This’ll make sense in a moment.
Hot hot heat. It's another busy day in Bangsaen. By the end of today's action, only eight teams will still be in the tournament. Some teams played three matches today. Let's get to it.
Jantine van der Vlist and Merel Mooren (NED) vs. Summer Ross and Heather Hughes (USA)
I joined this match a little late, as it was already 16-13 in the Dutch team's favor in the first set when I tuned in. The Americans, however, quickly equalized it on Ross' serve, prompting the Dutch team to call time. They're getting some great conditioning in if nothing else, playing easily the most matches of any team present and being first out of the chute today. The side change at 35 points happened with the Dutch team up a point. Once on the other side, Hughes tried to misdirect the Dutch by sending it over on two, but didn't get it over the net. On the next serve, they ducked out of the way of a ball that was called in, leading to set point for the Netherlands at 20-17. They got it on their second try, 21-18.
The Americans took control early in set number two, running out to a quick 6-2 advantage. After a couple of sideouts, the Dutch team got called for a net violation, to give Ross and Hughes a pretty commanding 8-3 lead, but I of course remember them taking a big lead against the Greeks in round two only to lose it. Van der Vlist and Mooren called timeout here. On the first point back, the Dutch team played a serve that looked to be heading out, and paid the price, as Ross scored a nifty cross-court kill. Hughes showed some outstanding defense on 10-5, losing a joust at the net but still diving to keep the ball alive, and Ross paid her efforts off with a kill. And so it continued, mostly sideout after sideout until the Dutch took one on serve to close to 12-9 at the 21-point timeout.
Van der Vlist and Mooren's run continued after the timeout, as they won a long rally and eventually evened the score at 13. Only a service error had given the American tandem any points in the meantime, and they called timeout at 13-13. The Dutch team took their first lead of the set coming back from the timeout, as their suddenly looked much crisper than it had just minutes earlier. They took the next 2-point lead at 17-15, and just poured it on from there, closing out the second set with a service ace at 21-16.
I think fatigue probably did set in. These two girls played a full schedule in Bangsaen, and they should leave with their heads held high. They've just got to learn how to finish teams off — you take a 5-point lead in beach volleyball, you should win pretty much every time.
But it's a tandem that, presuming they stay together, I'll be on the lookout for in the future.
Varapatsorn Radarong and Tanarattha Udomchavee (THA) vs. Jarunee Sannok and Usa Tenpaksee (THA)
Yeah, I was excited for this match, and it makes sense that they put it on centre court. My only, mildly racist, problem is I have no idea which team is which, and I can't exactly use the nationalities to help. I'll muddle through my coverage of this one 😐 My props to the PA announcer, who sounds like he's American, for getting through these names.
Radarong and Udomchavee had the serve to start. Sannok and Tenpaksee took the advantage at 4-2, but otherwise it was very even. An ace got Sannok and Tenpaksee to 7-4. For this match, the English-speaking PA announcer was replaced by one speaking Thai (at times earlier in the tournament they were working in tandem). It makes total sense, but it leaves me up a creek a bit. Radarong and Udomchavee drew even at 7 on a hitting error from the other side. They took the lead with an ace on the next point that it looked like Sannok and Tenpaksee were going to return, but they hit it into the net instead. At the 21-point timeout, Radarong and Udomchavee led 11-10.
A fair crowd was in attendance for this match, as the bleachers opposite the camera were about a third full at the outset and filled in more as the match went on. Great point on 13-12 ending with Sannok and Tenpkasee scoring after several diving digs and a swing that ticked the top of the net before falling on the other side. These two pairs of countrywomen proved well matches, as Sannok and Tenpkasee taking the advantage at 15-13 was the first time since the tie at 7 that anyone went up by 2. The next point was another long one, ending in Sannok and Tenpaksee's favor. Ahh…at 17-14 in Sannok and Tenpaksee's favor, the English announcer came back on. Maybe he just needed a potty break. Oh, the official tournament designation is "contender's bracket." There's your tactful name. The 3-point advantage in Sannok and Tenpaksee's favor was not overcome, and in fact grew at the tailend, as they took the first set 21-16.
Radarong and Udomchavee scored the first two points of the second set, getting the second with a nicely timed block on their serve. It was 4-3 in their favor at the side change. Sannok and Tenpkasee took their first lead at 5-4, but this set again was pretty evenly matched. At 6-5, it seemed someone got hurt. The match stopped for a moment as all four players gathered around where either Radarong or Udomchavee had fallen (I would imagine they all know each other). Play continued after a moment, though, so if anyone was hurt, it wasn't badly enough to have to stop. The Thai announcer was on call at the time, so I'm not quite sure what happened.
