Olympics Latest: US pair knocked out of beach volleyball
Americans Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes are out of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament after a three-set loss to Canada in the knockout round opener
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Latest on the Tokyo Olympics which are taking place under heavy restrictions after a year’s delay because of the coronavirus pandemic:
___
UPSET ALERT
Americans Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes are out of the beach volleyball tournament after a three-set loss to Canada in the knockout round opener.
Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson beat the U.S. 22-24, 21-18, 15-13 at the Shiokaze Park venue. Americans Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena are set to meet Qatar in the afternoon session.
Sponcil and Claes trailed 11-6 in the first set but rallied to take their first lead at 19-18. They won it on their third set point when Bansley’s hit rolled across the net and landed at the feet of the chair umpire.
The Americans scored the first five points of the second and led 10-4 before Canada closed to 10-9 and took its first lead at 17-16. It was 19-17 when a successful challenge brought Canada to double set point.
Canada appeared to take a 13-11 lead in the third set on a hit that was initially ruled out. A challenge declared the ball in, even though replays appeared to show it missed the tape. Canada disputed the result and on further review, it was ruled out.
Wilkerson knocked down a pass that got too close to the net for a triple set point, and they won it when Wilkerson hit it over on two to a wide open part of the court.
Claes and Sponcil entered the games as the hottest team in the world, winning the last two events of the pandemic-extended qualifying period to grab the second U.S. spot in Tokyo. In the process, they knocked out five-time Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings.
___
— More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports