Toronto, Canada, September 11, 2016 - With the SWATCH FIVB World Tour finals starting in two days with a Canadian women's country quota match featuring Olympians Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan, the two players were interviewed recently about the reasons behind their split prior to this week's international Beach Volleyball event.
Men's Olympic medal winners Dain Blanton of the United States and Mark Heese of Canada interviewed Pavan (in southern California) and Bansley (in Toronto), respectively, about the "breakup" between Canada's most successful women's Beach Volleyball team in terms of FIVB World Tour podium placements (six) and earnings (US$456,450, 30th-ranked all-time).
The "split" started to develop in mid-March (six months ago) when Bansley and Pavan were competing in the Rio Grand Slam on Copacabana as the two players collided during a "Sweet 16" match against Canadian rivals Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas.
Bansley and Pavan defeated Broder and Valjas 2-1 (22-20, 17-21, 15-13) in the 53-minute match on March 11. However, Pavan lost a tooth and broke her toe during a second-set collision. What follows is interesting as Bansley and Pavan's next-to-last match together was another "Sweet 16" match on Copacabana against Broder and Valjas.
Bansley and Pavan prevailed again with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-11) win in 36 minutes on August 13 over Broder and Valjas to advance to the Rio Olympic quarter-finals. Bansley and Pavan were ousted August 14 by eventual gold medal winners Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) in 35 minutes.