7 blocks for Jorge Alayo in Cuba’s upset over USA’s Miles Partain, Andy Benesh
The demise of Andy Benesh and Miles Partain of their first match of the Paris Olympic Video games might be summed up in two phrases: Jorge Alayo.
The 23-year-old Cuban blocker, making his Olympic debut alongside 21-year-old defender Noslen Diaz, completed the 21-18, 21-18 upset with seven blocks — 5 greater than Benesh and three greater than what is taken into account the world-class commonplace in a two-set match.
“Alayo is a good participant,” Benesh stated. “Everybody right here is a good participant. They’re a bodily group and I assumed they performed effectively at this time. He blocked rather well.”
Certainly, if not for Alayo’s block coming alive halfway by the opening set in a stadium arrange by the Eiffel Tower, USA Volleyball followers might very effectively be celebrating a vastly completely different end result. Up 16-11 within the first, Benesh and Partain, who have been 2-0 towards Cuba main as much as Paris, had taken management of the match with a 4-1 run that noticed Cuba hit three balls out and Benesh gather considered one of his two blocks.
Then got here Alayo.
Again-to-back blocks preceded an ace, a Partain error, a transition swing from Diaz, one other error, and one other transition putaway from Diaz.
In a blink, a once-commanding lead was now flipped right into a 16-19 deficit.
The Individuals would solely lead for a single level through the the rest of the match. After they drew shut within the second, whittling a three-point deficit to only one at 14-15, it was, once more, Alayo who snuffed the momentum. An Alayo side-out led to a block and one other transition kill for Diaz, stretching the lead again to 4. Benesh and Partain wouldn’t draw nearer than two once more.
“Their serving was actually good,” Benesh stated. “I believe that was the primary difference-maker. They have been in a position to get us out of system and it’s tough to aspect out towards this stage of group while you’re out of system.”
Benesh and Partain can have two full days of relaxation earlier than their subsequent match, towards Morocco’s Mohamed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui on Tuesday. It’s a pleasant draw, one that just about assures Benesh and Partain will break pool, which makes the loss to Cuba disappointing, sure, however removed from defeating.
“It’s a mixture of being actually completely satisfied to be right here and disillusioned concerning the first recreation,” Partain stated. “We’ve performed many tournaments with the identical format so we’re going to maneuver onto the following match and we’re trying ahead to that.”
Sweden’s David Ahman, Jonatan Hellvig ship towards Australia
Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, the heavy favorites to win gold in Paris, regarded the half on Saturday afternoon, delivering a clean, 21-14, 21-19 win over Australia’s Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher. It’s Sweden’s eighteenth straight win and second straight sweep over the Australians of their solely two conferences.
Later Saturday
The Olympics debut of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, who play all three of their pool-play matches at 10 p.m. native time.
Xue-X.Y. Xia (China) vs. Mariafe-Clancy (Australia)
George-Andre (Brazil) vs. Abicha-Elgraoui (Morocco)
Nuss-Kloth (USA) vs. Bukovec-Bansley (Canada)
Cottafava/Nicolai (Italy) vs. Cherif-Ahmed (Qatar)
Sunday’s schedule
One other USA group makes its debut, Tokyo Olympian Kelly Cheng and former USC associate Sara Hughes, who’s in her first Video games. They play Barbora Hermannovaand Marie-Sara Stochlova of Czechia at 10 p.m. native time.
Additionally in motion are the defending gold-medalists, Christian Sorum and Anders Mol of Norway, who received in 2021 in Tokyo:
9 a.m. — Gottardi-Menegatti (Italy) vs. Liliana-Paula (Spain)
10 a.m. — van de Velde-Immers (Netherlands) vs. Ranghieri-Carambula (Italy)
11 a.m. — Carol-Barbara (Brazil) vs. Akikho-Ishii (Japan)
Midday — Muller-Tillmann (Germany) vs. Vieira-Chamerau (France)
3 p.m. — Stam-Schoon (Netherlands) vs. Paulikiene-Raupelyte (Lithuania)
4 p.m. — Ana Patricia-Duda (Brazil) vs. Marwa-Elghobashy (Egypt)
5 p.m. –Perusic-Schweiner (Czech Republic) vs. Schacter-Dearing (Canada)
8 p.m. — Evandro-Arthur (Brazil) vs. Horl-Horst (Austria)
9 p.m. — Mol-Sorum (Norway) vs. M. Grimalt-E. Grimalt (Chile)
10 p.m. — Cheng-Hughes (USA) vs. Hermannova-Stochlova (Czechia)