Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 8, 2016 - Day 4 of Beach Volleyball pool play competition here Tuesday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will feature four matches that will determine group leadership.
Being played at the 12,000-seat “Coliseu on Copacabana”, two of the six women’s matches will determine group leaders (Pools D and E) Tuesday as will two of the six men’s contests (Pool C and D).
On the women’s side of Tuesday’s schedule, the featured Pool D match will pit Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst of Germany against Jamie Broder/Kristina Valjas of Canada as each team defeated pairs from Egypt and Italy, respectively, Sunday. Ludwig and Walkenhorst have won five of six international meetings with the Canadians.
In women’s Pool E, Canadians Heather Bansley/Sarah Pavan meet Joana Heidrich/Nadine Zumkehr of Switzerland. Bansley and Pavan defeated a Dutch team Sunday while the Swiss upset higher-seeded Karla Borger and Britta Buthe of Germany. The Canadians have a 2-1 edge in the international series with Heidrich and Zumkehr.
On the men’s schedule, the top group match of unbeatens will be in Pool D where FIVB World Tour leaders Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins of Latvia are challenged by NORCECA Continental Cup winners Nivaldo Diaz/Sergio Gonzalez of Cuba.
While the Latvians defeated a team from Canada early Monday morning, the Cubans posted the biggest upset of the competition by defeating Evandro Goncalves/Pedro Solberg of Brazil 2-1 (24-22, 21-23, 15-13) in 59 minutes Sunday. Samoilovs and Smedins will be meeting the Cubans for the first time as Diaz and Gonzalez are playing only in their second event outside of NORCECA competition.
The leadership in men’s Pool C standings is currently shared by Americans Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena and Mexicans Lombardo Ontiveros/Juan Virgen after the teams defeated pairs from Tunisia and Italy, respectively. Tuesday’s match will be the fourth internationally between the North American rivals as Ontiveros and Virgen lead 2-1 with a pair of pool play match wins last month in Croatia and Switzerland.
Brazilian favorites Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca and Evandro/Pedro will also be playing Tuesday against pairs from the United States and Canada, respectively. Before Evandro and Pedro were upset Sunday by the Cubans, Talita and Larissa won their opening match against a Russia pair.
Here is Tuesday’s schedule.
