It was occurring once more.
4 occasions did the strangest of matches befall upon Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes in quarterfinal matches in 2023. 4 occasions did they start Elite16 tournaments in dominant vogue, profitable pool, incomes a coveted bye into the quarterfinals, solely to slide right into a malaise, one maybe because of the bye, and accept fifth.
Now right here they have been, on the season-opening occasion of the 2024 season, driving one other 3-0 efficiency right into a quarterfinal bye — and getting subsequently smoked.
Nina Brunner and Tanja Huberli, super rivals from Switzerland and among the best defensive groups the world has to supply, walked over Cheng and Hughes for a 21-13 opening set win. The dominant sideout — 68 p.c for Hughes, 71 p.c for Cheng — that had led America’s No. 2 crew into the quarterfinals had betrayed them for the primary time all match. Hughes completed the set with out a kill, whereas Brunner and Huberli hit a whopping 14 of 20 as a crew to go together with two blocks and two aces.
Switzerland’s prime pair was positioned to knock out each of the USA’s presumptive Olympic groups, after surviving the match’s wildest match towards Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth earlier that morning (23-21, 19-21, 25-23).
However this wasn’t unfamiliar floor for Cheng and Hughes. Not likely. They’d completed this earlier than, rather less than a yr in the past in Uberlandia, Brazil. Then, as they did Friday in Doha, they earned a bye into the quarterfinals and have been summarily dismissed within the first set by Brunner and Huberli, 21-15. Then, as they did Friday in Doha, they rediscovered their World Championship profitable kind, taking the second, 21-13. Hughes’ sideout and transition effectivity returned, killing 4 of seven makes an attempt. Cheng continued her torrid streak that has her rating tops on this planet in hitting. The Swiss, maybe fatigued by the 63-minute marathon towards Nuss and Kloth earlier, gifted the USA seven errors and pale in aspect out, hitting simply 39 p.c, a quantity the People practically doubled.
To a few they went, as has develop into the norm between these groups. In 5 conferences now, they’ve gone the space in 4 of them. Each resumed the highest kind that received them into the quarterfinals within the first place. With errors being restricted, it will come right down to which crew would engineer the additional play or two.
As they did in Uberlandia, it was Cheng and Hughes who engineered that play. At 14-13, a Cheng soft-block led to a Hughes scramble to the road, the issue of which made it an unattainable ball to set. Hughes made the protected play, pushing it again into the platform of Cheng, quite than try to make a heroic, diving set. However she’s a wizard together with her platform, Cheng. Seeing Huberli and Brunner drift into the again half of the court docket, awaiting what gave the impression to be the inevitable free ball to return, Cheng bumped a minimize shot into Huberli’s quick nook, a shot too good for the 6-foot-3 blocker to make a play.
As soon as extra, as they did in Uberlandia, Cheng and Hughes discovered a approach to exorcise the demons of the quarterfinal bye, profitable 13-21, 21-13, 15-13 to advance into the semifinals.
It ought to come as no shock, actually, that an American feminine crew is into the medal rounds in an occasion in Doha. Two of the final three tournaments held in Qatar — the 2023 Seaside Professional Tour Finals, 2022 Seaside Professional Tour Finals — have been received by both Cheng and Hughes or Nuss and Kloth. April Ross and Alix Klineman received the primary feminine occasion ever hosted in Doha, a four-star occasion in 2021.
Now Cheng and Hughes are the final People standing, again within the medal rounds, the place they are going to meet Brazilians Barbara Seixas and Carol Salgado within the semifinals.
Within the different semifinal awaits Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova, who got here out of Tuesday’s qualifier and stay undefeated, and Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, who logged their first profession victory over top-ranked Ana Patricia Silva and Duda Lisboa.
Neither of the American males’s groups in the principle draw — Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb — made it previous the primary spherical. Budinger and Evans, who certified by beating Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk, went winless in pool play, although the 0-3 file belies how properly they performed. Brunner and Crabb fell to the Netherlands’ Steven Van de Velde and Matthew Immers (16-21, 21-18, 10-15) to accept ninth.
Regardless of the shortage of a podium, the occasion is a win total for Brunner and Crabb, who prolonged their lead for the second spot within the American Olympic race, including 300 factors to their whole. Budinger and Evans tacked on 220. Bourne and Schalk picked up solely 100, falling additional behind.
Remaining within the males’s semifinals are David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden, who will play Germany’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler for the second time within the match. On the opposite aspect of the bracket is Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum and Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands, who’re additionally taking part in for the second time this match.
Final yr’s Elite16 in Doha featured Sweden and Norway within the gold medal match, as did the 2023 Seaside Professional Tour Finals, a sequence that was break up, 1-1 every.
All matches of the Doha Elite16 are streamed at Volleyball TV. Use the code SANDCAST20 to get 20 p.c off.Â
