Seidl & Pristauz achieve new high in World Ranking

This week’s update of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking was mainly affected by two factors: the addition of the points from last week’s Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge in the Philippines and the expiration of the points from last year’s Torquay Elite16 in Australia. Thus, both the men’s and the women’s Nuvali winners moved up the chart, bronze medallists Patrikas Stankevicius & Audrius Knasas made it to the top 30 for the first time, while someone like Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson, who did not compete in the Philippines, moved back up to the number four spot.

Austria’s Robin Seidl & Moritz Pristauz (pictured above), who topped the men’s podium in Nuvali, collected 800 points, while dropping the 400 from their ninth best result at the Tepic Elite16 in March, to net-gain 400 towards a new total of 4,880 and climb five positions up from number 27 to number 22, the highest they have ever been as a team.

Lithuania’s Stankevicius & Knasas celebrated their first-ever medal at the Challenge level in the Philippines. They pocketed 420 of the 720 points that came with their bronze and gained six spots to number 29, also the best position they have ever had.

Meanwhile, Nuvali runners-up Thomas Hodges & Zachery Schubert of Australia stayed put in number 13. They picked up 760 points last week in the Philippines, but lost the 1,100 they earned with the Torquay Elite16 silver a year ago, and their total went down to 5,540 points.

England’s Joaquin Bello & Javier Bello, placed fourth in Nuvali, improved from number 44 to number 41. Estonia’s Kusti Nolvak & Mart Tiisaar made the highest upward jump among the fifth-placed teams, rocketing 11 positions from number 48 to number 37. Portugal’s Joao Pedrosa & Hugo Campos rose from number 37 to number 24, United States’ Chase Budinger & Miles Evans moved up from number 21 to number 20, while Spain’s Pablo Herrera & Adrian Gavira stayed in number 14.

The most substantial change within the men’s top 10 was Italians Adrian Carambula & Alex Ranghieri’s drop of five positions from number five to number 10 after the expiration of the 1,000 points they had earned with the Torquay bronze last December.

Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova & Tina Graudina, who earned their first-ever Beach Pro Tour gold last week, netted 340 of the 800 points earned, enough to ascend from number 14 to number 12 in the women’s World Ranking on a new total of 5,940 points.

Nuvali silver medallists Daniela Alvarez & Tania Moreno reached a new high in the chart. With a net gain of 300 points, the Spaniards improved to a 5,000 total and leapt three positions up to their best-ever ranking in number 18.

Brazil’s Taina Bigi & Victoria Lopes, on the other hand, who claimed the Nuvali women’s bronze, improved their total by 260 points to 5,880, but stayed in position 13, 60 points below Anastasija & Tina. Fourth-placed Lezana Placette & Alexia Richard of France also stayed in the same spot, number 20, despite netting 220 of their Nuvali points.

Among the other four women’s quarterfinalists, the two American pairs achieved the highest jumps up the chart. Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft shot up 31 positions and are already in number 70 after just three tournaments played as a pair. Teegan Van Gunst & Kimberly Hildreth surged 21 spots to number 59, after five tournaments attended. Canada’s Sarah Pavan & Molly McBain ascended from number 29 to number 27, while Thailand’s Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee & Taravadee Naraphornrapat actually descended from number 24 to number 26, after losing the points that came with their fifth place in Torquay.

Reigning world champions Sara Hughes & Kelly Cheng of USA, who also topped the women’s podium at the Torquay Elite16, are no longer sharing the world’s second-ranked team status with compatriots Taryn Kloth & Kristen Nuss and dropped slightly to number three. Torquay runners-up Betsi Flint & Julia Scoles fell out of the top 10, all the way down to number 14, letting Italy’s Marta Menegatti & Valentina Gottardi back in their place. Australia’s Taliqua Clancy & Mariafe Artacho Del Solar, who celebrated home bronze a year ago, descended from number four to number five, which they are now sharing with Katja Stam & Raisa Schoon of the Netherlands. Melissa & Brandie took advantage to reclaim the number four position, which they had give away during October’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Mexico.

**FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking – Women**
**FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking – Men**

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