Australia’s Taliqua Clancy is among the brightest stars in the Veracruz Challenge women’s line-up.
Mexico is once again a hub for elite beach volleyball as the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour returns for its third event of the year: the Veracruz Challenge. Following the Yucatan Challenge and Quintana Roo Elite earlier in March, this tournament will electrify the Gulf of Mexico coast from Wednesday, October 1, to Sunday, October 5. As the sixth of seven Challenge events in 2025, it promises fierce competition, especially in the women`s category, which boasts Olympic and World Championship medalists such as Australia`s Taliqua Clancy and Canada`s Sophie Bukovec.
Elite Players Converge in Veracruz
Among the formidable contenders is Australia`s Taliqua Clancy, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist and Hamburg 2019 World Championship bronze medalist. Partnering with Jana Milutinovic, they enter the main draw directly on Thursday, seeking their inaugural Beach Pro Tour podium finish as a team. The duo currently holds the second-highest seed points on the women`s entry list.
Leading the women`s field are the USA`s Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen, part of a strong contingent of six American duos pre-seeded for the main draw. Rounding out the top three seeds are Czech Paris 2024 Olympian Marie-Sara Stochlova and her partner Marketa Svozilova.
The 24-team main draw is stacked with talent, including several other Paris 2024 Olympians such as Monika Paulikiene & Aine Raupelyte (Lithuania), Lezana Placette & Alexia Richard (France), and Giuliana Poletti Corrales & Michelle Valiente (Paraguay).
Ukraine is well-represented with three teams, including the 2022 U19 world champions Yeva Serdiuk & Daria Romaniuk, and the duo of 2021 U21 world champion Anhelina Khmil with Valentyna Davidova.
Qualifiers Feature Returning Stars
A notable name competing in Wednesday`s qualifiers is Sophie Bukovec, a 2022 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship silver medalist from Canada. Returning to the Tour after a June hiatus, Bukovec reunites with Beach Pro Tour newcomer Tiadora Miric. The pair previously secured a U21 world championship title in 2014.
Also vying for a main draw spot from the qualification rounds are Dutch two-time Olympians Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon. This former world No. 1 team is seeking to reclaim their top form following Stam`s extended recovery from injury.
Puerto Rican sensations Allanis Navas and Maria Gonzalez, who have dominated the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour with six gold medals this season, will make their 2025 Beach Pro Tour debut in Veracruz.
Tournament Format
The Veracruz Challenge will feature a 32-team main draw for both men`s and women`s categories. The tournament kicks off with a qualification round, where eight teams will earn their way into the main draw to join 24 directly seeded teams.
The main draw employs a modified pool play format: eight pools of four teams, each playing two pool semifinals, a losers` match, and a winners` match to determine pool rankings. Teams finishing third in their pools will face runners-up from other pools in a single-elimination sixteenthfinal round. Winners advance to the eighthfinals, where they will challenge the eight pool winners. The path to glory then continues through quarterfinals, semifinals, and ultimately, the medal matches.
The excitement begins with the women`s qualification rounds on Wednesday morning at 09:00 local time (15:00 UTC).
Oliver Wrenwick