Long Beach Grand Slam 2014/ Supermen Dalhausser & Rosenthal, golden women Walsh & Ross (buon 9° posto Menegatti & Orsi Toth)
Ci siamo quasi: Marta Menegatti & Viktoria Orsi Toth hanno superato il turno delle qualificazioni e anche il primo turno ad eliminazione diretta. Poi hanno perso di misura contro le forti brasiliane Bednarczuk/Seixas ( silver medal). Insomma il 9° posto conquistato a Long Beach sulle spiagge della California ( idem per gli azzurri Lupo & Nicolai) vale …aspettative da podio prossimamente su questo schermo.
Tanto più che Marta & Viky hanno segnalato ai loro fan che la partita è stata ‘bellissima’, dopo che il match era stato testualmente ‘presentato’ così dalla Menegatti in data 26 cm:<< Grand Slam Long Beach, Vinto contro la russia 2-0!!! Siamo già none! Alle 17:00 (ora locale) per il quinto posto contro Barbara-Agata BRA/ Un bacio grande, Marta>>
E noi ve ne diamo conto come sempre giornata per giornata partendo dalle segnalazioni ‘azzurre’ by sito della Federvolley fino a concludere con il reportage sulle due finali , come da sito www.fivb.org che non ha bisogno di traduzioni by english perché anche questo nostro sito www.polesinesport.it ha la presunzione di essere internazionale.
ANTEPRIMA NEWS ( by www.federvolley.it , 22-07-2014 ) / Beach volley Grand Slam Long Beach: gli azzurri in campo
Prosegue senza soste la stagione del beach volley internazionale che questa settimana fara’ tappa a Long Beach, Stati Uniti.
A rappresentare l’Italia ci saranno Marta Menegatti e Viktoria Orsi Toth tra le donne e le due coppie maschili composte da Daniele Lupo e Paolo Nicolai e Andrea Tomatis e Alex Ranghieri.
Le gare del main draw si disputeranno il 23 e 24 luglio con le gare ad eliminazione diretta che prenderanno il via il 25; semifinali e finali il 26 e 27 luglio.
PRIMA NEWS ( by www.federvolley.it , 23-07-2014 )/ Beach World Series Long Beach - Esordio positivo di Menegatti-Orsi Toth
Successo netto di Menegatti ed Orsi Toth nell'esordio nelle World Series di Long Beache. Le due hanno superato con un eloquente 2-0 (21-14 21-11) le canadesi Bansley-Pavan. Marta e Viki torneranno in campo dopo mezzanotte per confrontarsi con le numero 1 del tabellone Walsh-Ross.
SECONDA NEWS ( by www.federvolley.it , 24-07-2014 ) / World Series Long Beach - Buon esordio delle coppie azzurre
Giornata positiva per le coppie azzurre, quella inaugurale delle World Series di Long Beach. Due le vittorie in campo maschile: nella pool G Tomatis-Ranghieri hanno superato gli olandesi Stiekema-Varenhorst (21-19 21-15); nella pool D Nicolai-Lupo hanno vinto contro Plavins-Solovejs (Lat) 2-0 (26-24 21-16).
Nel torneo femminile Menegatti-Orsi Toth hanno prima superato per 2-0 (21-14 21-11) le canadesi Bansley-Pavan, poi sono state battute da Walsh-Ross 2-0 (21-17, 21-16).
TERZA NEWS ( by www.federvolley.it , 25-07-2014 )/ Beach World Series Long Beach - Menegatti-Orsi Toth e Lupo-Nicolai avanzano
Due le coppie italiane che si sono qualificate per il tabellone ad eliminazione diretta. ieri e azzurre Menegatti-Orsi Toth hanno colto contro le svedesi Grawender-Lundqvist la loro seconda affermazione, imponendosi 2-0 (21-11 29-27) chiudendo al secondo posto la loro pool, alle spalle di Walsh-Ross. Torneranno in campo alle ore 21 nel primo turno dell'eliminazione diretta contro le russe Syrtseva-Moiseeva.
Nel secondo giorno di gare Nicolai-Lupo hanno vinto entrambi i match disputati, imponendosi su Gabathuler-Gerson (Sui) 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) e su Kadziola-Szalankiewicz (Pol) 2-1 (21-18, 20-22, 15-12).
I due successi hanno garantito il primo posto nella pool e l'ingresso diretto al secondo turno ad eliminazione diretta che giocheranno alla mezzanotte italiana contro i vincenti del derby tedesco Walkenhorst-Windscheif - Dollinger, S.-Flüggen.
