This past Friday, the Olympic Beach Volleyball Pools were announced. We’re here today to break it all down!
My immediate reaction looking at the women’s pools was that TKN got jobbed. The 2nd overall seed ends up in the POOL OF DEATH with the defending silver medalists, Australia’s Mariafe and Clancy. Also in their pool is now 4-time Olympian Chen Xue from China and now 3-time Olympian Heather Bansley from Canada. The only team without Olympic experience in the pool is USA’s Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, the #2 team in the world. TKN will be the favorites to top the pool, but just about any of the 4 teams could be heading home on August 3rd at the conclusion of pool play.
Kelly Cheng and Sarah Hughes get a middle-of-the-pack draw in Pool C, with Germany’s Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann as their toughest competition. USA and Germany come out of Pool C, but who doesn’t advance? My bet is France’s Viera/Chamereau, at least it won’t be a long trip home. Look for Czechia’s Hermannova & Stochlova to advance to the Round of 18 (Lucky Loser’s) on August 3rd.
Prediction time: The two 3rd place finishes that avoid the lucky losers round: Spain’s Liliana & Paula and Switzerland’s Esmee and Zoe. The rest of the Round of 18: Xue/Xia, Hermannova/Stochlova, Paulikiene/Raupelyte, and Alvarez/Moreno. The 6 teams heading home after pool play? Egypt, Canada, France, Paraguay, Japan, & France.
I don’t think there is a Pool of Death on the men’s side, as five of the six pools are relatively evenly constructed. The exception is Pool F. Headlined by the host nation France, a team that finished 28th in the world in Olympic qualification points, Pool F’s lone top-tier team is the Dutch pair, Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot. Spain’s Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira have eight Olympic appearances between them, but are years past their peak. USA’s Miles Evans and Chase Budinger, the bottom seed in the pool, find themselves in the softest pool and with a relatively easy path to the Round of 16.
The other American team, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh, find themselves in Pool D with Brazil’s George/Andre, Cuba’s Diaz/Alayo, and the African Continental qualifer, Morocco. Look for Morocco to head home when pool play concludes on August 3rd.
The Pool B battle for the 3rd spot is a fascinating one, as Italians Adrian Carambula and Alex Ranghieri and Chile’s Grimalt cousins are two teams fighting for one spot, likely a Lucky Loser Round of 18 spot.
I’d expect Australia, Chile, France, Morocco, Canada, and Spain to be heading home on August 3rd at the conclusion of pool play, with Cuba and Qatar the two 3-seeds to avoid Lucky Losers.
This Wednesday on Bet The Beach Live, we’ll have a full Olympic preview, complete with pool breakdown, predictions, etc.
Wishing you a safe, happy, healthy, and fun July 4th. Happy Independence Day.
Chris DeTurk – July 2, 2024
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