Preview: FIVB Brazil
The Brazillian team of Larissa/Juliana will begin the 2011 FIVB beach volleyball season at home in Brazil. Photo: fivb.org
Women's Tournament April 17th - 22nd, 2011
Men's Tournament April 18th - 23rd, 2011
FIVB beach volleyball is back this week with the first tournament of the 2011 season. Starting off the tour in Brazil, teams representing 36 countries will compete of the six days of competition. With $190 000 up for grabs in the men's and women's tournaments each, professional beach volleyball teams worldwide are looking to start off their 2011 season strong. Not only is money a factor, but with next year's Olympics in London on the horizon, teams are also looking to have the best results possible so they can represent their countries next year in London.
Canadian Teams
Two men's teams and one women's team will be down in Brazil for the first event of this year's FIVB beach volleyball world tour. On the men's side, Josh Binstock and Rich Van Huizen as well as Maverick Hatch and Sam Schachter will be representing our country. Team Binstock/Van Huizen do start the FIVB event with some entry points (242), whereas Hatch/Schachter are starting fresh. The single Canadian women's team competing in Brazil next week will be Julie Rodrigue and Kacie MacTavish. They also enter the tournament with a small amount of points (94). Entry points are calculated by adding together your last four best finishes from your last five FIVB events (opens, world championships, satellites, challenger). The better you finish, the more points you get. As stated in the 2011 FIVB Handbook, (PDF Link) these points determine your seeding for the tournament.
Women
- Julie Rodrigue and Kacie MacTavish
Men
- Josh Binstock and Rich Van Huizen
- Maverick Hatch and Sam Schachter
Other Teams to Watch
Larissa and Juliana of Brazil. Not only are they ranked #1 in the world, but they are playing at home. They will want to dominate and especially prove themselves against the next pairing.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of USA. They're back. They are the defending Olympic Gold medalists and they are/were arguably the best team in the world. Keep an eye on them to see how their first event as reunited partners goes.
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser of USA. What can I say? They are currently seeded 1st going into this tournament. They are the defending Olympic Gold medalists like their female American teammates and they are extremely talented.
Ricardo and Marcio Araujo of Brazil. These Brazillians have a silver and bronze medal from Beijing (both played with different partners) and are looking to get some revenge on Phil and Todd. They will be playing in front of their home crowd and as the second seeded team in this event, are predicted to go pretty far, if not win the whole thing.
Live Streaming Video and Brackets
We will have the live stream and tournament brackets posted up here on Kill on Two. Stay tuned to April 17th when the event begins.