Pairs from Thailand, Japan, USA, Romania and hosts Australia reach Coolangatta Futures semis

The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Coolangatta Futures has reached its semifinal stage. As many as four teams – three men’s and one women’s – will represent host nation Australia in the battles for the podium spots. The other four semifinalists are from Japan, Romania and USA in the women’s tournament, and Thailand in the men’s competition. The semifinals and the finals will be played on Sunday, March 15, with the medal matches in the afternoon streamed live on the Beach Volleyball World YouTube channel.

• Watch the Coolangatta Futures medal matches on the Beach Volleyball World channel

The women’s gold medal showdown will serve off at 15:00 local time (05:00 UTC). One hour later, it will be the men’s turn to determine the Coolangatta Futures champions. The third-place playoffs earlier on Sunday, starting at 12:30 (02:30) and 13:30 (03:30), respectively, will complete the podiums with the bronze medalists.

The last competition day will get underway at 08:00 (22:00 on Saturday) with the first of two women’s semifinals, featuring fifth-seeded Riko Tsujimura & Takemi Nishibori of Japan, who made it to their third Beach Pro Tour semifinal together, and second-seeded Beata Vaida & Francesca Alupei of Romania, who reached the last four for the fourth time as a team. Last month, the Romanians won the first Futures event of the year in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.

An hour later, Australian bracket leaders Stefanie Fejes & Jasmine Rayner will take on 12^th-seeded Kaeli Crews & Erica Brok of the United States in the second semifinal. The home favorites are yet to lose a set in Coolangatta as they scored three straight-set victories on the way to the first Beach Pro Tour semifinal in 19-year-old Rayner’s career. It will be the first semifinal for both Americans as well.

The first men’s semifinal will start at 10:00 (00:00), offering an all-Australian clash between second-seeded Jack Pearse & D'Artagnan Potts, who have reached this far at a Beach Pro Tour event for the first time as a duo, and fourth-seeded Joshua Howat & Luke Ryan, for whom it will be the second time in the semifinals.

Fifth-seeded Aussies Solomon Bushby & Justin Schumann, who won the men’s gold last month in Mount Maunganui, but started their Coolangatta campaign from the qualifiers and have already recorded five straight-set wins and one loss in the tournament, will play in their second straight semifinal and will meet Thailand’s Pithak Tipjan & Wachirawit Muadpha, seeded seventh, at 11:00 (01:00). The Thai pair as such will compete in the semifinals for the first time.

Coolangatta Futures: schedule and results

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