Even though I'm pretty sure it was either Radarong or Udomchavee who had had to stay on the ground for a moment, they went on a little run after play resumed, going up 9-6. Sannok and Tenpaksee ran back again to tie it at 9, and then to take the advantage. Sannok and Tenpaksee took a great point leading to the 21-point timeout, as one of them dove after a shot from the other side, got the dig, and sent it over to…an empty half of the court. Sannok and Tenpaksee led 12-9 at the timeout, and continued to add to their advantage as the set wore on. They closed out the match at 21-15.
The marathon match that Radarong and Udomchavee had yesterday can't be discounted as a factor in this result. I feel like this one could have been more competitive if it had happened on the first day of the main draw.
Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas (BRA) vs. Anna Vozakova and Anastasia Vasina (RUS)
This was the first winner's bracket match of the day. No one will be eliminated here. I'm unclear if Barbara Seixas is primarily known by her first name, as there's a footballer known simply as Barbara. The English-speaking PA guy called her that, but all publications I've ever seen have referred to her as Seixas (which I believe I've done before as well).
The match started off quite evenly, with a straight pattern of sideouts before the first side change at 4-3. The PA announcer noted that in contravention of usual rules, the teams would be permitted to hydrate when changing sides, as the air temperature at the time was 42 Celsisus (107 Fahrenheit) (!!!). With the sand soaking up all that heat, it probably felt even hotter to the players on the court.
It wasn't strictly sideout after sideout, as Agatha did score a service ace on 6-6, but the match was still dead even at the second side change, 7-7. They then took the first 2-point lead either side had, at 9-7. They extended their lead to 11-7, and Brazil called time. The timeout proved time-ly, as Brazil ran back to 11-10 before the 21-point timeout. Vozakova ended the run back with a kill after the technical timeout, and they retook their 4-point advantage at 16-12. My connection blinked out for a moment at that point, so I'm not sure what exactly got them there. Vozakova and Vasina continued to add to their advantage, and took the first set 21-15. The first set was mostly competitive, but the Russians just had those few little runs you need to put you over the top in a competitive match.
Brazil took the early advantage in set number two at 3-1. This extended to 5-1 after a hitting error and a great athletic play from Seixas where she went from diving for a dig to leaping for a block in a matter of seconds. The teams traded sideouts for an extended stretch from there, until Barbara and Seixas scored a couple on serve to go up 12-6. Russia called time here, three points in advance of the automatic timeout, which came at 13-8. The Russian team made up much of the deficit, but like I said yesterday, five points is a big lead in beach volleyball. The Brazilians closed it out 21-19 to set up the race to 15.
The Russians took the first 2-point lead in the decider at 3-1, showing some great speed in transition under the pounding Thai sun. Just being in the crowd in that heat probably was tiring, I can't imagine going full gas on the court. Agatha drew her team even at 4 with a powerful swing through the block, and Seixas very nearly followed it with an ace. 4-4 was a very good point, but with the Russians put out of sorts on Seixas' serve, they were playing catchup the whole way, and the rally ended with a hitting error on their side. Agatha then gave Brazil a 3-point cushion at 8-5 with back-to-back aces. The Russians came back to within one at 8-7, but Seixas got the Brazilians back up three with an ace to 10-7. A hitting error on the Russian side made it 11-7, and the comeback was just about complete at that point. Another great serve from Seixas that got the Russians way out of system brought it to match point at 14-9, and Seixas put it away on serve receive the point after.
This was an interesting match. Much of the way, Vozakova and Vasina looked like the better team, but Agatha and Seixas' stronger serving, proved a stark difference late in the second and into the third. You don't usually think of serving as being of great importance in beach volleyball — if one team has a marked advantage at the serving line, that usually means they're better in all facets. But not in this match. Intriguing stuff.
Joana Heidrich and Nina Betschart (SUI) vs. Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar (USA)
This was a loser-out match, both teams' second of the day. Day and Hochevar played their second hour-plus three-setter in defeating Kongshavn-Hjortland NOR, while Heidrich and Betschart had an easier time in two straightforward sets against Gioria-Giombini ITA.
