FIVB Cancun Hub: Schalk-Brunner advance to main draw, Sponcil-Claes ousted in qualifier
Beach
VBM Staff
April 17, 2021
Four USA men’s teams and three women’s will compete Saturday in the first event of the FIVB Cancun Hub.
Newly minted American Chaim Schalk and Theo Brunner made it through their first qualifier together, while Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes failed to qualify in the event in the Mexican resort city.
The eight men’s teams advancing to Saturday’s main draw also include Switzerland’s Florian Breer and Marco Krattiger, Brazil’s Gustavo Carvalhaes and Arthur Da Silva, Switzerland’s Yves Haussener and Quentin Metra, Italy’s Samuele Cottafava and Jakob Windiisch, Estonia’s Kusti Nolvak and Mart Tiisaar, Norway’s Mathias Berntsen and Hendrik Mol, and Austria’s Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz-Telsnigg.
The eight qualifying women’s teams are Brazil’s Lopes and Silva, Greece’s Vasiliki Arvaniti and Penny Karagkouni, Cuba’s Lidiannis Echeverria and Yanisleidis Sanchez, Japan’s Yurika Sakaguchi and Chiyo Suzuki, Cuba’s Mailen Deliz and Leila Martinez, Spain’s Maria Carro and Paula Soria, the Czech Republic’s Michaela Kubickova and Michala Kvapilova, and Germany’s Kim Behrens and Sandra Ittlinger.
Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb face Switzerland’s Haussener and Metra at 2 p.m. local time (which is U.S. Central) with the winner guaranteed an elimination berth. Matches can be seen on the FIVB beach YouTube channel.
Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena’s first opponent are Poles Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak at 3 p.m.
Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb were able to skip the qualifier after a last-minute Dutch team withdrawal, and will play Latvia’s Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins at 4 p.m.
Schalk and Brunner’s first opponents are Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Alvaro Filhoat 1 p.m.
On the women’s side, top-seeded April Ross and Alix Klineman play Mexico’s Maria Quintero and Susana Torres at 9 local time.
The team behind them in the race for the second Olympic spot, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Brooke Sweat, play Austria’s Lena Plesiutschnig and Katharina Schutzenhofer at 10.
Schalk and Brunner qualified after defeating Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig (21-17, 23-21) and Chile’s Esteban Grimalt and Marco Grimalt (21-12, 21-19). Earlier Thursday Schalk and Brunner defeated Miles Evans and Billy Kolinske 21-19, 21-18 in a country-quota match, leaving Evans and Kolinske awaiting the second Hub event April 21.
Kelly Claes reaches for the tight set against Mexico/FIVB photo
Sponcil and Claes took a serious blow to their Olympic hopes when they lost in the second round of qualification to Brazil’s Victoria Lopes and Taina Silva (21-18, 21-11) after defeating Mexico’s Esperanza Albarran and Atenas Gutierrez (21-12, 21-8). Thursday Sponcil and Claes reached the qualifier by defeating Emily Day and Sara Hughes (21-18, 21-16), who had beaten Terese Cannon and Kelly Reeves (19-21, 21-10, 15-8).