Eliminati invece Tomatis-Ranghieri che hanno ceduto a Lucena-Doherty (Usa) 2-0 (21-14, 21-19) e Dollinger, S.-Flüggen (Ger) 2-0 (21-15 21-12).
QUARTA NEWS ( by www.federvolley.it , 25-07-2014 )/ Beach World Series Long Beach - Un doppio nono posto per le coppie azzurre
Le azzurre Marta Menegatti e Viktoria Orsi Toth hanno chiuso al nono posto la loro partecipazione nel torneo californiano. Nell'eliminazione diretta hanno prima battuto nel primo turno le russe Syrtseva-Moiseeva 2-0 (21-19 21-19), poi negli ottavi hanno ceduto alle brasiliane Agatha-Seixas 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-11), in un match molto equilibrato e combattuto per due set.
Nono posto anche per Lupo-Nicolai che hanno ceduto negli ottavi (a cui si erano qualificati direttamente vincendo la loro pool) ai tedeschi Walkenhorst-Windscheif 2-0 (21-12 21-19).
QUINTA NEWS ( by www.fivb.org , July 27) / FINALI UOMINI/ USA’s Dalhausser & Rosenthal net third 2014 World Tour gold
(Sean Rosenthal (right) dives for the Mikasa as American partner Phil Dalhausser watches the action in the FIVB World Tour men's gold medal match in Long Beach.)
<< Long Beach, USA, July 27, 2014 - On the sixth-straight day of competition where blue skies and near-perfect weather conditions prevailed, Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal avenged a gold medal setback a week earlier to Grzegorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel as the Americans captured their third gold medal on the 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour by outlasting the Polish pair here Sunday to net the men’s gold medal at the US$1-million ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball.
With both domestic and international television coverage of the 10th men’s stop on the 2014 FIVB World Tour calendar, the top-seeded Dalhausser and Rosenthal posted a 2-1 (22-24, 21-17 and 15-9) win over second-seeded Fijalek and Prudel in a 56-minute finale where more than 50,000 fans watched the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball this week on Alamitos Beach.
A week earlier in The Netherlands, Fijalek and Prudel outlasted the Americans 2-1 (21-18, 13-21 and 15-13) in the 59-minute finale in The Netherlands’ finale to win Poland’s first-ever men’s or women’s gold medal on the FIVB World Tour. The win Sunday also evened the series between the two teams at 2-2 as the Poles had won the previous two matches with Dalhausser and Rosenthal, including a semi-final win last month at the Russian Grand Slam in Moscow.
Competing in their 16th FIVB World Tour event together, Dalhausser and Rosenthal have now collected eight medals with the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball title being their sixth international title in their partnership. One of the American’s gold medals was achieved last season on Alamitos Beach where Dalhausser and Rosenthal defeated Spain’s Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera in two sets. With a 42-7 match mark this season with 27 wins in their last 28 matches, Dalhausser and Rosenthal have a 78-15 record together as the Americans are now 6-1 in FIVB title matches.
With the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball being the 11th FIVB-sanctioned men’s event in the United States, including the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, 1997 FIVB World Championships in Los Angeles and the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York, American pairs have now won four gold medals on USA sand along with 11 total medals. Brazilian (five titles and 11 total medals) and Norwegian (2) pairs have also topped the American podiums.
Prior to Sunday’s Alamitos Beach men’s finale, the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball also featured the other men’s and women’s podium placement matches. Theo Brunner and Todd Rogers posted their best-ever finish together on the FIVB World Tour as the 25th-seeded Americans posted a 2-1 (21-17, 18-21 and 15-12) win in 56 minutes over 16th-seeded Alexander Walkenhorst and Stefan Windscheif of Germany. While the Germans also posted their best FIVB finish together, Brunner and Rogers had to win a qualifying match Tuesday to earn a spot in the ACIS “money” rounds.
In the 90th FIVB World Tour women’s gold medal match between Brazil and the United States, top-seeded Americans April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings won No. 50 for their country by outlasting fifth-seeded South Americans Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas 2-0 (21-17 and 21-17) in 37 minutes. In the third-place match, 14th-seeded Natalia Dubovcova and Dominika Nestarcova of the Slovak Republic posted a 2-1 (21-19, 12-21 and 15-13) in 49 minutes over fourth-seeded Liliana Fernandez and Elsa Baquerizo of Spain.
