as she terminated it with a big kill, and then another ace brought us to 11-5. The Swiss team decided enough was enough, and called time. She did finally net a serve after the timeout, but the damage was done. Pavan added a block on her serve at 13-7 to take us to the technical timeout with Canada doubling up Switzerland.
The margin only grew. Tough serving from both Canadians got the Swiss in trouble, with Bansley's ace making it 18-8. After the fourth side change at 19-9, the Swiss did claw back a few, but the Canadians made it to set point on 20-12 and didn't need a reception attempt, Pavan obliterating her counterpart at the net.
The Swiss girls played some good points to start off set 2, and the cheers seemed to indicate a…ehhh, solid crowd. Not a substantial one. That's gotta be nice for them. They're the lowest-ranked team in this tournament, so it was never likely they'd make any actual noise (this is Wieland's first-ever FIVB event, while Sciarini somehow played one eight years ago….as a 14-year old….not getting past qualification then, either). But getting any measure of a home crowd behind you, that's got to be a thrill. Pipe dream time (maybe), but it's something I'd like to see the Canadian teams get someday. The weather's really not any worse in Vancouver or Toronto right now than it was at the Corrientes Grand Slam some weeks back, so it's not like the moose would be checking out the tourney 😛
The Swiss team led 8-6 after two side changes. Canada drew even at 8-all on a long hit by Sciarini (I think). Sideout after sideout it then went to the technical timeout, with Canada ahead 11-10 on serve. The Swiss team grabbed a service point to go up 14-13 when Pavan had a little trouble terminating the rally. It was clear they'd made some good adjustments since set 1, and were no longer about to be blown off the sand, while at the same time they didn't get any separation either. Both sides had trouble getting beyond a single-point lead until an ace for the Swiss girls gave them set point on 20-18. Pavan and Bansley called time there. They got the sideout, but Pavan's serve on 20-19 was a little ugly, not even threatening to clear the net. So for the second time, off to the race to 15 we went.
Canada fought back from having to serve first to lead 3-2 on reception at the first side change of set 3, claiming that point to maintain their early 2-point advantage. They led 6-4 at the second change. Notably, Pavan changed her serving form as this set went on, abandoning her run-up serve for a simple standing serve where she didn't even hop (hey, at her height, it's hardly necessary). She claimed a service point, getting the block, to go up 8-5, which presaged the 9-6 score at the third side change.
Pavan added another block to put her side up 11-7, at which point I figued the Swiss team would call time, but they didn't. They got the sideout at 11-8, but posed no threat as the set wore on. 12-8 was a minor callback to the insane second rally of the match, but this time it ended with Bansley claiming a service point to put her side on the cusp of match point. An ace for the Swiss brought them to within 13-10, but Bansley's winner on the next rally got it to match point. Pavan slammed home the winner for a 15-11 final.
Jamie Lynn Broder/Kristina Valjas (CAN) vs. Martina Bonnerová/Barbora Hermannová (CZE)
I did skip a match, but only one. It was undeniably a pretty Canadian theme to centre court on day one, and that's all right by me.
The Czech girls did their best to lessen my thrill over seeing so many Canadian teams, taking a sideout lead early and then three in a row in advance of the second side change at 9-5. Broder got the sideout there, but her service attempt on 9-6 drilled the net. Sideout after sideout followed, with the Czechs leading 12-9 on reception at the technical timeout.
After the technical, the Canadian girls quickly set about cutting into the point. A service point on a long-ish rally was followed by an ace from Valjas, prompting the Czechs to call time. It did not slow the roll. On the 12-11 rally, Broder came up with an excellent dig that also perfectly set Valjas at the net to send it over on 2. Her shot found the sand, and the score was tied. The next point was pretty much the same, and Canada surged into the lead. Broder and Valjas played a little pinball on the 13-12 rally, as the ball rebounded off both of them in quick succession. Luckily, it bounded off Broder and high up into the air, giving Valjas a hit attempt she did not flub. The Czechs finally managed to sideout on the next rally, still trailing 14-13. Valjas hit long on the play that followed, and we were dead even after four side changes, 14-all.
Just as quickly, Canada went up 2 again, with a sideout and a wide hit from the other side that Valjas managed not to touch at the net. Another wide hit and it was 17-14. A net serve sided the Czechs out, but that's still a very good run at the crucial late stage of the set. It looked like the Czechs may have gotten away with a net touch on the 18-15 rally, but even so, it was lost in a sea of sideout after sideout, favouring the Canadians. They reached set point at 20-17 and finished matters a rally later on reception.
The Czechs got on the board first in set 2, scoring what I believe the PA guy called eine service winnar (an ace….kind of a gruesome reception, actually). Valjas' block on 2-all got the service point back, but then her pass on 3-2 wasn't very good, sailing wide for another ace. The Czechs led 4-3 at the first side change. Yet another service winnar extended the Czechs to a 7-4 advantage. At 7-5, Valjas scored an ace of her own to bring the Canadians back within a point. It was 8-6 Czechs at the second change, which became 12-9 at the technical as all three groups of seven went 4-3 to the Czechs.
