Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg of the USA have continued their thrilling run at the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Rio de Janeiro, securing yet another upset against top-tier opponents. Ranked 14th entering the competition, the American pair defeated Latvia’s third-seeded Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova in a gripping three-set match, winning 2-1 (21-17, 11-21, 15-13).

This latest win follows their previous upset over Brazil’s highly ranked duo, Carol Solberg and Rebecca Cavalcanti. These back-to-back upsets have launched Donlin and Denaburg to the top of Pool B and directly into the tournament’s round of 12.

Their next match-up will be against French Olympians Clemence Vieira and Aline Chamereau as they continue their pursuit of the title.

Other Highlights from Rio

• Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw topped their pool by defeating Italy’s fourth seeds, Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth.
• Americans Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft came out on top against Germany’s fifth seeds, Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann.
• The top-seeded Brazilian team of Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes won their pool, beating Austria’s Klinger sisters in straight sets.
• Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson advanced with a clean 2-0 victory over Americans Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen.

With the round of 12 and the quarterfinals both set to take place on Saturday, fans can expect another action-packed day full of elite competition and potential surprises as the tournament heads toward its climax.

For more details, you can read the full article on the official Volleyball World website: Donlin & Denaburg Drop Another Stunner in Rio.