FIVB Sochi: Claes-Sponcil win pool, Walsh Jennings-Sweat eliminated

Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil were the only Americans to win their pool Thursday at the four-star FIVB beach volleyball event in Sochi, Russia, and earned a bye into the second round of playoffs. That guarantees them a ninth-place finish, but they’ll need to win two more matches to make a dent in the Olympic-berth race they’re in with Kerri Walsh Jennings and Brooke Sweat, who lost twice in pool play and were ousted from the tournament.

Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman and Emily Stockman and Kelley Kolinske both split their pool-play matches to make the first round of playoffs.

The other women’s teams that earned byes Thursday are Russia’s Svetlana Kholomina and Nadezda Makroguzova, Brazil’s Barbara Seixas and Carolina Salgado, Germany’s Margareta Kozuch and Laura Ludwig, the Netherlands’ Marleen Van Iersel and Pleun Ypma, Latvia’s Anastasija Kravcenoka and Tina Graudina, Austria’s Katharina Schutzenhofer and Lena Plesiutschnig, and Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre.

On the men’s side, both Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb and Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena won their first pool-play match and will play for a bye on Friday morning.

Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb lost their opening match and must win their final pool match to advance to playoffs.

Friday’s USA schedule (all times Eastern):
2 a.m. — Bourne and Trevor Crabb vs. Russia’s Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy
2:50 a.m. — Lucena and Dalhausser vs. the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner
4:30 a.m. — Ross and Klineman vs. Canada’s Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes
4:30 a.m. — Stockman and Kolinske vs. Brazil’s Taiana Lima and Talita Antunes
5:20 a.m. — Gibb and Taylor Crabb vs. Brazil’s Andre Loyola and George Wanderley
7:50 a.m. — Sponcil and Claes vs. winner of Lima-Antunes vs. Stockman and Kolinske

Claes and Sponcil, seeded 14th, advanced to the second round of playoffs by defeating No. 19 Marta Menegatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth of Italy (21-12, 12-18) and No. 3 Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda Lisboa of Brazil (21-15, 22-20).

Ross and Klineman defeated No. 27 Angela Lobato and Amaranta Navarro of Spain (21-15, 21-11), but fell to 11th-seeded Carolina Salgado and Barbara Seixas of Brazil (17-21, 21-17, 15-5).

Sixth-seeded Ross and Klineman face familiar foes in second-seeded Humana-Paredes and Pavan of Canada. The pairs have met eight times previously, with Ross and Klineman holding a 5-3 edge.

Kolinske and Stockman started with a loss to No. No. 21 Victoria Bieneck and Isabel Schneider of Germany (23-21, 18-21, 15-10), but made playoffs with a win over No. 28 Mariia Bocharova and Aleksandra Ganenko of Russia (21-8, 21-16).

Next for Kolinske and Stockman is Brazil’s Lima and Antunes, who beat the Americans in their only previous meeting in Moscow 2019.

Bourne and Trevor Crabb beat No. 17 Nils Ehlers and Lars Fluggen of Germany (21-19, 18-21, 15-10), setting up a match with top-seeded Russians Krasilnikov and Stoyanovskiy for a bye.

Bourne and Crabb hold a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over the Russians, who won their latest meeting in the second Cancun Hub.

Dalhausser and Lucena defeated No. 21 Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins of Latvia (21-10, 21-15).

Next the Americans face Czechs Perusic and Schweiner, who have split head-to-head matches against the Americans this year in Doha and Cancun.

Taylor Crabb and Gibb lost their first-round pool match to No. 27 Robin Seidl and Philipp Waller of Austria (21-15, 20-22, 17-15), establishing a must-win against Brazil’s Loyola and Wanderley, a team they have never met.

Walsh Jennings and Sweat, who came through the country-quota and qualifier bracket, were eliminated with losses to 15th-seeded Nina Betschart and Tanja Huberli of Switzerland (21-12, 21-19) and Humana-Paredes and Pavan (21-17, 16-21, 15-9).

