Cheng & Shaw Secure Gold in All-American Joao Pessoa Elite Final

American beach volleyball stars Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw delivered a commanding performance to defeat their compatriots Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft in the final of the Joao Pessoa Elite tournament, a key event on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour.

This historic gold medal marks the first top-tier award for the Cheng/Shaw pairing, who impressively navigated the entire Brazilian tournament undefeated, securing victory in all six of their matches.

The eighth-seeded team of Cannon and Kraft earned silver medals, adding to their collection as their sixth medal on the Tour.

Bronze medals were claimed by Brazil`s reigning Olympic champions, Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda). This achievement marks their fourth consecutive bronze on the Beach Pro Tour, boosting their remarkable overall tally to 19 medals.

In a gripping gold medal match, Cannon and Kraft initially took a 3-0 lead. However, Cheng and Shaw swiftly mounted a comeback, and after trailing 15-14, they launched a decisive six-point run to clinch the first set 21-16. The second set followed a similar trajectory, with Cheng and Shaw seizing a solid lead in the latter half, pushing to a 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) victory, sealed by a successful block from Cheng. Kelly Cheng was outstanding, contributing 16 points (3 aces, 3 blocks), while Molly Shaw also added 16 points (2 aces, 1 block). Cannon emerged as the match`s top scorer with 17 points (2 aces, 2 blocks), with Kraft finishing on 6 points.

“It was a tough tournament. Every team we played was on their game,” Shaw commented. “It’s always hard playing Terese and Meg, because I love them so much. But it was an honor to be able to even play at this level and next to Kelly, so I am really grateful and shocked right now.”

The battle for the bronze medal was an all-Brazilian clash between Ana Patricia & Duda and Carol Solberg & Rebecca Cavalcanti. The first set remained competitive up to 10-10, after which the Olympic champions pulled away decisively. They exhibited even greater dominance in the second set, securing a 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) victory. Duda contributed 15 points (1 ace, 14 spike kills), while Ana Patricia added 11 points (3 kill blocks, 2 aces). Carol and Rebecca each scored 13 points.

Earlier in the day`s more interesting semifinal, Cannon & Kraft orchestrated a comeback from a set down against Ana Patricia & Duda, achieving a 2-1 upset (13-21, 21-13, 15-13). Kraft shone with 20 points, all from attacks, and Cannon contributed 17 points, including five crucial kill blocks. Duda led all scorers in that match with 22 points, including two aces.

In the other semifinal, Shaw & Cheng confidently swept Carol & Rebecca 2-0 (21-18, 21-18). Cheng once again led the scoring with a match-high 24 points, including six kill blocks, while Carol contributed 19 points for the Brazilian duo.

Highlights from all these thrilling matches were available on official Volleyball World platforms.