Toronto, Canada, September 14, 2016 - Two teams from Switzerland along with women’s Beach Volleyball pairs from Brazil and Canada posted opening pool play wins here Wednesday afternoon on Polson Pier during the second of six days of competition at the 2016 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals.
With the men also competing in the second annual event where US$500,000 in prize money will be awarded at the season-ending event on the 2015-2016 FIVB World Tour calendar, the winning pairs will share the $100,000 first-place prizes. The women’s final will be played Saturday with the men’s gold medal match Sunday.
RECAP - Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, Brazil def. Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada, 2-0 (21-11, 21-18), 32 minutes
RECAP - Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson, Canada def. Laura Giombini/Marta Menegatti, Italy, 2-0 (21-14, 21-12), 31
RECAP - Joana Heidrich/Nadine Zumkehr, Switzerland def. Ana Gallay/Georgina Klug, Argentina, 2-0 (21-15, 21-11), 25
RECAP - Isabelle Forrer/Anouk Verge-Depre, Switzerland def. Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy, Australia, 2-0 (21-17, 21-13), 29
Defending SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals champions Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca were one of the four winning women’s teams Wednesday as the Brazilians opened Pool C play with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-18) win in 32 minutes over Jamie Broder and Kristina Valjas of Canada. Talita and Larissa are now 7-0 against the Canadians on the international circuit.
Talita and Larissa conclude group action Thursday against Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez of Spain, who defeated the Brazilians for the first-time in six FIVB World Tour matches last month at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball in southern California at Long Beach. The Spaniards open play Thursday against Broder and Valjas with Elsa and Liliana leading the series 3-2.
Posting wins for Switzerland Wednesday were Rio Olympians Isabelle Forrer/Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Heidrich/Nadine Zumkehr. Forrer and Verge-Depre posted a Pool A win over Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy of Australia 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) in 29 minutes. It was the seventh FIVB match between the two teams with Forrer and Verge-Depre now lead 4-3.
Heidrich and Zumkehr, who placed fifth at the Rio “Summer” Games after being eliminated in three sets by Talita and Larissa, opened with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-11) Pool B win in 25 minutes over Argentinean Olympians Ana Gallay and Georgina Klug. The Swiss are now 6-0 on the FIVB World Tour against Gallay and Klug.
Both Swiss pairs will play Rio medal winners Thursday with Heidrich and Zumkehr challenging Copacabana champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst in the afternoon after Germans play Gallay and Klug in the morning. Forrer and Verge-Depre play Rio bronze medal winners April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings in the afternoon after the Americans play Bawden and Clancy in the morning.
Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson won their second match of the competition with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-12) Pool D win in 32 minutes over Rio Olympians Laura Giombini and Marta Menegatti of Italy. To gain a spot in the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Main Draw, Bansley and Wilkerson won a Canadian country quota match Tuesday by eliminating Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan 2-0 (23-21, 21-13) in 36 minutes.
Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude will be Bansley and Wilkerson’s final Pool D opponent Thursday afternoon with the Germans playing Giombini and Menegatti in the morning.
The women’s SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals elimination rounds will be played Friday with the pool winners earning a “bye” into the quarter-finals with the second- and third-place finishers in each group playing mid-day matches with the “elite eight” matches in the afternoon. The men’s elimination matches will be played Saturday when the women’s “final four” contests will be staged.