Ukolova and Birlova leave it on the court to sew up third
Rio de Janeiro, August 11, 2016 – Russia’s Ekaterina Birlova and Evgenia Ukolova secured their first win at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games with a 2-1 (21-18, 24-26, 15-9) victory over USA’s Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat at Copacabana Beach Arena on Thursday.
Here’s what they said after the match…
Evgenia Ukolova, Russia
“It was very important. It was the game for the next round. We tried to leave in this game everything we have inside.”
Lauren Fendrick, USA
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight. Both teams wanted it a lot.
“I'm proud of how we fought. We had our ups and downs, and that was kind of the story of our career getting to here. Unfortunately, it didn't come out our way today, but I'm proud to stand next to her (Sweat) and fight any day.
“It's pretty fresh. It's pretty emotional. Definitely a lot of positives to take away. This is something I will never forget.
“We worked so hard. We had big goals and dreams and if we would have gotten past that round we would have gone pretty far and done some damage. So that part is hard. It's a little emotional.”
Brooke Sweat, USA
“It's really fresh. I'm proud of how we fought and how we got here. It was a battle just getting here after everything we've been through. It sucks.”