The Swiss team took control early in this one, going up 4-2 early. After repeated sideouts brought it to 6-4, they rattled off three in a row on Heidrich's serve to take a pretty substantial lead. The American team called time at 11-5. The Swiss team still seemed solidly better coming back from it, as Day swung straight into Heidrich's block to get to the automatic timeout at 14-7. The advantage just kept growing as the set went on, giving it to Heidrich and Betschart set point at a rather gruesome-looking 20-10 score. To their credit, Day and Hochevar staved off three, prompting a Swiss timeout. Heidrich hit the first ball back from timeout long, and the Swiss team finally closed it out at 21-14. It was much less competitive than 21-14 would have you think, and 21-14 isn't that close a score.
The second set came off more evenly matched than the first. Day and Hochevar went up by 2 first at 4-2, but otherwise it was pretty much sideout after sideout for a long while. The Swiss team knotted the score at 9 with a couple on serve, and then the sideout-fest resumed. The next 2-point lead was the Americans', at 15-13 after a big smash from Hochevar. The Swiss duo took a timeout at that point. Back from the timeout, Betschart gave the Americans the biggest lead either team had had in the set with a hitting error into the net. Her partner was evidently feeling charitable as well, hitting the next ball long. After a couple of sideouts, the Americans ran off three in a row to win by the same score the Swiss had in the first set, 21-14. It's interesting how the Swiss were pretty dominant in set number one, and set two was dead even until the Americans took 6 of the last 7 points.
Hochevar got the Americans on the board emphatically on the first rally of the decider, with the slap of her kill resounding through center court. Betschart, however, pretty much returned the favor on the next ball, pounding it home, too. The Americans took the first 2-point lead at 5-3 with a big block from Day. The teams traded sideouts for a while from there, until the Swiss took two on serve, culminating with a devious let-ace from Heidrich. They took their first 2-point lead at 10-8 with a block, leading to the Americans calling time. Whoa…the PA announcer just did a quick rundown of each player…Betschart is freaking 17?!? That's nuts. Day's hitting error put the Swiss up 12-9, which was about all she wrote. The Swiss team closed an immensely interesting match 15-11 in the third.
Sannok and Tenpaksee (THA) vs. Ayumi Kusano and Mutsumi Ozaki (JPN)
This was the Thai team from earlier against a pretty low-seeded Japanese duo, in a loser-out match. The Japanese team was bracketed against Holtwick and Semmler to start the day, so I was initially quite stunned to see them on the line for this match. Well, their "win" over Holtwick and Semmler, if you can call it that, was via injury forfeit. Sort of makes me feel a little bad about the not-so-nice things I said about them yesterday.
But in any case, this was a loser-out match, one where you had to figure the homestanding Thai duo was a heavy favorite. The bleachers around center court looked a little more than half-full, and the assembled crowd was definitely into this one. Big cheers whenever the Thai team scored. That's always cool, to have an enthusiastic crowd.
The Japanese team, though, went to work silencing the crowd, establishing a 7-4 advantage early on. The Thai team closed to 11-10 ahead of the automatic timeout, as it was in large part a case of sideout after sideout (and I swear the Thai fans were chanting "side-out! side-out!"). The Japanese duo extended the lead back to three at 13-10 coming out of the timeout, and further padded it to 14-10. They were perhaps playing far above their seed. The Thai duo called time at 16-11, but they made no headway into the deficit, falling 21-15.
The crowd delighted in Tenpaksee and Sannok getting on the board first in the second, and on the point of the match at 3-3 going the way of the Thai team. The second set was a protracted sideout-fest for a while. Ozaki and Kusano went up 2 for the first time at 8-6, and then 4 at 11-7. The home crowd was way into it the whole way, even cheering boisterously when the Thai team simply made a good dig or powerful swing. But they just weren't able to pay off that enthusiasm from the bleachers in form of a winning on-court product. From 11-7, they pulled close but were not able to draw even, losing the second set 21-18.
Evgenia Ukolova and Ekaterina Khomyakova (RUS) vs. Lauren Fendrick and Nicole Branagh (USA)
This was a winner's bracket match, which, if you've been following along, means Fendrick/Branagh beat Kessy/Ross earlier in the day. I was beginning to think I was fated not to see a Kessy/Ross match in this tournament.
Fendrick gave the Americans a quick 3-1 advantage on serve, but the Russians just as quickly ran back to 4-3 behind some hitting (and Ukolova's serve) that got Fendrick and Branagh badly out of system. It remained quite even from there for a while, until the Americans went up 2 again at 10-8. A hitting error on the Russian side made it 11-8, and they decided to call time 2 points in advance of the automatic timeout. The PA announcer interestingly mentioned that this is the first tournament Fendrick and Branagh have played together. The spread held steady to the automatic timeout, with Branagh nailing a line shot as her teammate directed traffic. 14-11 was one of the better points of the match, as diving defense on the Russian side kept the ball alive, but it also allowed a wide open court for Fendrick to smash. The run continued to 17-11, and the Americans finished off the first set at 21-15.