Before play resumed after the technical, a player from each team stopped by the up ref's perch to have a chat. You usually don't see that, and I kinda wonder what it was about. The 12-9 rally went to the Czechs on an in/out call that the Canadians disputed, with Broder (I'm guessing) asking the up ref to climb down and take a closer look, but he declined to do so. From 13-9, the Canadians scored three on the bump, all on hitting errors by the Czechs (forced and unforced), prompting the Czechs to call time.
Canada came even at 13-all before the Czechs got the sideout on 14-13, winning a long rally with a difficult right-hand shot that had to be played off the side of the hand for it to be correctly targetted to unguarded court. The Canadians were able to sideout on the next point themselves, making it 14-all at side change number four. An attacking error from the Czechs gave Canada the next service point, putting them up 17-16. The Czechs got the service point back with a big middle block, and added another on 19-18 to bring themselves to set point on 20-18. Broder came up with the sideout there, and a net fault called against the Czechs sent us to extras.
We didn't need many extras. Canada quickly got match point at 21-20, and then a silly little let-serve ace for Broder ended the match. You almost hate to win that way — almost.
Liliane Maestrini/Barbara Seixas De Freitas (BRA) vs. Whitaker/MacTavish (CAN)
I can't say I was confident of getting a second Canadian team into the main draw here. It certainly would have been a massive upset.
The Brazilians started off on serve, and the Canadians sided out on their first few chances of doing so, but a small service run from Lili put them up 2 for the first time. And only a rather silly error on her part ended the run. Lili and Seixas showed they are both terrifically solid two-way players (as if that were still in any doubt), taking a three-point lead on 8-5 without really seeming to expend much effort. They extended to four for the first time at 11-7, and led 12-9 on reception at the technical timeout.
Seixas showed some real class on the 13-9 rally, catching the Canadian girls off-guard with a low-arching roll shot (hard to describe — it had no trajectory, but no real pace on it, either. Tough shot to master or to defend). She added another service point to go up 15-9, and Whitaker and MacTavish expended their timeout. MacTavish got the sideout there, though Seixas still nearly got the up. If her dive had been a split second faster, it would have deflected the ball into the air rather than just sending it sideways. It went sideout after sideout until an ace for Seixas made it 19-12, and another one brought the Brazil team to set point. Whitaker staved off one, but Brazil converted on their first reception set point for a 21-13 final.
Seriously, what the hell are these girls doing in the qualifier? They're so much better than every other team in it. They're the top seeds, and I think they'd probably win seven, maybe eight of ten against the second seeds Fopma/Sweat from the USA.
Whitaker and MacTavish hung around again to begin set 2, trailing by only a point on reception at the first side change. A hitting miscue from MacTavish afforded the Brazilians the first 2-point lead at 6-4, and then the next rally was a long one also going in Brazil's favour as Seixas terminated it with a cross-court roll shot. The Canadians called time at 7-4, but needed another couple of rallies before they could sideout. It was 9-5 at the second side change, with Whitaker serving. Seixas' hit on the next rally was kind of a screwy one, riding the net on its way out. It fell wide untouched for what I believe was Canada's first service point of the match. The Brazilians got it back on the 11-7 rally. Seixas made the dig, and Lili sprinted over from her position clear across the court to make the second contact. That left Seixas kind of falling away from the net, making the hit with her right hand (which is her off hand). But of course, it fell in just fine. The run extended to 14-7 at the technical timeout.
And the Canadians showed some heart and determination, but they rarely were able to do better than exchange sideouts. 16-10 was a fine athletic rally, with determined play on both sides. It ended with a terminating swing from Lili. The flagger called it out, but the up ref overruled. At a glance, I certainly thought it was in, so even though it was on the opposite side of the court from the up ref, I thought he made a good call. (Or did the down ref make it? Can the down ref make this call?)
Not much to add to the conclusion of this match. Brazil reached match point on 20-12, and the teams traded service errors to end it.
Jana Köhler/Anni Schumacher (GER) vs. Pavan/Bansley (CAN)
I definitely felt more confident that this match may result in further Canadian representation in the main draw than the one previous (and that's not disrespect to Whitaker and MacTavish, far from it — it's the utmost of respect for Lili/Seixas). The Germans scored on serve first with Schumacher getting the block against Bansley to go up 5-3. On the next rally, Pavan tried to catch then unawares with her attack attempt on 2, but they were ready for it, getting the dig and then setting their offence nciely. An overpass on Kohler's next serve led to a pretty sudden 7-3 lead for the Germans, and it was timeout Canada. The run continued after the timeout, with Kohler getting another ace, off a dodgy reception by Pavan. A wide hit from Pavan and it started to get a little ugly at 9-3. Finally, the towering Pavan could sideout, but the difference was still five at 9-4.
