Bukovec & Miric storm through Veracruz Challenge qualifier

2022 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship silver medalist and Paris 2024 Olympian Sophie Bukovec & Tiadora Miric of Canada made a successful Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour debut as a team in Wednesday’s single-round qualifications at the Veracruz Challenge in Mexico and made it to the 32-team main draw that serves off on Thursday, along with another seven teams successful in the qualifiers.

· Watch the Veracruz Challenge on VBTV

Bukovec’s last appearance on the Tour with her previous partner, three-time Olympian Heather Bansley, was at the Warmia Mazury Challenge in Poland back in June. She returned reunited with Beach Pro Tour rookie Tiadora Miric after 2014, when they triumphed as U21 world champions together.

In their first match in Veracruz, Bukovec & Miric, seeded 14^th in the 15-team qualification bracket, mastered a 2-0 (21-11, 21-14) upset of third-seeded Asami Shiba & Reika Murakami of Japan. Bukovec raised six kill blocks and put away an ace towards a match-high 14 points. Miric fired three aces to finish with 12 points. The Canadian pair were seeded 32^nd in the 32-team main draw and will open their campaign on Thursday against top-seeded Corinne Quiggle & Chloe Loreen of the United States.

One more Canadian duo emerged successfully from the qualifiers. Darby Dunn & Alison Mckay produced a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) sweep of their game against USA’s Devanne Sours & Piper Ferch.

The qualification round offered three three-set battles. In one of them, Dutch stars Katja Stam & Raisa Schoon achieved a 2-1 (21-15, 12-21, 15-10) victory to advance to their second main draw after Stam’s recovery from injury. Poland’s Julia Kielak & Natalia Okla came back from a set down against Canada’s Dana Roskic & Emma Cudmore to celebrate a 2-1 (14-21, 21-15, 15-13) win. In the longest match of the qualifiers that lasted 51 minutes, Belgium’s Youna Coens & Ines Piret knocked out another Canadian pair, Devin Corah & Ruby Sorra, in a hard-fought 2-1 (18-21, 25-23, 15-10) comeback.

Puerto Rico’s Allanis Navas & Maria Gonzalez, on the other hand, achieved the speediest win of the day. In just 32 minutes, they took out Germany’s Chenoa Christ & Tabea Schwarz in straight sets, 2-0 (21-19, 21-12). New Zealand’s Shaunna Polley & Olivia MacDonald, seeded second in the qualification bracket, progressed to the main draw after a 2-0 (21-12, 26-24) victory over Denmark’s Sofia Bisgaard & Frida Lyo, while top-seeded Estonians Liisa Remmelg & Heleene Hollas moved forward with a bye.

Women’s main draw action at the Veracruz Challenge serves off at 09:00 local time (15:00 UTC) on Thursday morning.

VW Beach Pro Tour Veracruz Challenge: women’s main draw list
VW Beach Pro Tour Veracruz Challenge: schedule and results

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