The second set started off with sideout after sideout for a long stretch. On 6-6, Branagh sent over a free ball that fell in harmlessly in front of one of the Russian players, who kicked it in frustration. I'm not sure exactly what she was expecting. The Americans first went up 2 at 9-7, at last breaking the deadlocking string of sideouts, but Ukolova tied it up again at 10 on her serve. Khomyakova, with a strong block at the net, got the Russians to the automatic timeout with a one-point advantage. The run continued after the timeout, to give the Russians their first 2-point edge of the match at 12-10. The Americans responded with a run back to tie it at 13, and then again take the lead. 14-13 was an excellent long rally, ending with the Russian duo tying the score. It seemed Russia had a chunk of the crowd on their side — unless someone made the trip from mother Russia, I wonder how that works exactly. Why would someone from Thailand care who wins this match? Ukolova and Khomyakova took the advantage at 17-15 and held on for a 21-18 second set win.
The decider started with another protracted sideout-fest. Fendrick and Branagh at last broke the deadlock by going up 8-6 after Branagh's sneaky let-serve got the Russians out of system. They went up 3 at 10-7, but the Russians rallied to tie it again at 11, prompting the Americans to call time. They took the critical 2-point advantage coming out of the timeout at 13-11, but promptly gave it right back to tie the set again at 13. Fendrick gave the Americans match point at 14-13, but a serve into the net meant the match would continue. And it was tied again at 15. The PA announcer got the crowd to cheer for their preferred team when he said their name, and the cheers were noticeably louder for Russia. I'm seriously wondering what gives. I guess they were bound to be louder for somebody. Cheers or jeers, the Americans converted their third match point to advance.
Beating Kessy/Ross and Ukolova/Khomyakova on the same day is no mean feat. This team's got to be going pretty well. With this win, they are through to the semifinals, which means they're guaranteed to play for a medal. The only bad news is that up until now, a loss didn't disqualify a team from winning the whole tournament. That's no longer true for the two winner's bracket teams in the semifinals (Fendrick/Branagh and Agatha/Seixas). A loss, and they play for bronze.
Heidrich and Betschart (SUI) vs. Vozakova and Vasina (RUS)
The Swiss duo, with the amazingly young Betschart (and Heidrich is only 21), took the advantage first at 5-3, and ran out to 7-3. The crowd seemed to be behind them, too, and that I get — I'd be cheering for the Swiss team here, too. Youth movement! From 7-3, it was a sideout-fest to 12-9 and the automatic timeout. The Russians made a run coming out of the automatic timeout to knot the set at 13, and then take the lead. The bleachers were noticeably less full during this match than they had been during earlier matches. Betschart gave the Russians their first 2-point edge with a long hit, to make it 17-15. She also brought the set to set point for Russia at 20-17 with another hitting error, and let out a perfectly clear English obscenity as she did so. Vozakova and Vasina closed it out on serve, 21-17.
The Russians took control early in the second set. The Swiss drew even at one point, but after it was 7-5 in Vozakova and Vasina's favor it was never tied again. The Russian advantage grew to 3 at 10-7, then 4 at 12-8, 5 at 14-9, and on and on. The eventual final was 21-14.
Miller Elwin and Henriette Iatika (VAN) vs. Jennifer Kessy and April Ross (USA)
Freaking finally, I get the chance to see the best team at the tournament! But are they playing like the best team at the tournament? You might think they shouldn't be in a loser-out match if so. The waning sun cast some odd shadows on this match:
Weird, huh?
And they just crept out further as the match went on. Of course, with the frequent side changes, whatever effect this had was felt by both teams equally, but it was not this way for any previous match. And doesn't it just look weird?
Kessy and Ross took control of the first set early, jumping out to the advantage at 4-2 and never looking back. Just as the Vanuatu team had in their match with Ross (the other Ross) and Hughes on day one, they had difficulties keeping their serves in bounds, giving Kessy and Ross (this Ross) far too many free points to expect to be able to win. Conversely, Ross' serve was pretty devastating, getting aces but also getting the Vanuatu team badly out of system even when they weren't aced. A big block from Kessy put the Americans up 13-6, and it began to look like this match was going to be pretty one-sided. The automatic timeout came at 14-7. The Vanuatu team got as close as 4 at 16-12, but Kessy and Ross went on a run from there to get set point at 20-13. They finished it off 21-15.
