FIVB World Ranking leaders Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes are among the three first teams to qualify for the elimination rounds of this week’s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Newport Beach Elite tournament.

After the conclusion of the first 12 pool play matches in California on Wednesday, the Brazilians stand next to a pair of duos from hosts the United States as the first teams already confirmed to make it to the next round of the event.

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Coming from a second-place finish at the Rio de Janeiro Elite two weeks ago, the Brazilians had a pair of Pool C matches in their schedule on Wednesday and prevailed in both of them, beating Americans Hailey Harward and Molly Phillips 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) and compatriots Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima in the tie-breaker (20-22, 21-15, 15-8) to go undefeated in their first day of matches in Newport Beach and secure a spot in the elimination rounds.

Americans Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw faced the same opponents and also got a pair of wins, topping Talita and Taiana 2-1 (20-22, 24-22, 15-8) and sweeping (21-14, 21-15) Harward and Phillips, and also have their spots in the elimination rounds secured.

On Thursday, two duels involving teams from Brazil and the United States will take place, with the winners of the encounter between Thamela/Victoria and Cheng/Shaw advancing directly to the quarterfinals and the best team between Talita/Taiana and Harward/Phillips claiming the pool’s third spot in the elimination rounds and earning the right to compete in the Round of 12.

Cannon and Kraft also qualified

Pool D also also had two rounds of matches held on Wednesday and Americans Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft were the only team to end the day undefeated and book their tickets to the elimination rounds – they overcame two teams from their own country, downing Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen in straight sets (26-24, 21-16) and needing the tie-breaker (17-21, 21-14, 16-14) to triumph against Sara Hughes and Ally Batenhorst.

After Brazilians Carol Salgado and Rebecca Cavalcanti defeated Hughes and Batenhorst 2-1 (15-21, 21-13, 15-11) and Quiggle and Loreen overcame the South Americans also in three sets (21-23, 21-19, 16-14), all three teams continue alive in the race for the remaining two spots in the elimination rounds.

The other two pools only had one round of matches on Wednesday. In Pool A, American Olympians Taryn Brasher and Kristen Nuss, who swept (21-17, 21-13) compatriots Alaina and Morgan Chacon, and the Austrian Klinger sisters Ronja and Dorina Klinger, who topped Germans Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grüne also in straight sets (21-15, 21-16), were the ones to celebrate victories on Wednesday.

Olympic champions Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos of Brazil, who dominated Americans Jaden Whitmarsh and Devon Newberry to a two-set (25-23, 21-18) victory, and Americans Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg, who came from behind to defeat Germans Louisa Lippmann and Linda Bock in three (13-21, 21-16, 16-14), got a head start.

Beach Pro Tour Newport Beach Elite - Match Schedule & Results

Pool play will be completed on Thursday, when the last 12 matches will be held. Pool winners will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while teams ranked second and third will play in the Round of 12 – both will take place on Friday. The semifinals and medal matches are scheduled for Saturday.

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