Men's and women's beach volleyball competition continued on Friday at the Paris Olympics at Eiffel Tower Stadium. Below are the details from each match.
Men's Group C: Germany def. Poland
It has been a stunning tournament for German duo Nils Ehlers/Clemens Wickler, who continued their undefeated streak with a emphatic victory over Poland Saturday.
The first set started out tight, with both teams trading blows early in the match. Poland even took the lead halfway through, going up 15-12, but it was Germany that found its groove late in the set, powering back to win the first, 21-19. Their momentum carried into the second set, where the German duo coasted to victory, holding the Polish pair to just 15 points.
With their victory, the Germans sit at the top of Group C with three wins in three matches, and will be strong contenders heading into the knockout rounds. Poland sits second in the group, having suffered just this one loss.
Men's Group C: Australia def. France
Australian teammates Zachery Schubert/Thomas Hodges found their first win in Paris, defeating the home team pairing in straight sets.
The Australians got off to an explosive start, scoring four straight points to open the match. They continued their hot streak through the entire first set, sailing to a 21-16 victory and taking the first point of the match. The French fought back in the second set, taking a 20-18 lead late in the second set. However, they were unable to convert set point and the Australians battled back to win, 22-20.
With their first win, the Australian duo sits in third place in Group C, while the French remain at the bottom with three points.
Women's Group D: Switzerland def. Paraguay
The Swiss duo of Esmee Bobner/Zoe Verge-Depre defeated the Paraguay team of Giuliana Poletti/Michelle Valiente, 2-0, on Friday.
Both teams traded points back and forth in the opening set, but Switzerland managed to pull ahead for the 23-21 win.
Paraguay came out stronger in the second set, taking a 3-point advantage. Paraguay did not relent and forced a deciding set.
The Swiss duo fought back to win the third set, 15-12. Switzerland tallied six aces throughout to power its offense, as well as 13 digs.
Women's Pool F: Spain def. Germany
Spain’s Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno defeated Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Louisa Lippmann, 21-16, 21-19, to finish their respective preliminary play schedules.
The two teams nearly had the same attack rates, but six service faults from the Germans proved to be the difference.
Ludwig/Lippmann couldn’t overcome their self-inflicted mistakes as Alvarez/Moreno won their second match of the Olympics.
The win places Spain temporarily atop Pool F, with Switzerland and France still playing to finalize seeding within the pool. Ludwig/Lippmann finished the Olympics winless, leaving them unable to qualify for the Round of 16.
Women's Pool F: Switzerland def. France
Switzerland's Tanja Huberli/Nina Brunner comfortably defeated Alexia Richard/Lezana Placette in straight sets, 21-11, 21-8, to finish pool F undefeated.
A remarkable 10 aces for the Swiss proved to be the deciding factor, with France unable to handle the variety of serves delivered by Huberli/Brunner. For Switzerland, this performance was par for the course as they've had great success to start the Paris Games.
The Swiss duo will head into the Round of 16 riding a three-match winning streak with great momentum.
Women's Pool D: Latvia def. France
Latvia's Tina Graudina/Anastasija Samoilova upset Canada's Brandie Wilkerson/Melissa Humana-Paredes to clinch an automatic spot in the women's Round of 16.
It was a disappointing result for a Canadian team that had high expectations heading into Paris. Graudina/Samoilova outplayed Wilkerson/Humana-Paredes in the straight-sets win, and now the Canadians will have to earn their way into the Round of 16.
The Latvians went 0-5 in the first set, but went on to win 21-14. The second set was a closer one, but Graudina/Samoilova outlasted Canada to win.
Men's Lucky Loser: Chile def. Canada (forfeit)
Chile's Marco/Esteban Grimalt advanced to the Round of 16 after an injury forfeit from Samuel Schacter/Daniel Dearing of Canada.
Dearing noticeably limped around the sand when the match began, and was unable to dig a shot just three points into the match. Schacter went over the officials and confirmed that Dearing could not compete, advancing Chile to the next round of tournament.
After the match, Schacter said Dearing re-aggravated a back injury.
"Obviously horrific timing," Schacter said. "It's a nightmare for Dan and me and we want to be able to share that moment with our families and the crowd and get that Olympic spirit, but obviously it didn't happen today."
Chile will wait for its opponent in the Round of 16 to be determined.
Women's Lucky Loser: Japan def. France
Akiko Hasegawa/Miki Ishii of Japan defeated France’s Alexia Richard/Lezana Placette in straight sets, 21-15, 21-18, to advance to the women’s beach volleyball Round of 16.
A 4-0 run put the Japanese up 10-5 in the first set, a lead they wouldn’t let go of, to comfortably take the set.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair, but Japan's experience proved to be too much for the hometown team. Japan advanced to Round of 16, where the team will be a tough opponent for whoever they face.
Women's Lucky Loser: Canada def. Czechia
After underwhelming in pool play, Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson/Melissa Humana-Paredes knocked off Barbora Hermannova/Marie-Sara Stochlova of Czechia to advance to the Round of 16.
Wilkerson/Humana-Paredes out-attacked Czechia by five and played impressive defense with 14 digs. They wore out Hermannova/Stochlova to take a 21-15, 21-12 victory.
The straight-sets win was much-needed for Canada, a team that underachieved and only won one game in Pool D despite finishing 2023 ranked No. 4 in the world.
Men's Lucky Loser: USA def. Australia
Chase Budinger/Miles Evans are heading to the knockout round in their first Olympic Games.
The U.S. duo defeated Australians Zachery Schubert/Thomas Hodges in a “Lucky Loser” match to qualify for the men’s beach volleyball Round of 16 Saturday night, doing so under the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower.
It was a gritty win for the Americans, who thrived under the pressure during the 21-19, 21-17 victory.
After finishing third in Pool F, the win gives Budinger/Evans a much-needed boost heading into knockout play.