Rio de Janeiro, August 12, 2016 - Brazil's Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, pool A winners, take on Karla Borger/Britta Buthe of Germany, Lucky Loser winners, in a round of 16 match that will be their fourth meeting in FIVB World Tour competition. The Brazilians have won two of the three meetings. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, and the loser will be eliminated with a 9th-place finish.
Head to Head
Talita/Larissa have won two of the three meetings on the FIVB World Tour, but the two teams have split their two matches in 2016
• Antunes/Franca won 22-20 and 21-10 in 34 minutes, Moscow Grand Slam, Quarterfinals, 05/28/2016
• Borger/Buthe won 23-21, 15-21, and 15-11 in 47 minutes, Maceió Open, Round of 16, 02/26/2016
• Antunes/Franca won 22-20 and 21-18 in 39 minutes, The Hague Grand Slam, Pool Play, 07/16/2014
Historically the #1 seed has beaten the #8 seed in the only meeting in the Olympic Games
• Larissa Franca/Juliana Felisberta (1), Brazil def. Sara Niedrig/Laura Ludwig (8), Germany, 21-10, 21-19 in 41 minutes, Quarterfinals, London (2012).
Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca, Brazil, Seed #1, Pool A, 3-0, 1st Place, Qualified as Host Nation Representative
• Talita: August 29, 1982 (33y11m8d), 181 cm (5'11"), 65 kg (144 lbs.), Hometown Mato Grosso Do Sul, 154th FIVB World Tour event (ranks 4th), 31 gold medals (ranks 6th), $1,391,175 career winnings (ranks 4th). Talita ranks first in FIVB World Tour tournaments played amongst all women's players competing at the Rio Olympics.
• Larissa: April 14, 1982 (34y3m23d), 174 cm (5'9"), 68 kg (151 lbs.), Hometown Cachoeiro de Itapemirim-Es, 140th FIVB World Tour event (ranks 14th), 59 gold medals (ranks 1st), $1,774,735 career winnings (ranks 1st)
• Talita and Larissa have been playing together since 2014. They are playing in their 25th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together, 13 gold medals (ranks 5th), $855,000 career winnings (ranks 9th).
• Talita has played in 78 FIVB World Tour final fours with 31 gold, 16 silver, 15 bronze medals and 16 4th place finishes.
• Larissa has played in 104 FIVB World Tour final four with 59 gold, 22 silver, 18 bronze medals and five 4th place finishes.
• Talita and Larissa have played in 12 Final Fours in 2015-2016 (Gold Moscow Grand Slam 2015, Gold Porec Major 2015, Gold Gstaad Major 2015, Gold Long Beach Grand Slam 2015, Gold Olsztyn Grand Slam 2015, Gold Rio de Janeiro Open 2015, Gold World Tour Finals 2015, Gold Vitória Open 2016, Silver Moscow Grand Slam 2016, Bronze Hamburg Major 2016, Silver Olsztyn Grand Slam 2016, Gold Gstaad Major 2016).
• Talita finished 4th in the Olympic Games with Renata Ribeiro in 2008 (Beijing) and 9th with Maria Antonelli in 2012 (London).
• Larissa finished 5th in the Olympic Games with Ana Paula Henkel in 2008 (Beijing) and won the bronze medal with Juliana Felisberta in 2012 (London).
• Talita and Larissa finished 9th in the FIVB World Championships in 2015 (The Hague).
• Talita finished 9th in the FIVB World Championships with Renata Ribeiro in 2007 (Gstaad) won the bronze medal in 2009 (Stavanger) and finished 5th in 2011 (Rome), both with Maria Antonelli, and finished 17th with Taiana Lima in 2013 (Stare Jablonki).
• Larissa finished 17th in the FIVB World Championships with Ana Richa in 2003 (Rio de Janeiro), won the silver medal in 2005 (Berlin), won the bronze medal in 2007 (Gstaad), won the silver medal in 2009 (Stavanger), and won the gold medal in 2011 (Rome), all with Juliana Felisberta.
• Talita and Larissa are currently ranked 6th in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 4,340 points and 3rd in winnings with $210,000.
• Talita and Larissa have a career 137-14 (90.7%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events and a 102-10 (91.1%) record in 2015-16.
• Talita won the bronze medal at the U21 World Championships with Maria Clara Salgado in 2002 (Catania, Italy).