Elwin and Iatika were much more competitive in the second set. It was a sideout-fest to start, and they actually took the first 2-point lead at 7-5. Some mistakes on the American side of the net put them up 9-5. Kessy and Ross called time at the side change. An ace got Vanuatu to a very surprising 12-6 advantage, and they nearly got another right after (but it was called out). At the automatic timeout, they led 13-8. At that point, they started eating back into the lead, cutting it to 2 at 14-12 and then drawing even at 15. From 16-16, Kessy gave the Americans their first 2-point lead of the set with a poker beauty, a pair of aces. Once they cut out the silly errors, Kessy and Ross re-asserted themselves as the easily better team on the court. They closed out the match 21-18.
Here’s how the shadows looked later in the match:
Even weirder, really!
Whew! That was a long day at the beach. Maybe I should have split this post in two like I did yesterday's. Ah well. What's done is done! From tomorrow, the schedule is much simpler. There are only eight matches tomorrow, and then on Sunday are the two finals (gold and bronze).
Full day two results:
Winner's bracket
#7 Fendrick/Branagh (USA) d. #2 Kessy/Ross (USA) (19-21, 21-17, 15-11)
#3 Ukolova/Khomyakova (RUS) d. #6 Tsiartsiani/Arvaniti (GRE) (23-21, 13-21, 15-12)
#5 Agatha/Seixas (BRA) d. #4 Vozakova/Vasina (RUS) (15-21, 21-19, 15-10)
#8 Tsimbalova/Mashkova (KAZ) d. #16 Mizoe/Ishida (JPN) (29-31, 21-18, 15-8) What is with these 30-point sets this week?
Agatha/Seixas d. Tsimbalova/Mashkova (21-19, 21-18)
Fendrick/Branagh d. Ukolova/Khomyakova (15-21, 21-15, 17-15)
Fendrick/Branagh and Agatha/Seixas advance to the semifinals, and are guaranteed to play for a medal.
Loser-out matches.
Teams losing in this round are ranked 17th
#31 Kusano/Ozaki (JPN) d. #1 Holtwick/Semmler (GER) via injury forfeit
#9 Sannok/Tenpaksee (THA) d. #10 Radarong/Udomchavee (THA) (21-16, 21-15)
#11 Elwin/Iatika (VAN) d. #12 Broder/Valjas (CAN) (21-15, 21-15)
#30 Clancy/Artacho (AUS) d. #13 Sinnema/Wesselink (NED) (21-15, 17-21, 15-12)
#20 Nystrom/Lahti (FIN) d. #19 Banck/Hüttermann (GER) (21-15, 21-11)
#21 Van der Vlist/Mooren (NED) d. #22 Ross/Hughes (USA) (21-18, 21-16)
#23 Day/Hochevar (USA) d. #24 Kongshavn/Hjortland (NOR) (21-18, 22-24, 18-16)
Teams losing in this round are ranked 13th
Kusano/Ozaki d. Sannok/Tenpaksee (21-15, 21-18)
Elwin/Iatika d. Clancy/Aratcho (21-11, 10-21, 15-11)
Nystrom/Lahti d. Van der Vlist/Mooren (21-19, 19-21, 15-7)
Heidrich/Betschart d. Day/Hochevar (21-14, 14-21, 15-11)
Teams losing in this round are ranked 9th
Tsiartsiani/Arvaniti d. Kusano/Ozaki (22-20, 21-17)
Kessy/Ross d. Elwin/Iatika (21-15, 21-18)
Nystrom/Lahti d. Mizoe/Ishida (21-15, 21-14)
Vozakova/Vasina d. Heidrich/Betschart (21-17, 21-14)
Tomorrow's schedule
Loser-out matches.
Teams losing in this round are ranked 7th
Vozakova/Vasina vs. Nystrom/Lahti
Kessy/Ross vs. Tsiartsiani/Arvaniti
Teams losing in this round are ranked 5th
Winner of above italic match vs. Ukolova/Khomyakova
Winner of above boldfaced match vs. Tsimbalova/Mashkova
Tournament semifinals
Fendrick/Branagh vs. winner of match involving Tsimbalova/Mashkova
Agatha/Seixas vs. winner of match involving Ukolova/Khomyakova
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