FIVB PURSE, TOURNEY TOTALS - The ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, was the 307th FIVB men’s tournament since its first event in 1987 and the 271st FIVB women’s tournament since FIVB began women’s competitions in 1992. The Gold medal winning teams in each gender in Long Beach split $70,000, the silver finishers shared $52,000, bronze placers divided $40,000 and the fourth-place finishers split $30,000 of the $1-million total purse for men and women.
NEXT - This coming week, the FIVB World Tour returns to Europe for stops in Austria (Klagenfurt, July 29-August 3) and Poland (Stare Jablonki, August 19-24).
ASICS WSOBV - The ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball was a SoCal beach festival that included 4-person and 6-person recreational events, a youth tournament and nightly music concerts. The event also included live or same-day telecasts split between NBC Sports Network, Universal Network and NBC TV Network.
COMPETITORS - With 79 men’s teams from 29 countries and 60 women’s teams from 26 countries entered by their respective national federations for the 2014 ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a total of 46 men’s and 45 women’s tandems (182 athletes from 31 countries) actually competed in the FIVB World Tour event.>>
SESTA & LAST NEWS by www.fivb-.org , July 27)/ FINALI DONNE / Ross/Walsh Jennings capture women’s gold on home sand
( USA's Kerri Walsh Jennings, left, passes the Mikasa to April Ross as the Americans bring the crowd to their feet Sunday during their gold medal match victory over Brazil at the ASICS FIVB World Series of Beach Volleyball, a $1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam.)
<< Long Beach, USA, July 27, 2014 - Rarely able to enjoy the benefits of playing an international event on their home sand, USA’s top-seeded Olympians April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings made the most of it Sunday to defeat Brazil’s rapidly-improving fifth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas 2-0 (21-17 and 21-17) to win the women’s gold medal match at the double-gender ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a US$1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam.
After an absence of 10 years, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event was held for the second straight year in sunny Southern California in Long Beach, Calif. in the purpose-built site located on the sands of the Alamitos Beach adjacent to Marina Green Park.
Since the international Olympic sport was invented nearly 30 years ago, the two most dominant countries have been Brazil and the United States as women’s teams from those two pre-eminent countries met for the 90th time in an FIVB World Tour gold medal match. With USA winning, the series history now stands at 50-40 in the favor of USA.
ASICS WSOBV
This year’s ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a $1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam, was the third of four consecutive FIVB Grand Slam tournaments being held in four separate countries—Switzerland, The Netherlands, the United States and Austria. The tournament featured extensive coverage by the NBC family of networks throughout the week. Overall the event is a SoCal beach festival that has included 4-person and 6-person recreational events, a youth tournament and nightly music concerts.
FIVB PURSE, TOURNEY TOTALS
The ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a $1,000,000 FIVB Grand Slam, was the 307th FIVB men’s tournament since its first event in 1987 and the 271st FIVB women’s tournament since FIVB began women’s competitions in 1992. Gold medal winning teams in each gender in Long Beach will split $70,000, silver will receive $52,000, bronze medalists get $40,000 and the fourth place finishers will earn $30,000 of the $1,000,000 total purse.
GOLD MEDAL REVIEW
Thriving on the enthusiasm and constant cheering over an overflow home-country crowd on the Long Beach center court, USA’s Ross/Walsh Jennings played methodically like the champions that they are to overpower Brazil’s Bednarczuk/Seixas in straight sets, 21-17, 21-17 in a powerful 37-minute gold medal finale.
In the first set, the score was tied five times with the last at 6-6, and with the score 8-7, the USA ran off five of the next six points to take a 13-8 lead. Brazil rallied to close within three point s three times before Brazil had a service error to end the match in favor of the USA.
In the deciding second set, USA’s Ross/Walsh Jennings struck first scoring the first two points as Brazil’s Bednarczuk served an ace to tie the match at 8-8. Tied for the next three points, USA scored on consecutive Walsh Jennings cross court kill and a Ross block to start pulling away, eventually building a five-point margin at 19-14. After Brazil saved one set and match point, USA’s Ross ended the set and match with another voracious kill down the middle.
Brazil’s only lead in the match was at 5-4 in the first set and when it was tied at 10-10 in the second set, the USA turned up the heat and went on a 7-2 run.
Playing near flawlessly in the match, Ross recorded 11 kills, two blocks and six digs while having just one hitting error for the entire match. Walsh Jennings recorded a game-high 21 kills, one block and eight digs with her only hitting error on the first match point attempt. For Brazil, Seixas had 19 kills, one ace serve and seven digs while Bednarczuk contributed nine kills, one block, one ace and three digs.
