Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb clinched one of the two USA spots in the Tokyo Olympics on Friday despite losing their pool-play match in the morning and then losing out in the first round of playoffs in the FIVB four-star pro beach volleyball event in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
That’s because fellow Americans Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena lost both their pool-play matches. “Dalcena” are still in contention, however. They have to hope that Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, the other USA team in the hunt, do not win the entire tournament.
Bourne-Crabb, the 12th seed, are into the second round of the winners bracket and play Saturday against 19th-seeded Brazilians Andre Loyola and George Wanderley.
On the women’s side, the two teams that are going to the Olympics are into Saturday’s quarterfinals. Ninth-seeded Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil, who last week won it all in Sochi and clinched their Olympic berth, play 13th-seeded Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink of the Netherlands.
The fourth-seeded A-Team, April Ross and Alix Klineman, face third-seeded Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre of Switzerland, who on Friday ousted the other American team, 17th-seeded Emily Stockman and Kelley Kolinske.
Crabb/Gibb earned their berth when Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena exited the ongoing four-star tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic, after pool play. The two pairs are currently tied in the Olympic Rankings with 7,040 points, but Crabb/Gibb would win a tiebreaker by virtue of accumulating more points during the Olympic Qualification process that started in 2018.
Since September 1, 2018, Crabb/Gibb have accumulated 9,300 total Olympic Ranking points in 19 tournaments, meaning they have more tournaments and more points than any other American men’s pair. According to FIVB guidelines, cumulative Olympic ranking points is the first tiebreaker used when determining whom to nominate for the Olympic Games. Crabb/Gibb and Dalhausser/Lucena’s 7,040 Olympic ranking points are determined by a team’s 12 highest finishes in Olympic qualifying tournaments. But Crabb/Gibb have more total points than Dalhausser/Lucena, which mathematically secures them one of two Olympic berths.
Crabb/Gibb finished in the top five at eight FIVB events during the qualification period, and they’ve medaled twice. They won a four-star in Chetamul, Mexico in 2019, and they took bronze in Doha earlier this year.
Tokyo will be Gibb’s fourth Olympic Games. He made his Olympic debut in 2008 with then-partner Sean Rosenthal. The duo also competed in London 2012, and Gibb partnered with Casey Patterson in Rio 2016. Gibb’s best Olympic finish is fifth, which he has reached twice.
Gibb, 45, will become the oldest volleyball Olympian, beach or indoor, in history.
Crabb, 29, will make his Olympic debut. He’s competed on the FIVB World Tour since 2015.
Gibb and Crabb, the 15th seed who won their pool-play match Thursday, lost 21-19, 21-17 second-seeded Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway. Then in the first round of the qualifier bracket, they got swept by Loyola and Wanderley of Brazil 21-16, 21-14.
Nick Lucena digs against the Dutch/FIVB photo
Tenth-seeded Dalhausser and Lucena, who lost their pool-play match on Thursday, were eliminated Friday by Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands, who came through the qualifier and are seeded 26th. They play countrymen Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen in Saturday’s round of 16.
Trevor Crabb gets ready to serve against the Italians/FIVB photo
Bourne and Trevor Crabb, seeded 12th, won their second pool-play match, beating 2th-seeded Samule Cottafava and Jakob Windisch of Italy 21-19, 23-21 and were able to skip the first round of the winners bracket.
Sarah Sponcil digs against the Germans/FIVB photo
Claes and Sponcil, who went 2-0 in pool play, went right into the second round of the winners bracket and beat 16th-seeded Germans Victoria Bieneck and Isabel Schneider 21-14, 21-19.
Alix Klineman celebrates a point Friday/FIVB photo
Ross and Klineman beat 24th-seeded Kinga Wojtasik and Katarzyna Kociołek of Poland 21-12, 21-12, and then beat fourth-seeded Nadeza Makroguzova and Svetlana Kholomina of Russia 21-14, 21-9.
Stockman and Kolinske lost to Heidrich and Depre 21-14, 25-27, 21-19.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.