Miles Partain/Andy Benesh of the United States knocked off Italy’s Samuele Cottafava/Paolo Nicolai in straight sets, 21-17, 21-18, advancing to the men’s beach volleyball quarterfinals.
Partain/Benesh found immense success with the jump set technique, reading the Italian defense to perfection and converting for easy scores.
Benesh was a force at the net, winning multiple meetings in the air with the 6-foot-8 Nicolai. A 3-0 run gave the Americans a 12-7 lead in the first and they went on to take the set by a comfortable margin.
In another match-changing run, the United States rung off five straight points in the second set to once again cruise to victory. The United States' option offense proved to be the difference as Benesh/Partain won the match comfortably.
The youngest Olympic men’s beach volleyball team in U.S. history, Partain/Benesh defeated a veteran Italian team that featured a Tokyo silver medalist in Nicolai.