PARIS, France, August 4, 2024.- The third-seeded U.S. beach team of Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng had all they could handle from 12th-seeded Valentina Gottardi and Marta Menegatti of Italy before coming away with a 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 15-12) win in the Paris Round of 16 on Sunday. Hughes/Cheng, the reigning world champions, will next face the Swiss team of Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, August 6.
“That’s such a good team,” Hughes said. “We knew it coming in so we knew we just had to play our best volleyball and maybe it wasn’t the best, but we just fought together and I think that’s so important. A win is a win and we are happy to bring it home.”
Cheng scored 21 points on 16 kills, two blocks and three aces. Hughes posted a double-double with 15 kills and 19 digs, many of the spectacular fashion, in a brilliantly played defensive match. Both teams finished with 31 kills and the U.S. held a slight 3-2 advantage in service aces. Italy led 6-2 in blocks, but committed 17 errors compared to just 12 from the U.S.
A Cheng block on the first point of the match helped jumpstart the U.S. to a 3-0 lead, but Gottardi/Menegatti eventually evened the set at 7-7. After the teams traded off the next six points, Italy took its first lead of the set, 11-10, on a block.
Trailing 14-12, the U.S. tied the set on a Cheng kill on a second ball and a Hughes bump kill on the first ball tied the set. A continuation block by Cheng led to an Italy hitting error that put Hughes/Cheng back out in front, 16-15, at which point Gottardi/Menegatti used their timeout.
Italy scored the first two points out of the timeout to regain the lead. Trailing 17-16, Cheng tied the match and then gave the U.S. the lead again with a kill on a second ball after a great dig by Hughes. An Italy hitting error made it 19-17. After surrendering the next point, the U.S. scored the final two points of the set on a service error and a Hughes kill. Cheng scored seven points on six kills and her first point block, while Hughes added five kills and seven digs.
The third point of the second set exemplified the quality of play in the match with both teams scrambling and playing great defense before Cheng bumped over a second ball for the point. With the set tied at 8-8 with neither team having assumed a two-point lead, Italy used two blocks to spur a 5-0 run to take a 13-8 lead at the technical timeout.
The U.S. pulled back within two points, 15-13, after a Cheng ace and a Hughes kill off the block, forcing Italy to take its timeout. Hughes/Cheng had a chance to pull within a point, but their attack was dug and Gottardi/Menegatti scored that point and the next for an 18-14 lead.
Cheng scored on an overpass and recorded a block to cut the lead back to two points, 19-17, but Italy scored the final two points, the last on an ace, to send the match to a third set. Cheng scored seven points on five kills, a block and a set, and Hughes finished the set with six kills and six digs.
“This game is a game of momentum, so really fighting to stop them from having momentum and fighting to get it back,” Cheng said. “It’s about staying in the present and not letting those runs affect you and just fighting every point. Every point is a new point and you are not worrying about those last ones. That’s really important.”
Cheng scored on a second ball after Hughes dug a block attempt and then served two aces in a row for an early 4-1 U.S. lead in the deciding set. The U.S. continued its strong play after an Italy timeout when Hughes made an incredible dig, and Cheng bumped the ball over with her back to the net for the point. A Cheng kill on a second ball gave the U.S. an 8-3 lead.
Hughes kept her great defense going and sent a first ball over the net for a kill to give the U.S. its biggest lead of the match, 10-4. Another Italy block cut the deficit back to four points, 11-7, leading the U.S. to use its timeout. An incredible hustle play helped lead Italy to its fourth consecutive point to make it 11-9.
A Cheng kill down the line snapped the 4-0 run, but a service error cut the lead back to two. An ace pulled Italy within a point. Hughes looked to be in trouble on the following play but poked the ball to the backcourt for a 13-11 lead. Italy hit the next ball out and unsuccessfully challenged a block touch to set up the first U.S. match point. Italy scored the next point, but Cheng ended the match on a ball toward the sideline. Cheng scored seven points on five kills and the two key aces. Hughes scored three times and registered six digs.
Olympic Games Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball: schedule and results }
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