• Larissa won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 2003 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) with Ana Richa and won gold medals in 2007 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and 2011 (Guadalajara, Mexico), both with Juliana Felisberta.
• Talita and Larissa were Team of the Year and Tour Points Champions in 2015.
• Talita was named the FIVB World Tour Top Rookie in 2005, Best Blocker in 2013, Best Hitter in 2013, 2014, and 2015, Best Offensive Player in 2013, and was Team of the Year and Tour Points Champion with Taiana Lima in 2013.
• Larissa was named the FIVB World Tour Best Defensive Player in 2009, 2012, 2014, Best Hitter in 2008, 2010, Best Offensive Player in 2015, Best Setter in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, Most Outstanding in 2006 and 2015, and was Team of the Year and Tour Points Champion with Juliana Felisberta in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
• Defeated Ekaterina Birlova/Evgeniya Ukolova, Russia (24), 21-14 and 21-16 in 34 minutes.
• Defeated Lauren Fendrick/Brooke Sweat, United States (13), 21-16 and 21-13 in 36 minutes.
• Defeated Monika Brzostek/Kinga Kolosinska, Poland (12), 21-10 and 21-15 in 29 minutes.
Karla Borger/Britta Buthe, Germany, Seed #8, Pool E, 1-2, 3rd Place, Qualified 9th with 5,260 Points in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period
• Karla: November 22, 1988 (27y8m15d), 180 cm (5'11"), 68 kg (151 lbs.), Hometown Heppenheim, 73rd FIVB World Tour event, one gold medal, $302,450 career winnings (ranks 54th)
• Britta: May 25, 1988 (28y2m12d), 185 cm (6'1"), 78 kg (173 lbs.), Hometown Dearborn, 65th FIVB World Tour event, one gold medal, $296,900 career winnings (ranks 56th)
• Karla and Britta have been playing together since 2010. They are playing in their 64th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together (ranks 30th), one gold medal, $593,800 career winnings (ranks 18th). They rank second behind Spain's Baquerizo/Fernandez (97) in FIVB World Tour events played together amongst the teams competing in the Rio Olympics.
• Karla has played in eight FIVB World Tour final fours with one gold, two silver, three bronze medals and two 4th place finishes.
• Britta has played in eight FIVB World Tour final fours with one gold, two silver, three bronze medals and two 4th place finishes.
• Karla and Britta have played in four Final Fours in 2015-2016 (Gold Lucerne Open 2015, 4th St. Petersburg Grand Slam 2015, Bronze Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam 2016, Bronze Porec Major 2016).
• Karla and Britta won the silver medal in the FIVB World Championships in 2013 (Stare Jablonki) and finished 17th in 2015 (The Hague).
• Karla and Britta are currently ranked 4th in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 4,700 points and 5th in winnings with $138,875.
• Karla and Britta have a career 197-107 (64.8%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events and a 77-31 (71.3%) record in 2015-16.
• Karla and Britta won the bronze medal at the European (CEV) Continental Championships in 2016 (Biel, Switzerland).
• Britta won the bronze medal at the U19 World Championships with Svenja Engelhardt in 2006 (Bermuda, Bermuda).
• Karla was named the FIVB World Tour Best Server in 2014.
• Britta was named the FIVB World Tour Top Rookie in 2011.
• Britta is the heaviest women's player competing in the Rio Olympics at 78 kg (173 lbs.). She is tied for seventh heaviest all-time behind Czech Republic's Eva Celbova Rysava (2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens), Australia's Liane Fenwick (1996 Atlanta), Belgium's Liesbeth Mouha (2008 Beijing), and Mexico's Bibiana Candelas (2008 Beijing), at 80 kg (178 lbs.).
• Pool E: Lost to Joana Heidrich/Nadine Zumkehr, Switzerland (17), 12-21 and 16-21 in 38 minutes.
• Pool E: Defeated Jantine van der Vlist/Sophie van Gestel, Netherlands (20), 21-19 and 21-14 in 35 minutes.
• Pool E: Lost to Heather Bansley/Sarah Pavan, Canada (5), 19-21 and 15-21 in 39 minutes.
• Lucky Loser: Defeated Norisbeth Agudo/Olaya Pazo, Venezuela (19), 21-13 and 21-8 in 30 minutes.