Momentum shift on match point keys comeback for Canadian duo, who will battle for gold Friday
Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes, left, and Brandie Wilkerson, right, react after winning the women's beach volleyball semi-final match at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Aug. 8.Facing match point against a tough Swiss team in the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, the Canadian beach volleyball duo stared down the equivalent of their sport’s existential threat, then engineered a comeback that later left both sides struggling for the right words to describe it.
The Swiss won the first game handily by a score of 21-14 and looked in control as they took a 20-19 lead in the second frame. Canada appeared destined for the bronze medal game. But Humana-Paredes kept telling her teammate one thing. On centre court at Eiffel Tower stadium, she told Wilkerson three words: “Front the ball.”
In volleyball terms, she wanted Wilkerson aggressive at the net, blocking shots, playing to her strengths. And when the Swiss tried to put the game away, they couldn’t find a solution for Wilkerson.Humana-Paredes said after the match that when they dodged match-point, they knew they could carry the third game. Canada went on to win 15-12.
The close-call victory puts the team into the gold medal match on Friday. It is more history being made by the duo, who by making the semi-finals had gone farther than any women’s team from Canada had previously been.
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