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Results courtesy of BVBinfo.com
WOMEN
Pool A
Round 1
Svetlana Kholomina/Nadezda Makroguzova Russia (1) def. Ieva Dumbauskaite/Gerda Grudzinskaite Lithuania (32, Q20) 19-21, 21-14, 15-5 (0:44)
Lena Plesiutschnig/Katharina Schutzenhofer Austria (16) def. Katarzyna Kociolek/Kinga Wojtasik Poland (17) 22-24, 21-11, 15-11 (0:49)
Round 2
Svetlana Kholomina/Nadezda Makroguzova Russia (1) def. Lena Plesiutschnig/Katharina Schutzenhofer Austria (16) 21-17, 21-19 (0:37)
Katarzyna Kociolek/Kinga Wojtasik Poland (17) def. Ieva Dumbauskaite/Gerda Grudzinskaite Lithuania (32, Q20) 18-21, 21-17, 36-34 (1:06)
Pool B
Round 1
Victoria Lopes/Taina Silva Brazil (31, Q11) def. Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan Canada (2) 17-21, 21-19, 15-8 (0:45)
Nina Betschart/Tanja Huberli Switzerland (15) def. Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings USA (18, Q1) 21-12, 21-19 (0:37)
Round 2
Nina Betschart/Tanja Huberli Switzerland (15) def. Victoria Lopes/Taina Silva Brazil (31, Q11) 14-21, 21-14, 15-9 (0:44)
Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan Canada (2) def. Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings USA (18, Q1) 21-17, 16-21, 15-9 (0:46)
Pool C
Round 1
Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa Brazil (3) def. Raisa Schoon/Katja Stam Netherlands (30, Q9) 21-12, 15-21, 15-7 (0:41)
Kelly Claes/Sarah Sponcil USA (14) def. Marta Menegatti/Viktoria Orsi Toth Italy (19) 21-12, 21-18 (0:36)
Round 2
Kelly Claes/Sarah Sponcil USA (14) def. Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa Brazil (3) 21-15, 22-20 (0:36)
Marta Menegatti/Viktoria Orsi Toth Italy (19) def. Raisa Schoon/Katja Stam Netherlands (30, Q9) 21-18, 16-21, 15-7 (0:48)
Pool D
Round 1
Talita Antunes/Taiana Lima Brazil (4) def. Niina Ahtiainen/Riikka Lehtonen Finland (29, Q7) 21-19, 23-21 (0:38)
Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson Canada (20) def. Karla Borger/Julia Sude Germany (13) 21-16, 21-15 (0:37)
Round 2
Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson Canada (20) def. Talita Antunes/Taiana Lima Brazil (4) 21-16, 21-14 (0:35)
Niina Ahtiainen/Riikka Lehtonen Finland (29, Q7) def. Karla Borger/Julia Sude Germany (13) 21-15, 19-21, 15-10 (0:48)
Pool E
Round 1
Joana Heidrich/Anouk Verge-Depre Switzerland (5) def. Mariia Bocharova/Aleksandra Ganenko Russia (28) 21-13, 21-16 (0:33)
Victoria Bieneck/Isabel Schneider Germany (21) def. Kelley Kolinske/Emily Stockman USA (12) 23-21, 18-21, 15-10 (0:52)
Round 2
Victoria Bieneck/Isabel Schneider Germany (21) def. Joana Heidrich/Anouk Verge-Depre Switzerland (5) 21-11, 21-12 (0:31)
Kelley Kolinske/Emily Stockman USA (12) def. Mariia Bocharova/Aleksandra Ganenko Russia (28) 21-8, 21-16 (0:32)
Pool F
Round 1
Alix Klineman/April Ross USA (6) def. Angela Lobato/Amaranta Navarro Spain (27, Q5) 21-15, 21-11 (0:32)
Carolina Salgado/Barbara Seixas Brazil (11) def. Kim Behrens/Sandra Ittlinger Germany (22, Q2) 21-14, 21-16 (0:39)
Round 2
Carolina Salgado/Barbara Seixas Brazil (11) def. Alix Klineman/April Ross USA (6) 17-21, 21-17, 15-5 (0:47)
Angela Lobato/Amaranta Navarro Spain (27, Q5) def. Kim Behrens/Sandra Ittlinger Germany (22, Q2) 21-19, 21-19 (0:43)
Pool G
Round 1
Margareta Kozuch/Laura Ludwig Germany (7) def. Megan McNamara/Nicole McNamara Canada (26, Q3) 21-18, 22-20 (0:41)
Tina Graudina/Anastasija Kravcenoka Latvia (10) def. Miki Ishii/Megumi Murakami Japan (23) 21-17, 21-15 (0:38)
Round 2
Margareta Kozuch/Laura Ludwig Germany (7) def. Tina Graudina/Anastasija Kravcenoka Latvia (10) 21-17, 21-18 (0:39)
Megan McNamara/Nicole McNamara Canada (26, Q3) def. Miki Ishii/Megumi Murakami Japan (23) 21-13, 21-14 (0:32)
Pool H
Round 1
Sanne Keizer/Madelein Meppelink Netherlands (8) def. Ksenia Dabizha/Daria Rudykh Russia (25) 21-14, 21-18 (0:36)
Marleen Van Iersel/Pleun Ypma Netherlands (24) def. Elsa Baquerizo/Liliana Fernandez Spain (9) 21-16, 19-21, 22-20 (0:59)
Round 2
Sanne Keizer/Madelein Meppelink Netherlands (8) def. Marleen Van Iersel/Pleun Ypma Netherlands (24) 24-22, 21-17 (0:39)
Elsa Baquerizo/Liliana Fernandez Spain (9) def. Ksenia Dabizha/Daria Rudykh Russia (25) 21-17, 22-20 (0:38)

