Time to hand out some hardware in Gstaad. I'm not sure any tournament yet this season has had quite the same schedule as the final day of the World Tour stop in Switzerland, as only the two finals (per gender) were on the docket to be played today. The women's bronze medal match was first.
Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst (GER) vs. Talita Da Rocha Antunes/Taiana Lima (BRA)
Interesting aspect of this match — it's a rematch from pool play. That's something you don't often see. These two teams played on the second day of pool play, after both had won twice on day one, leaving a knockout stage bye hanging the balance. The vaunted Brazilians won in two pretty quick sets.
It was very much a feeling-out process in the early going. Lots of sideouts, and not a lot of defence. An unforced error by Lima (on the first serve she got) improved the Germans from serving first to leading 4-3 at the side change. On 5-4, Ludwig got one of the first digs of the match, leading to a kill in transition. She followed that up with a tough serve that led to a bad set that in turn led to an easy block for her partner, staking the Germans to a three-point lead. Talita got on track with her first block of the match after the second side change, drawing the Brazilians back within a point at 8-7. A double-hit call on Walkenhorst (which replays showed to be a tight call) brought it even again at 9-all. They took another service point on 10-all to lead at the technical timeout.
Another nice block from Talita made it a two-point set, and she followed that up with a falcon-esque service that both opponents looked at and both opponents let go. Then Walkenhorst was called for a double-hit again, and all of a sudden Brazil led by a very healthy four points. The Germans called time having not scored since the technical, trailing 14-10. Stifling block touches from Talita, one after another after another, gained the Brazilians another service point to make it 16-11. Ludwig tried on the next rally to get sneaky and send it over on 2 with what I guess you'd call a bump shot — it was a bump set, but it was an attempt to play it over the net. It didn't clear. The Germans' hits just had nothing behind them, and the Brazilian run extended all the way to set point at 20-11. The Germans saved the set point on reception, and then two wide hits from Talita made it 20-14. Surely too little too late to say anything about the first set, but a possible confidence builder for set 2. Brazil called time on 20-14, and Walkenhorst's next serve landed wide to seal the first.
And here's why I don't really believe in momentum — it doesn't exist. Brazil scored the first 4 points of set 2 to seize control and prompt the Germans to call time. Momentum is only as good as the last rally. They kept it a little more even from there, even with the occasional service point, but it stayed at a margin of either 3 or 4 until the Germans cut it to 9-8. It was a desperate point, as Ludwig desperately flung herself at the ball, sending it over on the dig, and it just hit the back line. At 11-9, it looked for all the world that Ludwig had sided out to make it a one-point set at the technical timeout, but the down referee called a net fault. Replays did not appear to show this, and in any event it was clear across the court from the official (though right in front of the up referee). Ludwig protested the call, but obviously to no avail.
And the Brazilians quickly seized control, taking the first two on serve after the timeout. Ludwig tried to call time on 14-9, but they'd already taken their timeout earlier in the set. Seems to me that's a bad sign. You should know if you have a timeout available or not. After a few sideouts, the Brazilians went on another service run, a block from Talita taking the score to 17-11. The end was in sight. Walkenhorst got a service point on 17-12 with a nice block and looked like she might have had another on the next rally, but a net fault was whistled against her. That was probably the Germans' last chance, as another net fault made it match point on 20-13. A double hit called against Walkenhorst ended it.
Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen (NED) vs. Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson (USA)
Interesting season trajectories for these two teams. The Dutch team are fresh off their world championships win, and you can't win every event (even that one year where it seemed like Dalhausser and Rogers did, they really "only" won about every other event), so making the bronze final isn't a bad showing from them. Certainly I'd say it constitutes avoiding the letdown. The Americans, on the other hand, played on the first two Sundays of the World Tour season, but this is the first time back for them. And it's not as if I'd written them off — hardly, I think they're still an elite team — but I had begun to wonder whether they'd play for a medal again. After all, plenty of very good teams won't this year. So it's heartening to see them back again.
