Brazilian duo Marcela and Maria Clara achieved a dramatic victory in their final qualification match, securing their spot in the main draw.
Marcela dives for the ball during a crucial match.
Teams from Brazil (Marcela Barbosa & Maria Clara), Germany (Clara Dressen & Mila Jancar), Hungary (Chiara Honti-Majoros & Stefania Kun), and the United States (Sally Perez & Avery Jackson) successfully navigated Wednesday’s women’s qualification rounds at the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships in Puebla. These four strong pairs have now secured their berths in Thursday’s highly anticipated main draw competition.
Brazilian Duo`s Dramatic Comeback
Boosted by the enthusiastic Mexican crowd on center court, Marcela and Maria Clara of Brazil fought hard for both their qualification wins on Wednesday. They first dispatched Canada’s Sophie Hancock & Emma Cudmore in a straightforward 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) match. In a nail-biting decisive match for a main draw spot against Germany’s Maidhof & Neuß, the Brazilians rallied from a set down to claim a thrilling 2-1 (20-22, 21-13, 16-14) victory. The match concluded with high drama: a German match point was initially awarded, then reversed, yet Marcela & Maria Clara maintained composure to turn the tide and win. In a memorable display of sportsmanship during the second set, Marcela earned applause from both spectators and referees for openly admitting a block touch, even after the point had been given to Brazil and a timeout had concluded.
Reflecting on her fair play, Marcela stated, “I did that because the ball touched me. I believe in playing a clear game, and that principle applies to all matches. I would do it again whenever necessary.”
Her partner, Maria Clara, expressed their elation: “I`m speechless about what just happened. We thought we had lost, but we executed what we`ve been practicing, and now we`re in the main draw! A huge thank you to the amazing Mexican fans for their support. We`re thrilled to be here and hope they continue cheering us on tomorrow.”
Germany’s Mila Jancar in action during the qualification rounds.
Other Nations Secure Their Spots
Germany’s other qualifying pair, Dressen & Jancar, secured their advance with two consecutive straight-set wins. They decisively beat Japan’s Niko Morikawa & Waka Yada 2-0 (21-16, 21-16), then followed up with a convincing 2-0 (21-16, 21-13) sweep against local favorites Alexa Bucio & Ashley Silva of Mexico in their final qualifying match.
Sally Perez, a U19 World Championship bronze medalist from last year, teamed with Avery Jackson of the United States to also earn their main draw spot through two straight-set victories. Their journey included a hard-fought 2-0 (22-20, 21-17) win over Finland’s Milja Henriksson & Ester Hirvonen, followed by a strong 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) performance against Czechia’s Lucie Knoblochova & Adela Petrikova.
For Hungary’s Honti-Majoros & Kun, only one qualification match stood between them and the main draw, a challenge they quickly overcame. In just 27 minutes, they delivered a dominant 2-0 (21-6, 21-15) victory against Latvia’s Deneva Sauberga & Rezija Puskundze.
The women’s main draw competition in Puebla is scheduled to commence on Thursday at 08:00 local time (14:00 UTC), promising more thrilling beach volleyball action.
Oliver Wrenwick