MEN
Pool A
Round 1
Viacheslav Krasilnikov/Oleg Stoyanovskiy Russia (1) def. Julian Azaad/Nicolas Capogrosso Argentina (32, Q11) 21-18, 21-16 (0:40)
Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb USA (16) def. Nils Ehlers/Lars Fluggen Germany (17) 21-19, 18-21, 15-10 (0:52)
Pool B
Anders Mol/Christian Sorum Norway (2) def. Alexey Gusev/Pavel Shustrov Russia (31) 21-12, 21-14 (0:29)
Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak Poland (18) def. Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen Netherlands (15) 21-17, 21-10 (0:35)
Pool C
Anton Kislytsyn/Daniil Kuvichka Russia (30, Q19) def. Julius Thole/Clemens Wickler Germany (3) 21-0, 21-0
Steven van de Velde/Christiaan Varenhorst Netherlands (14) def. Esteban Grimalt/Marco Grimalt Chile (19) 21-17, 25-23 (0:40)
Pool D
Cherif Samba/Ahmed Tijan Qatar (4) def. Mathias Berntsen/Hendrik Mol Norway (29, Q8) 21-17, 21-15 (0:36)
Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai Italy (13) def. Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera Spain (20) 14-21, 21-18, 15-11 (0:46)
Pool E
Ondrej Perusic/David Schweiner Czech Republic (5) def. Stefan Boermans/Yorick de Groot Netherlands (28, Q7) 22-20, 21-18 (0:39)
Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena USA (12) def. Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins Latvia (21) 21-10, 21-15 (0:33)
Pool F
Robin Seidl/Philipp Waller Austria (27, Q5) def. Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb USA (6) 21-14, 20-22, 17-15 (0:54)
Adrian Carambula/Enrico Rossi Italy (11) def. Andre Loyola/George Wanderley Brazil (22) 24-22, 21-15 (0:40)
Pool G
Alison Cerutti/Alvaro Filho Brazil (7) def. Nikita Liamin/Taras Myskiv Russia (26, Q1) 21-19, 21-17 (0:43)
Mirco Gerson/Adrian Heidrich Switzerland (23) def. Michal Bryl/Grzegorz Fijalek Poland (10) 22-20, 21-19 (0:43)
Pool H
Martins Plavins/Edgars Tocs Latvia (8) def. Florian Breer/Marco Krattiger Switzerland (25, Q4) 28-26, 22-20 (0:51)
Ilya Leshukov/Konstantin Semenov Russia (9) def. Gustavo “Guto” Carvalhaes/Arthur da Silva Brazil (24, Q2) 21-18, 21-15 (0:38)

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