And actually, this match is also a pool play rematch, so maybe it's not quite as rare as I made out earlier. Brouwer and Meeuwsen won that match, that lasted nearly an hour and featured three two-point sets.
The teams traded service errors to begin the match. Meeuwsen got the first serve in bounds, and it was a nice heater that led to a slight overpass and a blocked hit. Gibb got the service point back at 2-2 the easy way, by acing Brouwer. The world champs had a lot of trouble getting serves in in the early going, giving the Americans their sideouts without them really having to work for them. A couple of monstrous blocks from Gibb led to the first substantial advantage either team enjoyed, at 7-4. It was 8-6 at the second side change, as the Dutch boys took back a service point. Patterson tried to hit over the towering Meeuwsen, but his high-arching swoop landed wide. The world champs came level on 10-all, and the Americans sided out to hold the slenderest of leads at the technical timeout.
On 11-all, it looked like the Dutch team should have had the point a couple of different times. Gibb and Meeuwsen jousted twice, after Meeuwsen had had a pretty solid block touch earlier. Patterson got the sideout following the last joust. He played a nice transition point on 12-11 to put the Americans ahead by two again, getting a diving and then a kill off the block and out. An unforced error by Brouwer led to the world champs calling time, down 14-11. They made it back within a point at 16-15 on a mistake by Patterson. The man with the mohawk got a terrific dig, but his subsequent hit attempt drilled the net. Patterson's normally one of the most easygoing guys you're gonna see on the world circuit, but he was upset with himself after this flub, showing very some tense body language and kicking the sand in frustration. He may have still been beating himself up a little a few points later when the Dutch team drew even at 17's. The Americans expended their timeout there.
The Americans kept the Dutch from going ahead, and on Gibb's serve at 19-18 he made the unexpected choice of targetting Meeuwsen after Brouwer had gotten every serve beforehand. Perhaps caught off guard, the big man hit wide, and it was set point. Gibb went back to Brouwer on 20-18, and a second straight hitting miscue gave set 1 to the Americans by 21-18.
Had a few technical difficulties at the outset of set 2, and joined again with the Dutch team up 7-5. A couple of sideouts brought us to the side change at 8-6, but one of them was a gigantic block by Gibb. A block for a sideout is always kinda nice, because you know you've denied the opponents a chance to take a service point, and those are like gold in most matches (really, every match unless it's one of those where one team just boat-race the other). Jacob Spiker Gibb became Jacob Roller Gibb for the point that brought the Americans level at 9-all, as his soft little roll shot on 2 landed in front of Brouwer. It went sideout after sideout from there to the technical timeout at 11-10.
The second half of the set started off slightly trending to the Americans again. They reached a two-point lead again at 14-12 and a three-point lead at 16-13. The 16-13 rally gave them several chances to go ahead by four, but the Dutch team fought back from being put on their heels by Gibb's repeated block touches earlier in the rally to claim the point. It was just a sideout — not a service point — but it was definitely a big rally to win. The Americans played a little bit of gamesmanship in caling their timeout, waiting to do so until the last possible moment before the up ref signalled for the next serve. The Dutch boys kept their run going and were even again at 17-all. Patterson sided the Americans out on the fifth side change with a sneaky hit on 2 that caught the world champs off guard.
On 18-17, Gibb gave the Americans the next crucial two-point lead with a very nice block. The Americans kept siding out to reach match point on serve at 20-18, and they did not need a reception attempt as Meeuwsen hit wide to send 2 on the same score as set 1. The victory completed the 2013 set of medals for the Americans — with this result, they've now got one of each colour.
Patterson had a brief word with the court announcer after the match, thanking the fans for their support and enthusiasm, and showing plenty of enthusiasm of his own. Gotta say, he's a tough guy not to like.
Liliane Maestrini/Barbara Seixas De Freitas (BRA) vs. Xue Chen/Zhang Xi (CHN)
I said above that it reflected well on Brouwer and Meeuwsen to be playing on Sunday again a week after their world championship win. Well, it's doubly so for China's Xue and Zhang, playing for gold again just 7 days after attaining no worse than the second-highest honour in this sport (which is paramount, worlds or the Olympics? Probably the latter, but plenty of teams would kill to win the former).
