Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 6, 2016 - #9 seed Laura Giombini/Marta Menegatti of Italy wrap up the women's competition on day two against the #16 seed, Canada's Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas. Marta will be trying to improve on her 5th-place finish in London (2012), while the other three players are making their Olympic debuts.
Head to Head
The two teams have never met in FIVB World Tour competition.
Historically the #9 seed and the #16 seed have split their four matches in Olympic Games competition. The #9 seed won in Sydney (2000), 15-2 in 34 minutes and Beijing (2008), 24-22 and 21-12 in 39 minutes. The #16 seed pulled the upset in Athens (2004), 21-16 and 21-13 in 39 minutes and London (2012) in the only match requiring an extra set, 14-21, 21-16, and 15-11 in 49 minutes.
Laura Giombini/Marta Menegatti, Italy, Seed #9, Pool D, Qualified 8th with 5,300 Points in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period
• Laura: January 4, 1989 (27y7m2d), 183 cm (6'0"), 70 kg (155 lbs.), Hometown Perugia, 55th FIVB World Tour event with $53,313 in career winnings
• Marta: August 16, 1990 (25y11m21d), 180 cm (5'11"), 67 kg (149 lbs.), Hometown Rovigo, 82nd FIVB World Tour event (ranks 88th), one gold medal, $418,325 career winnings (ranks 32nd)
• Laura and Marta are playing in their first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together.
• Laura has never played in an FIVB World Tour final four. Her best career World Tour finish is a 5th-place with Giulia Momoli in the 2014 Mangaung Open in South Africa.
• Marta has played in 21 FIVB World Tour final fours with one gold, six silver, six bronze medals and eight 4th place finishes.
• Marta finished 5th in the Olympic Games with Greta Cicolari in 2012 (London).
• Laura finished 37th in the FIVB World Championships with Valeria Rosso in 2011 (Rome) and 17th with Daniela Gioria in 2013 (Stare Jablonki).
• Marta finished 9th in the FIVB World Championships in 2011 (Rome), and 5th in 2013 (Stare Jablonki), both with Greta Cicolari and 9th in 2015 (The Hague) with Viktoria Orsi Toth.
• Laura Giombini and Rebecca Perry are currently ranked 59th in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 580 points and 50th in winnings with $7,800.
• Marta and Viktoria Orsi Toth are currently ranked 7th in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 4,260 points and 13th in winnings with $96,875.
• Marta and Viktoria Orsi Toth have a career 122-78 (61.0%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events and a 73-39 (65.2%) record in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period.
• Marta and Viktoria Orsi Toth won Italy's only FIVB World Tour gold medal.
• Marta and Viktoria Orsi Toth won the silver medal at the U21 World Championships in 2010 (Alanya, Turkey).
• Marta won the silver medal at the U19 World Championships with Gilda Lombardo in 2007 (Myslowice, Poland).
• Marta won the gold medal at the European (CEV) Continental Championships with Greta Cicolari in 2011 (Kristiansand, Norway).
• Marta was named the FIVB World Tour Most Improved Player in 2011.
Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas, Canada, Seed #16, Pool D, 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 the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period.
• 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).