Men's and women's beach volleyball competition continued on Wednesday at the Paris Olympics at Eiffel Tower Stadium.
Below are the details from each match.
Men's Pool E: Czechia vs. Austria
Men's beach volleyball action on Wednesday kicked off with the Pool E match featuring Czechia and Austria. The Czechia duo of Ondrej Perusic/David Schweiner topped the Austrian pair of Julian Horl/Alexander Horst, 2-0, at Eiffel Tower Stadium.
With the score tied at 14 in an evenly-matched first set, Czechia needed to keep the momentum going to put the pressure on Austria. With Czechia leading 20-18 on set point, Perusic nailed an ace to secure the win.
In the second set, Czechia jumped out to an early two-point advantage. But, ultimately, Austria committed too many unforced errors and Czechia earned a confident 2-0 victory.
The Czechia duo was strong on both defense and offense with 13 digs in the match to go along with four aces.
Czechia will resume action against Brazil and Austria will face Sweden, both on Friday, Aug. 2.
Women's Pool F: Switzerland vs. Germany
Women's beach volleyball action kicked off on Wednesday with the Pool F Match between Switzerland and Germany. The Swiss duo of Nina Brunner/Tanja Huberli dominated the German pair of Laura Ludwig/Louisa Lippmann, 2-0, at Eiffel Tower Stadium.
The Swiss were dominant from the start and cruised to an easy 21-9 victory in the opening set.
Switzerland maintained its momentum entering the second set with multiple aces. Brunner/Huberli kept a consistent advantage throughout over the Germans and pulled ahead to win the set and the match.
At 38 years old, Germany's Ludwig is competing in her fifth Olympics.
The victory marked the second straight win of these Games for Switzerland, firmly establishing Brunner/Huberli as medal contenders.
Switzerland will return to action on Aug. 3 vs. Spain. Sweden will face France also on Saturday.
Women's Pool C: Germany def. Czechia
Germans Svenja Mueller/Cinja Tillman cruised past against Marie-Sara Stochlova/Barbora Hermannova of Czechia, putting them atop Pool C in the women’s tournament.
After taking the first set 21-17, Meuller/Tillman pulled away to win the second by a 12-point margin. The second set proved just how effective Germany can be when playing at its full potential.
Meuller/Tillman won their most recent event before the Olympics, an Elite16 event in Austria, and have great momentum through two matches in Paris.
The German duo sailed by the first two opponents they’ve faced, and will meet a formidable test in the form of the Unites States' Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes to wrap up Pool C play.
Women's Pool D: Latvia def. Paraguay
Tina Graudina/Anastasija Kravcenoka of Latvia defeated Paraguay’s Giuliana Poletti/Michelle Valiente in Pool D play on Wednesday.
It was a much-needed win for the Latvians, who earned their first victory in Paris and now lead Pool D.
Graudina/Kravcenoka grinded out a 21-19 Set 1 victory in a back-and-forth affair and carried that momentum into the second set.
Latvia pulled away with a three-point run to go up 14-8, eventually taking the second set 21-15. Fifteen digs throughout the match were crucial for the Latvians, who gave themselves second chances to convert points.
Women's Pool C: USA def. France
U.S. beach volleyball gold medal hopefuls Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes defeated France’s Aline Chamereau/Clemence Vieira in a grueling two sets under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday.
The Americans were pushed in the second set, and were almost pushed to a third before they grinded out the win.
It was a back-and-forth affair, with Chamereau/Vieira leading 12-9 in the second set. The Americans clawed back to tie things at 14, and eventually 19. The second set went to a third match point when a block from Hughes sealed the U.S. victory.
It was a strong win for the Hughes/Cheng, who knocked off the No. 15 seed in the women’s tournament for their second victory in Pool C.
Men's Pool B: Netherlands def. Chile
The Netherlands' Matthew Immers and Steven van de Velde defeated Chilean cousins Esteban Grimalt and Macro Grimalt in two sets.
Trailing 15-12 in the opener, the Netherlands won eight of the next 11 points to earn a pair of set points. They converted on their second opportunity to go 1-up over the veteran Chilean team, 21-19.
Making their third Olympic appearance, the Grimalts got off to a hot start in Set 2, going up 5-2. But once again, the Netherlands went on a run, claiming a 10-8 advantage before Chile took a timeout. The Dutch duo never trailed thereafter, winning 21-16.
Immers and van de Velde moved to 1-1 in the group while the Grimalts dropped to 0-2.
Women's Pool F: France vs. Spain
The Spanish duo of Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno defeated France's Alexia Richard/Lezana Placette, 2-0, on Wednesday.
Spain jumped out to a commanding lead in the first set, 11-4. There were huge rallies throughout but Moreno's four aces lifted Spain to a strong 21-12 set win. Spain had to call a medical timeout in the set when Moreno collided with the net equipment but she was able to resume playing.
Moreno demonstrated impeccable defense throughout the second set. Spain had an early advantage but France stayed competitive, pulling to within 15-13. But Alvarez and Moreno stayed strong, tallying 14 digs total, to win the set 21-15.
France won its first game of the tournament and now has one loss. Spain lost its first game of the tournament and can now add its first victory to the win column.
Both France and Spain will return to action on Saturday.
Men's Pool E: Brazil def. Canada
Evandro/Arthur of Brazil coasted by Canada’s Samuel Schachter/Daniel Dearing, 21-13, 21-16, in a match that was delayed for nearly 30 minutes due to inclement weather in Paris.
The Brazilians could do no wrong in the first set, steamrolling the Canadians in nearly every sense of the game. Evandro overpowered the Canadians with his power at the net, using his 6-foot-11 frame to attack and block shots.
Canada has no answer for Evandro/Arthur’s chemistry, as the Brazilian duo won the second set against an outmatched Schachter/Dearing.
Brazil went an impressive 24-for-33 on the attack in its second win of Pool E.
Women's Pool D: Switzerland def. Canada
Switzerland’s Zoe Verge-Depre/Esmee Boebner topped Canada’s Melissa Humana-Parades/Brandie Wilkerson in a back-and-forth three set match on Wednesday.
A four-point run by Switzerland in the first set made it 8-5, with Verge-Depre/Boebner building a 15-9 lead at one point. Humana-Parades/Wilkerson cut the lead to two, but couldn’t overcome the first set deficit.
In the second set, Wilkerson proved why she’s one of the best players in the world, scoring and blocking shots at will en route to a 21-18 set two victory.
The Swiss maintained net pressure to upset Humana-Parades/Wilkerson – a top five-ranked team in the world entering the Paris Games – in the third and final set.
The win puts Verge-Depre/Boebner a top a highly-competitive Pool D.
Men's Pool B: Norway def. Italy
Defending gold medalists Anders Mol/Christian Sorum made it look easy against Italy’s Alex Ranghieri/Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich, winning in straight sets, 21-12, 21-15, during beach volleyball Pool B play.
Mol/Sorum asserted their dominance on the match early on, maintaining constant pressure against the feisty Italians. The Norwegians handled Carambula’s patented “sky ball” serve and Ranghieri’s physically-imposing build with ease for the Pool B win.
Mol/Sorum went an impressive 28-for-38 on the attack, digging out 10 shots and recording three aces.