Rio de Janeiro, August 9, 2016 - Germany's Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst and Canada's Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas will be looking to take control of pool D in a day four match between opening winners. A win would almost certainly guarantee advancing to the elimination stage.
Head to Head
Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst have won five of the six meetings between the two teams on the FIVB World Tour. Broder/Valjas won a three-set, round of 16 match at the Olsztyn Poland Grand Slam in August, 2015, while the Germans won four pool play matches and a round of 24 match in the Berlin Grand Slam in August, 2013. Three of the four German wins were in straight sets, while the Canadians pushed a deciding set at the Fuzhou Open in 2014.
Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst, Germany, Seed #4, Pool D, 1-0, MAX Set Ratio, 1.5556 Point Ratio Qualified 4th with 6,500 Points in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period
• Laura: January 13, 1986 (30y6m24d), 181 cm (5'11"), 70 kg (155 lbs.), Hometown Berlin, 130th FIVB World Tour event (ranks 19th), seven gold medals, $800,137 career winnings (ranks 11th)
• Kira: November 18, 1990 (25y8m19d), 184 cm (6'0"), 75 kg (167 lbs.), Hometown Essen, 43rd FIVB World Tour event, seven gold medals, $370,187 career winnings (ranks 43rd)
• Laura and Kira have been playing together since 2013. They are playing in their 37th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together (ranks 86th), seven gold medals (ranks 10th), $721,275 career winnings (ranks 12th).
• Laura has played in 33 FIVB World Tour final fours with seven gold, 11 silver, nine bronze medals and six 4th place finishes.
• Kira has played in 17 FIVB World Tour final fours with seven gold, three silver, four bronze medals and three 4th place finishes.
• Laura and Kira have played in 11 Final Fours in 2015-2016 (4th Stavanger Major 2015, Gold Yokohama Grand Slam 2015, Bronze Long Beach Grand Slam 2015, Silver World Tour Finals 2015, Gold Puerto Vallarta Open 2015-16, Gold Antalya Open 2016, Gold Hamburg Major 2016, Gold Olsztyn Grand Slam 2016, 4th Porec Major 2016, Bronze Gstaad Major 2016, Gold Klagenfurt Major 2016).
• Laura finished 9th in the Olympic Games in 2008 (Beijing) and 5th in 2012 (London), both with Sara Goller Niedrig.
• Laura and Kira finished 5th in the FIVB World Championships in 2013 (Stare Jablonki) and 17th in 2015 (The Hague).
• Laura finished 17th in the FIVB World Championships in 2005 (Berlin), 17th in 2007 (Gstaad), 9th in 2009 (Stavanger), and 9th in 2011 (Rome), all with Sara Goller Niedrig.
• Laura and Kira are currently ranked 1st in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 5,980 points and 1st in winnings with $282,375.
• Laura and Kira have a career 153-54 (73.9%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events and a 94-28 (77.0%) record in 2015-16.
• Laura and Kira won bronze medals at the European (CEV) Continental Championships in 2013 (Klagenfurt, Austria) and 2014 (Cagliari, Italy), and gold medals in 2015 (Klagenfurt, Austria) and 2016 (Biel, Switzerland).
• Laura won the gold medal at the CEV Continental Championships with Sara Goller Niedrig in 2008 (Hamburg, Germany) and 2010 (Berlin, Germany).
• Laura ranks 3rd with eight gold medals on the CEV Continental Tour behind Greece's Vasso Karadassiou (10) and Vasiliki Arvaniti (9).
• Laura won the gold medal at the U18 World Championships with Jana Kohler in 2003 (Pattaya, Thailand).
• Laura was named the FIVB World Tour Most Improved Player in 2007, Best Offensive Player in 2011, Best Defensive Player in 2013, Most Inspirational in 2013, and Sportsperson in 2015.
• Kira was named the FIVB World Tour Most Improved Player in 2013 and Top Rookie in 2013.
• Defeated Doaa Elghobashy / Nada Meawad, Egypt (21), 21-12 and 21-15 in 34 minutes.
Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada, Seed #16, Pool D, 1-0, 2.000 Set Ratio, 1.0625 Point Ratio, Qualified 13th with 4,640 Points in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period
• Jamie: June 8, 1985 (31y1m29d), 172 cm (5'8"), 65 kg (144 lbs.), Hometown Victoria, BC, 66th FIVB World Tour event, one gold medal, $149,412 career winnings
• Kristina: June 2, 1987 (29y2m4d), 188 cm (6'2"), 68 kg (151 lbs.), Hometown Toronto, 68th FIVB World Tour event, one gold medal, $146,412 career winnings
• Jamie and Kristina have been playing together since 2011. They are playing in their 58th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together (ranks 38th), one gold medal, $292,825 career winnings (ranks 61st). They won Canada's only FIVB World Tour gold medal.
• Jamie has played in three FIVB World Tour final fours with one gold medal, one bronze medal and one 4th place finish.
• Kristina has played in three FIVB World Tour final fours with one gold medal, one bronze medals and one 4th place finish.
• Jamie and Kristina have played in three Final Fours in 2015-2016 (Gold Fuzhou Open 2015, Bronze Lucerne Open 2015, 4th Porec Major 2015).
• Jamie and Kristina finished 37th in the FIVB World Championships in 2013 (Stare Jablonki) and 17th in 2015 (The Hague).
• Jamie and Kristina are currently ranked 35th in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 2,140 points and 26th in winnings with $51,000.
• Jamie and Kristina have a career 91-136 (40.1%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events and a 47-62 (43.1%) record in 2015-16.
• Jamie and Kristina won the gold medal at the NORCECA Continental Championships in 2015 (Turtle Beach, Trinidad and Tobago) along with two other gold medals on the NORCECA Continental Tour (2013 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands), (2013 Maracas Bay, Trinidad and Tobago).
• Defeated Laura Giombini / Marta Menegatti, Italy (9), 15-21, 21-18, and 15-9 in 56 minutes.