AVP Hawaii Invitational
- Sept. 15-16, 2018
- Waikiki, Hawaii
- Preview
- Men’s Bracket
- Women’s Bracket
The semifinals are set as the 16 team field has been cut in half from eight per gender to four after Day 1 of the Hawaii Invitational.
On the women’s side, three American teams remain alongside defending FIVB World Tour Finals champs Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda ‘Duda’ Santos Lisboa of Brazil.
The Brazilians, the top overall seed in the tournament, advanced through the bracket with two straight-set wins, besting eighth-seeded Americans Terese Cannon/Sarah Sponcil (22-20, 23-21) and fifth-seeded Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan (21-19, 21-18).
No. 3 Alix Klineman/April Ross edged past No. 6 Americans Kelly Claes/Brittany Hochevar in tiebreak (21-17, 16-21, 16-14) and cruised past No. 2 Sara Hughes/Summer Ross (21-15, 21-12).
Claes/Hochevar and Hughes/Ross made the semifinals by winning a match in the contender’s bracket. Hughes/Ross swept No. 4 seed Mariafe Artacho del Solar/Taliqua Clancy of Australia (21-18, 21-14), while Claes/Hochevar rallied past Humana-Paredes/Pavan (20-22, 21-17, 15-13).
Agatha/Duda will face Hughes/Ross in the first semifinal at 3:15 p.m. ET, while Claes/Hochevar will meet Klineman/Ross at 4:15 p.m. ET.
Claes/Hochevar last met Klineman/Ross in the semifinals of the AVP Championships in Chicago on Sept. 2. Klineman/Ross won 21-19, 22-20.
Agatha/Duda and Hughes/Ross both played at the FIVB World Tour Finals, but the teams did not meet. The pairs last faced off in the finals of the Moscow Four Star on August 12 with the Americans winning in tiebreak (21-19, 12-21, 15-12). The teams also played at the Vienna Major with the Brazilians winning 21-12, 21-15 in Pool C play on August 1.
On the men’s side, the semifinalists include Americans Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena (#2) and Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb (#7) as well as No. 4 seed Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands and No. 6 Saymon Barbosa/Guto Carvalhaes of Brazil.
Brouwer/Meeuwsen downed fifth-seeded Americans Taylor Crabb/Jake Gibb in straight sets and held on for a tiebreak win over top seeded Anders Mol/Christian Sorum (21-18, 19-21, 16-14) to move through the winner’s bracket.
Bourne/Crabb won both of their matches in tiebreak, first outlasting Dalhausser/Lucena (21-15, 16-21, 15-7) and then holding on against Saymon/Guto (23-21, 14-21, 15-10).
Saymon/Guto bested Crabb/Gibb in straight sets (23-21, 21-18), while Dalhausser/Lucena moved past Mol/Sorum (21-13, 21-19) to round out the semifinals.
Brouwer/Meeuwsen will face Saymon/Guto at 5:20 p.m. ET, while Dalhausser/Lucena will take on Bourne/Crabb at 6:20 p.m. ET.
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