July 21, 2023: After a day of long, difficult matches under the summer sun, two Canadian women’s teams - Sarah Pavan/Molly McBain and Heather Bansley/Sophie Bukovec - are advancing to the playoff round at the Beach Pro Tour Challenge in Edmonton, Alberta.

Pavan and McBain dropped their first match of the day to the Czech Republic in three sets (23-25, 21-16, 9-15). They rebounded nicely later in the day, though, knocking off Spain in two sets (21-16, 21-19).

Two-time Olympian Pavan credited her partner for the win: "It was a grind, both mentally and physically. Molly’s serving put them in a lot of trouble and she was digging a lot. She’s got some grit, some fire—I’m really proud of her.”

Pavan and McBain will square off in the round of 18 against the Brazilian team of Agatha and Rebecca at 11:00 EDT (9:00 local) on Saturday. To win, the Canadians will rely on some of the confidence they gained during their last couple of matches.

"We had a really hard-fought battle this morning, which ended in a tough way. To regroup, to come back and win, I think it says a lot about us and how much we’re willing to fight," said Pavan. "It feels great to win. Every team in the tournament is so good. Now, we go into playoffs—anything can happen."

Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec also punched their ticket into the next round. The duo won their first match of the day, squeaking past the U.S. in a three-setter (21-16, 13-21, 15-13). Their second match was close, too. Bansley and Bukovec lost a three-setter (21-18, 16-21, 6-15) to Brazil’s Tainá/Victoria, who entered the tournament ranked 16th in the world.

On the bright side, Bukovec and Bansley had a good enough record to advance, and playing six total sets over the course of the day gave the new partners a chance to mesh as a team.

“Each team — and each match — comes with its own challenges, which we’re finding ways to overcome,” said Bukovec. “That Brazilian team is very strong. They’ve been playing together for a really long time, so we were strategizing, creating our own tactics, finding a way to put them under pressure.”

Added Bansley: “We’re a brand-new team, so we’re learning about each other every single game. The longer the match, the more we learn.”

They’ll put that newfound knowledge to test when they play Switzerland (Esmée/ Zoé) in the round of 16 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (12:00 local) on Saturday.

There were a pair of other Canadian teams in competition today, but neither made it through to the next round. Arran Chambers and Liam Kopp, the lone Canadian men’s squad competing in the main draw, fell in straight sets (16-21, 15-21) to Crabb/T. Sander of the U.S. Chambers, who’s from Edmonton, reflected on playing with the ultimate home field advantage.

"It’s something that I’ll cherish forever. Not too many beach volleyball players come out of Edmonton. So, it’s pretty amazing that I get to play in front of, not just the home Canadian crowd, but my family and childhood friends," he said. “When you’re touring the world as a pro athlete, you don’t get too many cheers from the fans - so this was pretty awesome.”

Chambers also mentioned the challenge of competing against the American team of T. Crabb/Sander, who also play together on the AVP Tour. "We had a good game plan coming in, but they out-executed us,” he said. “That’s volleyball, though. It comes down to consistency."

Chambers and Kopp couldn’t quite find that consistency later in the day, either. In their second match of the day, Chambers and Kopp lost in straight sets to Portugal (16-21, 15-21), bowing out of the tournament.

Amanda Harnett and Lea Monkhouse lost in two sets (8-21, 16-21) to Brazil’s Carol/Barbara, who entered the tournament as the fifth ranked team in the world. Then the Canadians lost their second match of the day to another Brazilian squad, in two sets (18-21, 16-21), vanquishing their chances of moving on.

Action continues throughout the weekend at Edmonton's ICE District. 

This year, Canada hosts three Beach Pro Tour events – this Challenge event in Edmonton (July 20-23) and an Elite 16 tournament in Montreal from July 26 to 30 as well as a Futures event in Halifax in September. 

Photo: VolleyballWorld

Volleyball Canada Media Contact:
Jackie Skender
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