PARIS, France, August 7, 2024.- Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson secured their spot in the Olympic beach volleyball semifinals today with a win over Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno of Spain.
Fourth-seeded Melissa & Brandie outclassed young Spanish sensations Daniela Alvarez & Tania Moreno, seeded 18th, on the way to a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) win. Improving to a 4-2 win-loss record at Paris 2024, the Canadian pair advanced to the semifinals.
The first set was very tight and competitive through 15-15. At that point, Melissa & Brandie broke away with four in a row and closed the set at 21-18 shortly after on a long serve by the opponents. Alvarez & Moreno were the first to break away in the second set, with four in a row for 8-5, but the Canadians reacted swiftly, and also with four in a row, gained a 10-9 lead. At 14-14 was the last time the score was tied. Melissa & Brandie took control and never let go until Melissa’s elegant hit closed the match at another 21-18.
Brandie led the way with 17 points, including three kill blocks. Melissa contributed another 13 points towards the victory. Moreno led the Spanish team with 15 points.
“We knew they would come out strong and we had to be patient on our side defensively, and just kind of play free and loose,” said Humana-Paredes. “And we had to put a big emphasis on our offense and staying aggressive; making sure that we were dialed in… and put some service pressure on. Kudos to us for staying patient because it was back and forth there for a while.”
This is the first time Canada has reached the semifinals in women’s beach volleyball at the Olympic Games (the previous best result was fifth).
Tomorrow, in the semifinals, Canada faces Hüberli/Brunner of Switzerland at 5 pm local time/ 11 am ET.
“Every single team here is of excellent caliber, so every time it’s a difficult game,” said Wilkerson. “But luckily, we’ve faced a lot of challenges before getting to this… I’m proud of our team and our resilience and grit.”
Olympic Games Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball: schedule and results
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