The Canadians took back a point here, a point there, and closed to within 12-9 at the technical timeout. The teams traded sideouts for a 16-12 count at the fourth side change. The Germans seemed to target Pavan with their serves, evidently believing her passing to be lacking. It got better as the match went on. A wide hit from the German side got Canada as close as they had been since the beginning of the set, down just 2 at 16-14, and the Germans called time. The Germans got away with a hand-set on the rally ending 18-15, and also on a hit where Pavan's block appeared to take away the angle shot, but the hitter (Kohler, I think) found the tiniest sliver of a seam between Pavan and the antenna. All the same, though, Bansley's kill a few moments later made it a 1-point set at 18-17. Kohler and Schumacher kept siding out, and reached set point on 20-18. Schumacher (I know because of the PA voice) put it away with a stylish ace for the 21-18 final.
Set 2 started off a bit inauspiciously for the Canadians, as they lost the first two rallies to immediately fall into a sideout disadvantage. They had no business winning the 3-1 rally, with a poor pass from Pavan resulting in a weak and easily-dug hit, but the rally lasted a few more volleys and eventually went to Bansley. The Germans still went out ahead 5-2 at the first side change. A picture-perfect ace for Bansley — just froze the Germans, and split them in two — on her serve at 6-4 brought the Canadians back within a point. Then after a carry was called against them, the set was even again at 6-all. The Germans called time there. It was 7-all at the second side change, but a hitting error from the German side gave the Canadians their first lead of the match on 8-7. Sideout after sideout ensued until a long rally went to Pavan on serve at 11-9. She netted her next serve, but Canada still led 11-10 on reception.
The Germans got their equaliser on 12-all, scraping to keep the ball off the sand as both of them were on their knees at the sand. The only ball they could send over was a high-arching moon shot, and with Pavan and Bansley both pretty near the net too (which maybe they shouldn't have been) you knew it would fall. Luckily for the Germans, it landed in. Bansley's long hit on 13-all put the Germans back on top a point for the first time in a while. A net serve, and it was 14-all after four side changes. Pavan got a block on serve there to go up 15-14, and then Bansley scored an ace to make it 16-14. The German girl Matrix'd to get out of the way of it, but it landed in. Germany came back even again at 17's, with a nice show of defence but some help from the other side of the net as well. They could only return a free ball after their diving defence, and Pavan should have had a pretty easy shot at empty court, only it landed about 4 feet wide. Still, the Canadians sided out to remain ahead ever so slightly, 18-17 upon the fifth side change. At 19-all, the Canadian offence kind of broke down again, leading to Germany getting match point at 20-19. Pavan and Bansley called time there.
I thought the Canadians were sunk a few different times during the 20-19 rally, but they did stave off the match point and send set 2 to extras. Germany got the kill on the next rally, beating Pavan's block, to get match point again at 21-20. This time the Germans found the sand and won the match. And….they were just the better team in this match. No other way of putting it. Pavan/Bansley showed flashes here and there, but ultimately they just gave away too many points to be able to be too upset about missing the main draw.
Full Qualification results
Truncated First Round
MacTavish/Whitaker (CAN) d. Klopf/Teufl (AUT) (21-18, 18-21, 15-10), described above
Pavan/Bansley (CAN) d. Sciarini/Wieland (SUI) (21-12, 19-21, 15-11), described above
Vasiliki Arvaniti/Panagiota Karagkouni (GRE) d. Fanny Menissier/Adèle Bardouillet (FRA) (21-9, 21-13)
Janne Kongshavn/Cindy Treland (NOR) d. Ekaterina Syrtseva/Irina Chaika (RUS) (21-11, 21-13)
Romana Kayser/Muriel Graessli (SUI) d. Nina Grawender/Karin Lundqvist (SWE) (25-23, 21-23, 15-11) This would be the centre court match I skipped. Wound up being a pretty good match, but….naah
Qualification Round
Lili/Seixas (BRA) d. MacTavish/Whitaker (CAN) (21-13, 21-13), described above
Broder/Valjas (CAN) d. Bonnerova/Hermannova (CZE) (21-18, 22-20), described above
Köhler/Schumacher (GER) d. Pavan/Bansley (CAN) (21-18, 22-20), described above
Barbara Hansel/Katharina Schützenhöfer (AUT) d. Arvaniti/Karagkouni (GRE) (21-19, 21-17)
Summer Ross/Emily Day (USA) d. Kongshavn/Treland (NOR) (21-16, 21-12)
Ana Gallay/Georgina Klug (ARG) d. Gioria Daniela/Laura Giombini (ITA) (24-22, 17-21, 28-26) Whoa. Pretty sure that's the longest tour match of the season
Jolien Sinnema/Michelle Stiekema (NED) d. Mariafe Artacho/Jessyka Ngauamo (AUS) (21-9, 29-27)
Jennifer Fopma/Brooke Sweat (USA) d. Kayser/Graessli (SUI) (21-14, 21-11) I tried to watch this match (give the neighbours to the south a little coverage!), and had written up the first set (for the most part), but the streams cut out before enough of it was webcast to allow a report that would do it justice
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