Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson are the first finalists and, hence, the first team to secure a spot on the Olympic beach volleyball podium at Paris 2024. In Thursday’s first semifinal, the fourth-seeded Canadians denied an opponent match point in the second set to mount a solid comeback against Switzerland’s Tanja Huberli & Nina Brunner.
The block was Canada’s main weapon on the way to their 2-1 (14-21, 22-20, 15-12) victory. It brought them seven points, all authored by Brandie, against only four on the Swiss side. In key moments, the North Americans also capitalized on the opponents’ unforced errors to edge ahead in the game. Brandie was the best scorer of the match with 25 points, also including an ace. With two serving points of her own, Melissa finished with 12 points. The serving was much more prolific on Switzerland’s side. Huberli put away three aces in addition to four kill blocks towards a 21-point tally, while Brunner fired four aces and finished with 19 points.
Melissa & Brandie took the early lead in the first set and even opened a three-point gap, but Huberli & Brunner caught up at 9-9. After 11-11, the Swiss broke away with a five-point run and never looked back. They dominated with their offence and their serves and cruised on to a convincing 21-14 close. The second set was way more competitive. The lead changed hands several times. Huberli & Brunner reached match point at 20-19, but Melissa & Brandie reacted with three in a row to snatch the set at 22-20. That was the first set Huberli & Brunner lost since the start of the tournament. The Swiss recovered from Canada’s early 4-1 run in the tie-breaker and even took the lead momentarily at 10-9. Three points in a row after 11-11 brought in match point for the North Americans, which soon turned into a 15-12 victory on a defensive error by the opponents for the winning point.
