2017 FIVB BEACH VOLLEYBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – VIENNA
- July 28 to August 6
- Vienna Centre Court, Vienna, Austria
- Co-ed
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Latvia’s Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins eliminated the United States Ryan Doherty and John Hyden in a 2-1, (23-21, 18-21, 15-12) win. With the win, the Latvians will move on to the Round of 16 which will begin on August 4.
The Latvian’s served the ball deep, making it a tough pass while also making a number of errors off the back line. Smedins had this high-risk, high-reward attitude the entire match, as he missed eight serves but also put down five aces. In addition, he forced the Americans into five serve receive errors, making it difficult for them to attack. The majority of the serves went to Hyden, who put down only 15 kills in the match.
On the attack, the Latvian pair used a number of shots to trip up the Americans. Both Smedins and Samoilovs shot the ball deep in the court or hit around the block strategically to find the open sand. This again played into their high-risk, high-reward system, as they made a number of errors off the sidelines or into the hands of Hyden’s block.
The American’s played the same serving game as the Latvians, pounding the ball down but making errors along the way. Their serves went deep as well, making it a difficult pass for both players, as the American’s kept the serve receive even between the two. Both Hyden and Doherty found success off the left or right of the block. Doherty shot most of his winners to the back line, while Hyden found the sideline or took a line shot to find the sand. It was, however, not enough as the Latvians controlled their play for the win.
Up next for the Latvians will be Brazil’s Evandro Goncalves/Andre Loyola.
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