Stockman/Larsen upset Olympic champion at Warsaw to reach quarterfinals
It is the last stop before the World Championships in Hamburg take off end of the month. In the FIVB Warsaw 4-star men’s pool play, Polish and Brazilian top teams were strong and qualified directly for the round of 16. Kantor/Prudel and Fijalek/Bryl as well as Alison/Alvaro Filho topped their pools. Reigning world champion Evandro along with reigning Olympic champion Bruno posted wins against Bergmann/Harms (Germany) and Italian top team Nicolai/Lupo to win their pool. Not surprisingly, further pool winners include Norwegian dominators Mol/Sorum who beat Theo Brunner and Reid Priddy (USA) in the decisive pool match. They are joined in the round of 16 by Cherif/Ahmed (Qatar), German youngsters Thole/Wickler and Russians Semenov/Leshukov who all topped their respective pools. AVP New York Gold Series winners Dalhausser/Lucena had to give up due to injury.
In contrast to the men’s side, the women’s competition was dominated by American teams from USA, Canada and Brazil. Three teams from the US, three from Brazil and two from Canada advanced to the round of 16. In the round of 16, US team Stockman/Larsen upset reigning Olympic champion Laura Ludwig and her current partner Margareta Kozuch (Germany) in a two set match (21:15, 21:19). They will face compatriots Alix Klineman and April Ross in the quarterfinals. The “A-Team” defeated Canadians Brandie Wilkerson and Heather Bansley. The third US team Sponcil/Claes lost to Aussies Artacho/Clancy who will face Xiamen and The Hague winners Ana Patricia/Rebecca (Brazil). The remaining two quarterfinals will also feature Brazilian teams with Maria Antonelli/Carol facing Makroguzova/Kholomina (Russia) and World Tour Final winners Agatha/Duda playing Sarah Pavan/Melissa Humana-Paredes (Canada) tonight.
Check out all results on the official FIVB Warsaw event page.
