The dynamic Canadian beach volleyball pair of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson secured their chances for a third consecutive victory in the Montreal Elite16 tournament by defeating Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka with a score of 22-20, 21-18 during the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson displayed superior blocking and digging skills compared to their opponents, allowing them to progress to the semifinals scheduled for Sunday, where they will face Brazil’s Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta. The Brazilian duo overcame the American pair of Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg in a tight match with a score of 21-17, 13-21, 18-16.
Fans can catch the live action on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem as the Canadian team aims to defend their titles from 2023 and 2025, sandwiched between an Olympic silver medal achievement.
Looking ahead to their upcoming match against Brazil, Humana-Paredes mentioned their strategy of reviewing past performances to capitalize on their strengths. The Canadian duo previously outplayed their Brazilian opponents during the pool stage.
In a surprising turn of events earlier on Saturday, the Ontario duo of Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused a major upset by advancing to the men’s semifinals in the FIVB Beach Pro Tournament. The 39th-ranked Canadian team defeated the top-seeded duo of Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson from Sweden, securing a 2-0 victory with scores of 21-19 and 21-17 at Parc Jean-Drapeau.
Schachter and Pickett, hailing from Richmond Hill and Wiarton respectively, also eliminated Austria’s Alexander Horst and Paul Pascariuc in an earlier match. Schachter attributed their success to playing solid and consistent volleyball rather than relying on flashy plays.
The Ontario pair is set to face Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein in the semifinals on Sunday morning as they continue their quest for the tournament title.