The women`s Elite semifinals in Rio de Janeiro, part of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, are once again set to feature thrilling matchups between powerhouse teams from Brazil and the United States. Brazilian pairs Carol & Rebecca and Thamela & Victoria will compete against American duos Cannon & Kraft and Shaw & Cheng for a coveted place in Sunday’s final.
Following last week`s Elite tournament in Joao Pessoa, the Rio semifinals will again see two Brazilian teams clashing with two American pairs. This time, world number one team Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes have advanced to the final four, where they will meet last week`s champions, Americans Kelly Cheng & Molly Shaw. Meanwhile, FIVB World Ranking`s number two team, Carol Solberg & Rebecca Cavalcanti, is set to face last week`s finalists, Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft.
Top-seeded Thamela & Victoria maintained their winning streak in Rio with two hard-fought victories on Saturday, both decided in tie-breakers. In the Round of 12, the Brazilians overcame a set deficit to defeat fifth-seeded Germans Svenja Muller & Cinja Tillmann 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 15-13). They repeated this performance in the quarterfinals, securing a narrow 2-1 (16-21, 21-17, 16-14) win against fourth-seeded Italians Valentina Gottardi & Reka Orsi Toth. Thamela was outstanding with a match-high 22 points, including three aces and two kill blocks, while Victoria contributed an additional 15 points.
Eighth-seeded Cannon & Kraft and 11th-seeded Carol & Rebecca previously met in Saturday’s Round of 12, with the Americans securing a 2-1 (14-21, 21-17, 15-12) comeback victory. Both teams, however, advanced to the semifinals after winning their respective quarterfinal matches, setting up another exciting encounter. Carol & Rebecca, each scoring 15 points, delivered a convincing 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) win over Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalists Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson of Canada. Carol excelled with four kill blocks, and Rebecca added three aces. Cannon & Kraft, on the other hand, ended the impressive run of their 14th-seeded compatriots Julia Donlin & Lexy Denaburg in Rio, turning the match around for a 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-9) victory. Cannon led her team with 24 points, including four blocks, supported by Kraft`s 13 points.
Ninth-seeded Cheng & Shaw began their Saturday with a dominant 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) upset against second-seeded Latvians Tina Graudina & Anastasija Samoilova in the Round of 12. They followed this with another quarterfinal upset, a 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-13) comeback win over third-seeded Anouk Verge-Depre & Zoe Verge-Depre of Switzerland. Cheng was exceptional, tallying 33 points, including five blocks, with Shaw contributing eight points.
Sunday`s Semifinal Schedule
The women’s semifinals are scheduled for Sunday:
- Thamela & Victoria will face Shaw & Cheng at 11:00 AM local time (14:00 UTC).
- Carol & Rebecca will play against Cannon & Kraft at 12:00 PM local time (15:00 UTC).
The third-place match will begin at 4:00 PM (19:00 UTC), and the final will commence at 6:00 PM (21:00 UTC).
Oliver Wrenwick