The stream decided to be stupid for the opening minutes of this match, leaving me out in the cold. (Usually when I say I miss a few points, it's because of my home internet connection, not the stream itself acting up) I joined just in time to see the Brazilians play a fabulous point, with a diving dig for Seixas leading to an easy kill, tying the set at 13-13. The world champs called time there, and took two straight afterward to go ahead at the fourth side change. As the teams reached their new ends, the Brazilians called their timeout, maximising their respite. It looked like the Chinese team were going to get an easy kill on the 15-13 rally to go up by three, but Lili all but came out of nowhere to come up with the block. The Brazilians got their equaliser at 16-all, but crucially gave the service point back on 17-16 as Seixas hit wide going cross court despite there being no line block present. Xue, who is generally the blocker of the pair, came up with a big dig on the 18-16 rally that led to another important service point, and it wasn't long after the fifth side change that the Chinese girls closed out the set, 21-16 the final.
China expended an early timeout in set 2, burning it while down just 5-3. The Brazilians added a service point on 6-4 to take the three-point lead, but their lead wasn't to last. 7-5 was a great point, ending with both Brazilian players getting a sand-sandwich as they dove for the ball. The next rally ended with an unforced attacking error on the Brazilian side, making it 7-all at the second side change. The Brazilians nearly made something of nothing on the 7-all rally, as their service reception curiously led to a minor offensive breakdown, and a free-ball to the Chinese side. Lili did an amazing job of reaching the ball — it was all the way by the advertising boards around the court area. Her return, on 3 mind you, came close to legally crossing the net, but it was ruled outside the antenna (Xue made the matter moot by hitting the ball to the sand just to be safe). On 9-8, Seixas' roll shot had a little too much behind it — sounds weird to say, but it's what happened, as it landed long. A couple of big heaters from the lefty Zhang put the Chinese ahead 12-8, and Sexias' hit finding nothing but net made it a five-point set at the technical timeout.
The world champs continued on their bid to back up that title with gold, getting a freebie on the first rally after the technical timeout. Seixas' hit did not hit the blocker Xue on the other side, so when Lili played it again off the net, that was 4 hits. 15-9 was a terrific rally. The ball crossed the net a good seven or eight times, finally ending with a kill for Xue at the centre of the net. All four players fell to the sand just gassed after the play ended, and the fans applauded quite vigourously (and rightly). Brazil called their timeout there, to catch a breather, but it was mostly just sideout after sideout to the finish. The only remaining service point came on match point itself, as the Chinese finished off a 21-14 triumph.
Pedro Solberg Salgado/Bruno Oscar Schmidt (BRA) vs. Ricardo Alex Costa Santos/Álvaro Morais Filho (BRA)
This is a rematch from the semifinals of the Shanghai Grand Slam, a match won by Pedro and Bruno in three grueling sets and in nearly an hour.
It was a crackin' start for the team in yellow singlets — that'd be Ricardo and Alvaro. They took the first four points of the match on serve, two of them handed to them by their compatriots as Bruno was called for a carry and Pedro hit wide to make it 4-0. Pedro and Bruno called time there, very early on in the match. They took back a service point at one point but gave it back when Pedro was whistled for a net fault to make it 6-2. Alvaro saw it immediately, and pointed at the big man across the net. 7-3 was a fine rally, with both defenders coming up with frantic digs. Bruno's terminating swing was ruled wide and Pedro, demonstrative as he always is, protested that it should have been called in. Replays showed that he was wrong. From 8-4, Pedro and Bruno took two in a row, for a score of 8-6 at the second side change. Just as quickly, Ricardo and Alvaro got the two points back, the big man in yellow coming up with a "swatting" block to re-establish the four-point lead. At 10-7, Alvaro got a little unlucky with his cut shot, as it crawled on the net for a second before tumbling out. A block for Pedro and this seesaw set had just a one-point margin. That was the case at the technical timeout, as Ricardo and Alvaro held a narrow 11-10 lead.
