Japan’s Miharu Kashihara and Izumi Ishihara delivered a surprise performance at the 2025 Nuvali Challenge, securing a spot in the women’s main draw of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. Entering the qualification rounds as the 17th seed, the duo defeated two higher-ranked pairs in impressive fashion.
Their run began with a hard-fought comeback victory over Canada’s Claire Crossfield and Anna Prokofieva, winning 2-1 (18-21, 21-13, 15-11). Riding that momentum, they then pulled off a straight-sets win against Norwegian qualifiers Nina Pavlova and Sunniva Helland-Hansen, with scores of 21-17, 21-18. As a result, Kashihara and Ishihara are now seeded 32nd for the main draw and will face Australia’s leading team, Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic, in their opening match.
Other Teams Advancing From Qualification
Alongside the Japanese pair, seven more international teams booked their places through the qualifying rounds. Notably, Denmark advanced two pairs to the main draw:
- Clara Windeleff & Astrid Mellmølle – defeated Japan’s Riko Tsujimura and Takemi Nishibori in three sets.
- Sofia Bisgaard & Cirkeline Høg – overcame Finland’s Sara Sinisalo and Anniina Muukka in straight sets.
Other qualifiers include:
- Canada: Amanda Harnett & Devin Corah
- Finland: Anniina Parkkinen & Valma Vilhelmiina Prihti
- Germany: Chenoa Christ & Tabea Schwarz
- Romania: Francesca Alupei & Beata Vaida
- USA: Avery Poppinga & Kamila Tan
Main Draw Competition
The main draw begins Thursday at 12:30 local time (04:30 UTC), featuring a competitive field of top beach volleyball pairs from across the world. With crucial tour points and podium chances on the line, high-stakes matches are expected throughout the tournament.
Full story available on Volleyball World.
