Oct. 14, 2023: On Friday night, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson (ranked fourth in the world) fell in the quarterfinals at the Pro Beach World Championships in Tlaxcala, Mexico. With the loss, the Canadians settled for a fifth-place finish.
In Friday’s quarterfinal, Melissa/Brandie faced off against fifth-ranked Clancy/Mariafe of Australia. The Canadians dropped a tight first set, 20-22. In the second set, with their tournament on the line, the Toronto duo couldn’t quite overcome the Aussies, falling 16-21. All told, the Australians logged more attack points, service aces and digs, while the Canadians had a slight edge in blocks. Find the full match report here.
Leading up to the loss, Melissa/Brandie were excellent in the tournament. They posted a perfect 5-0 record, taking down Morocco, Paraguay, Czechia, Finland and Switzerland, all without sacrificing a single set.
With the fifth-place finish, Melissa/Brandie should retain their top-10 ranking, which bodes well for Olympic qualification. The top 17 teams from each gender – at the June 10, 2024 cut-off – earn an automatic bid to Paris 2024.
Melissa/Brandie have been consistent all year. In eight tournaments, they’ve yet to fall out of the top five, with wins at the Challenge in Jurmala and Elite 16 in Montreal.
Next, the team will join fellow Canadians Jake MacNeil and Alex Russell at the Pan Am Games – beach volleyball will take place October 21 to 27 (Days 1 to 7) at the Parque Peñalolen. The Games, however, do not factor into Olympic qualification.
They will also look ahead to the Elite 16 in João Pessoa, Brazil. The tournament runs from November 22 to 26.
The two other Canadian teams competing at the World championships in Mexico lost out in the round of 32. Sarah Pavan and Molly McBain survived a “lucky loser” match, before falling to the United States in the playoffs. In the men’s bracket, Sam Schachter and Dan Dearing were rock solid in pool play, but bowed down to Australia in the knockout round. Both finish ranked 17th at the Worlds.
The tournament continues through the weekend, with the medal round on Sunday. Matches are streamed on CBC Sports. Find the full schedule and results on the Beach Volleyball World website.
Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
jskender@volleyball.ca
Mobile: 613-794-7676
Photo: Philip Whitcombe