American beach volleyball duo Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg stunned the competition at the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Rio de Janeiro by defeating Brazil’s top-seeded team, Carol Solberg and Rebecca Cavalcanti, in a thrilling three-set match. Despite losing the opening set, Donlin & Denaburg mounted a strong comeback to win the match 2-1 (17-21, 23-21, 20-18), causing one of the tournament's biggest upsets so far.
This unexpected victory has heightened anticipation for their next match against the third-ranked Latvian team, Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova. A win would likely secure Donlin & Denaburg a spot in the round of 12, further elevating their tournament standing.
Other Notable American Performances
- Qualifiers Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen, seeded 18th, triumphed over local favorites Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima in Pool F with a 2-1 win (21-19, 16-21, 15-11).
- American champions Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw narrowly defeated Brazilian team Vitoria Rodrigues and Hegeile Almeida in a close three-set encounter.
Tournament Overview
The Rio stop of the Elite16 series marks the start of the 2025 beach volleyball season. Pool play has already shown intense competition, with five of the seven initial matches going to three sets. Top seed pairs from Germany, the USA, and Brazil—including Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes—secured straight-set wins, setting a high bar early in the tournament.
Action continues on Friday with more pool matches followed by the round of 18 later in the day. Expectations remain high as teams fight for early-season momentum in one of the sport’s most prestigious tours.
Read the full article on the Volleyball World website.
