A hair-raising moment in beach volleyball at the Olympics

Men’s Quarterfinal – USA v Brazil – Beach Volleyball Arena – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 15/08/2016.

Americans Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena received their reward for cruising through pool play and the first round of the Olympic beach volleyball elimination stage: A quarterfinal matchup with the world champions on their home sand.

Schmidt and Cerutti, who praised the crowd as “marvelous”, join male pairs from Cuba, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russian Federation in the quarter finals. Dalhausser and Lucena would close the margin to three at 16-13, but Alison and Bruno Schmidt closed the set on a 9-1 run.

“The strategy was to use the wind”. Alison/Bruno Schmidt took the first set 21-14. Alison Cerutti then stepped up to clinch the victory.

Cerutti lived up to his nickname “the mammoth”, throwing his heavy-set two-metre frame into a sequence of point-winning spikes and blocks.

Cerutti said he was thrilled with the response from the crowd.

For the Americans it was an unfortunate end to a strong campaign, going out without a medal in the quarter-finals.

Dalhausser/Lucena are 2-2 against the Brazilians with the U.S men taking the most recent win at the 2016 FIVB Hamburg Major Series. “It’s unbelievable, eh? When they scream ‘Brazil” it gives me goosebumps.

The Brazilian men will face the victor of the quarterfinal match between Nummerdor/Varenhorst and Brouwer Meeuwsen, both of the Netherlands.