PARIS, France, August 8, 2024.-Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson are the first finalists and, hence, the first team to secure a spot on the Olympic beach volleyball podium at Paris 2024. In Thursday’s first semifinal, the fourth-seeded Canadians denied an opponent match point in the second set to mount a solid comeback against Switzerland’s Tanja Hüberli & Nina Brunner.
The block was Canada’s main weapon on the way to their 2-1 (14-21, 22-20, 15-12) victory. It brought them seven points, all authored by Brandie, against only four on the Swiss side. In key moments, the North Americans also capitalized on the opponents’ unforced errors to edge ahead in the game. Brandie was the best scorer of the match with 25 points, also including an ace. With two serving points of her own, Melissa finished with 12 points. The serving was much more prolific on Switzerland’s side. Hüberli put away three aces in addition to four kill blocks towards a 21-point tally, while Brunner fired four aces and finished with 19 points.
Melissa & Brandie took the early lead in the first set and even opened a three-point gap, but Hüberli & Brunner caught up at 9-9. After 11-11, the Swiss broke away with a five-point run and never looked back. They dominated with their offence and their serves and cruised on to a convincing 21-14 close. The second set was way more competitive. The lead changed hands several times. Hüberli & Brunner reached match point at 20-19, but Melissa & Brandie reacted with three in a row to snatch the set at 22-20. That was the first set Hüberli & Brunner lost since the start of the tournament. The Swiss recovered from Canada’s early 4-1 run in the tie-breaker and even took the lead momentarily at 10-9. Three points in a row after 11-11 brought in match point for the North Americans, which soon turned into a 15-12 victory on a defensive error by the opponents for the winning point.
“We knew it was going to be an extremely hard-fought game. Switzerland is an incredible team. They’ve been playing really well this season. They were kind of peaking and the last battle we had with them didn’t go our way,” Melissa told the FIVB after the match. “So we knew that they were going to come out strong. We didn’t come out as strong, but what we still had was a full tank left of heart, grit and perseverance. I think that’s what kind of showed up at the end of that second set. I don’t think we played great volleyball, but I think we didn’t let it go. We weren’t going to let it slip out of our hands easily. And then, the third set was a completely new battle and you get re-energized and start from zero again. It’s a wide open playing field and anyone’s game at that point.
“In the end it was an out-of-body experience. I’m a runner. I think my body just has this huge release and I just need to get that energy out. We’re right on track and I don’t think we played our best volleyball yet. That’s still somewhere inside and I think tomorrow is the day to bring it out.”
“We came for it all! Absolutely!” Melissa confirmed. “I mean, we can stand with our heads proud that we have that opportunity for a medal, but we won’t lose sight that the gold is our goal.”
Melissa & Brandie’s opponent in Friday’s final will be decided between top-seeded Ana Patricia Ramos & Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) of Brazil and Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar & Taliqua Clancy.
Olympic Games Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball: schedule and results
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