Yesterday was brutal for hosts, Germany, there was an American resurgence ahead of today’s Fourth of July celebrations and there was plenty of drama as seven of the first sixteen elimination games went to a third set. Two days ago there were 48 women’s teams alive in the World Championships. This morning that number is down to 16.

German Teams are Dropping Like Flies Perfectly Placed Cut Shots.

The elimination phase hit the German women’s team like the plague as their faithful fans watched in disbelief at Rothenbaum stadium. What was a very encouraging group stage for the hosts disintegrated rapidly as pair after pair met an untimely end to their World Championship dreams.

Most notably was the exit of Laura Ludwig and Margareta Kozuch. They entered the tournament on shaky ground but impressed everyone by winning a very difficult group. In contrast, their opponents Sara Hughes and Summer Ross have had a sub par summer both on the World Tour and the AVP. It appeared that the teams were heading in opposite directions and the Germans were destined to win this one. But it wasn’t even close. Hughes and Ross sided out comfortably and cruised to a 2 – 0 victory.

Summer Ross blocks Laura Ludwig’s shot and ends her hopes of repeating as World Champion. Photo by FIVB.

Sandra Ittlinger and Chantal Laboureur were given the number one seed overall in Hamburg. They lost a pool play match to Italy, but were still expected to easily brush aside Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil on center court. They seemed destined to do that as they won the first set and had a commanding lead late in the second. That is when Kelly Claes decided she wasn’t ready to go home just yet. Claes started blocking, attacking the second ball and even playing a perfectly placed dig over the heads of the Germans after pulling off the net. She and Sponcil turned it around dramatically in a match that was emblematic of the entire day for Germany.

Germany’s only victory in the first round came in a match between two German teams. It was that bad. The favored Karla Borger and Julia Sude needed three sets and a 15 – 13 in the final to get past their very unlucky and impressive Behrens and Tillmann. That means if the hosts are to have a women’s World Champion, it is up to Borger and Sude to deliver.

Karla Borger bump sets during Germany’s only victory yesterday. Unfortunately for Germany it was also another loss. Photo by FIVB.

Brazil Continues to Thrive

For them to make that a reality they will have to get past at least one, but most likely two or three Brazilian teams. Next up is Barbara Seixas De Freitas and Fernanda Alves. Brazil lost a team yesterday as well, but for the most part their day was routine. Agatha and Duda took care of business against beach volleyball legend Kerri Walsh Jennings and her partner Brooke Sweat and Rebecca and Ana Patricia knocked China out of the tournament in a 2 – 0 victory. Carol Solberg Salgado and Maria Antonelli were not as fortunate, either with the draw or the result as they lost in three sets to Americans Alix Klineman and April Ross.

America Rebounds

America as a whole has been a bit under the radar in this tournament so far. They didn’t win any of their groups, but they did get every team through to the group stage. In addition to Walsh Jennings and Sweat, Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman were eliminated yesterday. In the case of the later it was a bitter defeat to European Champions Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink from The Netherlands. Getting eliminated from the World Championships is always tough but losing the third set 15 – 13 makes it all the more difficult to accept. The two American teams’ losses leave them out of the tournament, but also watching their rivals for Tokyo gobble up Olympic Ranking points. Remember that only two teams per country can play in the Olympics, so forgive them if they aren’t the number one cheerleaders of the other American teams.

Klineman and Ross are quietly advancing though this tournament as they send Brazil’s first team tumbling out. Photo by FIVB.

So Many Great Teams Remain

Keizer and Meppelink face the lone remaining Canadian women’s team, Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes. Holland also advanced Joy Stubbe and Marleen van Iersel. Latvian upstarts Graudina and Kravcenoka quietly advanced to the second round. Russia lost to them in the first round but they still have a team in Makroguzova and Kholomina. Switzerland has two teams still alive. Anouk Vergé-Dépré and Joana Heidrich along with Tanja Hüberli and Nina Betschart battle on today but both face big challenges with fights against Brazil and Australia.

Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar don’t enter the second round with the most impressive set ratio. However, they can boast playing the most difficult teams so far and they are still standing. Yesterday it was one of the top teams in the world, Canadian’s Brandie Wilkerson and Heather Bansley that pushed them to the brink. The fact that the Australians have been tested so many times already and continue to pass each test makes them a favorite to win the whole thing. If they win today, they will likely face a huge battle in the quarter-finals against Agatha and Duda. That is a match you won’t want to miss. But in this World Championships, nobody should be looking ahead. Just beat the team that is in front of you.