Finishing the tournament with an unblemished 7-0 match record, USA’s Ross/Walsh Jennings took the lead in the series history between the two teams at 2-1 while winning their sixth gold medal in the 11 FIVB World Tour events they have played as a team.
As a team, USA’s A. Ross/Walsh Jennings tandem were playing their 11th tournament as a team with six gold medals in six final four appearances. Individually, three-time Olympic gold medalist Walsh Jennings has made 75 final four appearances with 50 FIVB gold medals and 15 silver in the 97 tournaments she has played in over the last 13 seasons. Olympic silver medalists (2012) A. Ross is in her ninth FIVB World Tour season with 42 final four appearances with 16 FIVB career gold medals and 12 silver in the 94 tournaments she has played.
Enjoying a post-match center court celebration with her American fans, Ross commented, “For Kerri it was working great. I had a little trouble out there playing defense which is why we were blocking, and Kerri had some key digs. That team is so good, I’m sure we’re going to see them a bunch in later rounds and many tournaments to come. I’m just so proud of how we played together, that was the epitome of teamwork in that game.”
The effervescent Walsh Jennings said, “Even when the bad tournaments happen it takes us one step closer to our ultimate goal which is gold in Rio. We’ve wanted to win this tournament so bad here for ourselves, for our coach, for our family and friends. Even in the trying times it’s making us stronger. But today our heads are high, we’re super stoked and we took home the gold.”
BRONZE MEDAL REVIEW
In the bodacious bronze medal match Sunday morning, Slovak Republic’s 14th-seeded Dominika Nestarcova/Natalia Dubovcova went to a tie-breaking three sets that was literally point-for-point before finally upsetting Spain’s fourth-seeded Olympians Liliana Fernandez/Elsa Baquerizo, 21-19, 12-21 and 15-13 in 49 minutes.
After splitting the first two sets with each team dominating their winning set, the third set was tied 10 times including at 11, 12 and 13 before Spain had a service error and a hitting error to record the final two points of the match in favor of Slovak Republic.
For Slovak Republic’s Nestarcova/Dubovcova, the win proved to be the third time was the charm as they had lost both previous meetings this year to Spain’s Fernandez/Baquerizo before Sunday’s bronze medal match.
Thrilled, as could be expected, Slovak Republic’s Nestarcova said after the match, “I just want to thank Nata (Dubovcova) because she played really well today and I didn’t. But I think we did have good teamwork and sometimes Nata plays worse sometimes I play worse. It’s really important to play like a team and help each other so she helped me today a lot so I would like to thank her. And I just want to say that the second set it was like I wanted to play catcher and she played line and if I wanted to play line she played catcher, so I was a little confused. But in the third set we did better and we won so that’s important.”
Slovak Republic’s Nestarcova/Dubovcova finished the tournament with a 6-1 record and their second bronze medal of the season while Spain’s higher-seeded Fernandez/Baquerizo ended with a 5-3 match record in this tournament
For Spain’s Fernandez/Baquerizo duo, this was their seventh final four appearance in 70 FIVB World Tour events as a team over the last eight years with three silver medals and one bronze.
Playing nearly their entire FIVB careers together, Slovak Republic’s Nestarcova/Dubovcova tandem has played 41 FIVB World Tour events together and this was their second final four appearance with two bronze medals, this one added to the one they earned this season in Stavanger, Norway. >>
EXTRATIME by SS/ La cover è per Marta Menegatti ( dx) e Viktoria Orsi Toth perché sono smile for vickory.…
Poi per quanto riguarda la fotogallery partiamo dagli azzurri Lupo & Nicolai e passiamo al ‘batti cinque’ tra Marta Menegatti e Viktoria Orsi Toth.
Quindi proponiamo una serie di flash del Long Beach Grand Slam che ha visto protagonisti gli uomini , come da didascalie incorporate e fino ai winners Rosenthal & DalHausser golden medal.
Stesso andamento flash che proponiamo con riguardo alle donne, con tanto di didascalie incorporate e anche qui fino alle winners Walsh & Ross in hight resolutions.
Ma per il dulcis in fundo ritorniamo a Marta Menegatti come da immagine di copertina sul suo web site official “Marta Menegatti: il fan club ufficiale” , anche perché condividiamo il titolo “Noi sempre con te”.
Sergio Sottovia
www.polesinesport.it