The team in yellow took two solid points straight out of the technical timeout to increase their lead to three again. Both teams sided out quite well as the set wore on, to obviously favour Ricardo/Alvaro. Nobody was reinventing the wheel with their strategies on serve. Pedro and Bruno went after Alvaro, Ricardo and Alvaro generally went after Bruno (Pedro did get a few). A big block from Ricardo ened the first set on 21-16, and was the first service point in a while. He walked away from the net waggling his finger as if to say "No, no, no." I'd chastise him for being demonstrative, but Pedro is hardly someone who has room to complain about that.
In set 2, it was the team in green who took the first service point, with Bruno perhaps catching Ricardo by surprise by sending a serve his way. His attempt at a pass left quite a bit to be desired, and Bruno notched the ace to make it 4-2. On the 5-4 rally, it appeared that Pedro and Bruno may have gotten away with 4 hits. The up referee apparently ruled that there was no block touch, and Bruno's kill stood. 6-5 was a terrific rally, fine defence from both teams. Alvaro made a nearly impossible legal return midway through the rally, but his partner was unable to repay his efforts. The rally ended when Alvaro dug Pedro's heater, with the ball rebounding into the net, but Ricardo didn't chase after it. Maybe he could have played it up again, maybe not. On the next rally, Pedro scored a picture-perfect middle block to make it a three-point set. The lead for Pedro/Bruno was two on reception at the second side change, and sideout after sideout it went to 12-9 at the technical. Ricardo, as always, was pissed about something as the teams reached their benches.
The first rally after the technical was a nice one, but Ricardo had no one to blame but himself for the point going to the other side. With a wide-open angle shot available to him, the big man instead went with a line roll that landed wide. Alvaro took that service point back with a great jump-float service ace that completely befuddled his countrymen across the net on reception. Both just kinda watched it, and then Pedro vainly tried to pass at the last moment, but it landed wide. At 14-12, Bruno hit into the net (not Ricardo's block touch) and played it on, for a 4 hits call to make it a one-point set. Pedro and Bruno called time there. With Ricardo putting up an angle block, Bruno tried to hit line, but massively overcooked it, hitting about 5 feet wide to make it a tied set at the fourth side change.
Alvaro scored the kill on the 14-all rally, on the sort of shot I can't imagine teams have much experience defending — it hit off the side of his left hand for some goofy topspin that Bruno just couldn't dig. On 15-14, Pedro adamantly protested that Ricardo should have been called for a net fault, but no call came, so Pedro's own wide hit decided the point. The big man in yellow — Ricardo — came up with a solid block against Bruno to make it 18-15. The team in green got a sideout and then a kill for a service point to draw within a point at the fifth side change. Pedro and Bruno had a shot on the 18-17 rally to draw even, but Ricardo got the sideout by hitting around the block softly. Then on 19-17, another big block made it gold medal point. Pedro and Bruno staved off their reception point, prompting a timeout from the other side. Alvaro finished the match in style with a powerful kill that bounced from the sand and up into the crowd. The young man was visibly overcome with emotion as the reality of his first career FIVB gold medal hit him.
The champs gave a brief interview after the match. Alvaro, as I said, seemed pretty stunned by what he and the big man had accomplished. Ricardo answered the question asked of him in Portuguese, leaving Alvaro to translate. C'mon dude, you didn't need the question translated. Just answer! What can I say, I'm a linguist, I notice these things. It's still big congrats for a job well done this week and perhaps a sense of redemption after falling just short at the world championships.
Full Day Six results
Bronze medal finals
Talita/Lima d. Ludwig/Walkenhorst (21-14, 21-13)
Gibb/Patterson d. Brouwer/Meeuwsen (21-18, 21-18)
Gold medal finals
Xue/Zhang d. Lili/Seixas (21-16, 21-14)
Ricardo/Alvaro d. Pedro/Bruno (21-16, 21-18)
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