It’s all the time unusual to listen to the most popular group on the planet describing a pool-play match as simply attempting “to hold in there so long as doable and see what occurs.” But that’s precisely how Miles Partain described the 54-minute belter — the second-longest match of the Montreal Elite16 to this point — in opposition to Australian qualifiers Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher on Friday afternoon.
After dropping the primary set 21-23, squandering a 19-17 lead within the course of, Partain and his 6-foot-9 blocker, Andy Benesh, responded properly sufficient, successful the second, 21-17 earlier than leaping out to a 5-2 lead within the third. It was a three-point edge they maintained all the way in which to 14-11. At this stage for Partain and Benesh, a group that had gained eight straight matches heading into the match with the Australians, three match factors would appear greater than sufficient cushion.
They’d have wanted 5.
Carracher snatched two straight blocks, one on a Partain possibility, one other on a Benesh line swing, after which delivered a float that dropped straight down in entrance of an outstretched Benesh for an ace. All of the sudden, unbelievably, it was the Australians who had a match level of their very own.
However this was the week that wasn’t meant to be for the Aussies. They’ve had a grinder of a 12 months, Carracher and Nicolaidis, with only a single prime 10 to their title in six occasions. After successful a pair of qualifier matches to make the principle draw, the third units eluded them. It eluded them within the first spherical of pool play in opposition to Alex Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, dropping 12-15, and it eluded them once more within the second, in opposition to Yorick de Groot and Matthew Immers, dropping 13-15.
It might elude them as soon as extra, as Benesh and Partain simply “hung in there,” successful 18-16 after consecutive errors from Carracher and Nicolaidis.
“They performed very well,” Benesh stated, in what is perhaps the understatement of the season from the understated Benesh.
They hung in there lengthy sufficient to earn a first-round bye and a ticket straight into the quarterfinals, the place they may meet the winner of France’s Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat, and Brazil’s Vitor Felipe and Renato Lima.
Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, of their first Elite16 primary draw of the season, broke pool and can play, extremely, Evandro and Arthur Mariano for the fifth time in six tournaments. The final time the 2 performed each other was in Espinho, the place Budinger and Evans gained, 19-21, 21-19, 15-9 for his or her first victory over the Brazilians.
Three out of the 4 USA girls’s groups stay within the hunt, although solely Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth earned a bye, doing so with three blowout wins over Molly McBain and Sarah Pavan (21-13, 21-12), Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil (21-17, 21-12), and Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles (21-8, 21-18). Their reward for not dropping a set in pool play? Assembly the winner of Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, and Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes, the two and 4 seeds, respectively.
The draw isn’t a lot better for Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles, who play Australians and Olympic silver medalists Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho. The winner of that match feeds into world No. 1 Ana Patricia Silva and Duda Lisboa of Brazil.
Total, it’s a profitable begin to the Montreal Elite16 for the Individuals. Solely Cannon and Sponcil failed to interrupt pool, dropping all three matches, the ultimate being a wild, topsy-turvy 21-23, 19-21 loss to Pavan and McBain that noticed back-to-back 10-3 runs within the second set.
You possibly can watch all matches of the Montreal Elite16 at Volleyball TV.
