Complete Guide to Beach Volleyball at the 2016 Summer Olympics
She's back!
Since we last saw her win Olympic gold, a few things have changed for Kerri Walsh Jennings. She has a new surname, for one, and a new partner on the beach in April Ross.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same, as the face of beach volleyball returns at the age of 37 (she'll be 38 on August 15) for an unprecedented fourth gold medal at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
People know Walsh Jennings, and with good reason. But there's plenty more to know. With the opening ceremonies happening Friday and beach volleyball kicking off the next day, it's time to get up to speed.
What about her new teammate Ross, and what about their top rivals? Can another nation break through and become the first non-American team to take home a women's beach volleyball gold medal since 2000?
And what of the men's side? Can the Americans retake the medal podium after losing out in London?
The answers to all those questions and more are here in a digestible, reader-friendly format. This is your complete guide to beach volleyball at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Time's a-wasting, so let's pound sand, in a good way.
Overview and History
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It's hard to pin down when beach volleyball and its outdoor, two-person teams overtook the traditional six-person indoor version. It seems to have picked up steam in the late 1980s, however, when everyone was all crazed with surfing and Jams and various other beach-culture things. Radical.
Beach volleyball has a huge foothold in the host nation, where scores of people play on Rio de Janeiro's famous beaches. One of those is Copacabana Beach, where this Olympics competition goes down.
Today, both versions are alive and well in the Olympics and beyond, but the beach game generates more buzz.
The rules are straightforward and not so foreign to any volleyball fan: three hits per side, first team to 21 wins, and you have to win by two (except in the final set when you play to 15).
In the Olympics, beach volleyball became a full-fledged thing in 1996 after a stint with demonstration status in the Barcelona games. To date, Americans have dominated, with the women's and men's teams each taking gold three times (no other nation has more than one). However, Brazil holds an edge in total medals with an 11-9 advantage over Team USA.
More on that little dynamic momentarily.
Schedule
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Beach volleyball comin' at ya, as they say on the beach, maybe.
Wasting no time, the men's and women's preliminary pools begin Saturday, according to the official schedule.
The prelims continue through Friday, followed by the round of 16, quarters and semis. The women's gold-medal match takes place August 18, and the men's gold-medal match goes down August 19.
The American men get started Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET against Qatar, while the women face the Australians at 11 p.m.
Top Storylines
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The Home Teams Go for Gold
Despite being so closely associated with the sport, the Brazilians haven't pocketed beach volleyball gold since 2004, and they have only done so twice overall.
They have a big chance to change that, though. According to Odds Shark, Brazil's men's and women's teams are favored to win in Rio.
The men roll out defending world champs and 2012 silver medalists Bruno Oscar Schmidt (not the basketball player but related to him) and Alison Cerutti, while the women's team of Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes da Rocha are the strongest betting favorite in either field.
Kerri's April Chemistry
With her 38th birthday looming, one has to imagine this is the swan song for Kerri Walsh Jennings. There's a lot on the line here. A fourth gold medal would make her the oldest beach volleyball gold medalist (passing American men's icon Karch Kiraly, who did it at 35) and the fourth woman in the history of the Olympics to string together four straight golds in one event.
But she's fighting uphill with a new partner in Ross and some serious underdog status to the Brazilian team.
“It feels new in so many ways. The energy of the Olympics is something that’s so very, very special. And it’s impossible to recreate," she told Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. "I keep having moments of, ‘Oh, my gosh. We did it.’ Even the old-timers, we love it just the same.”
We'll see if this old-timer can play it just the same too.
Don't Drink the Water (or Eat the Sand)
The water pollution problems in Rio have been well-documented. Unfortunately for beach volleyball players and fans, although their sport doesn't happen on the waves, there may still be an effect.
Not six weeks ago, a severed foot floated in upon the tides to Copacabana Beach, where this tournament will play out. That's pretty gross, and not sanitary! Add in Zika virus concerns—overblown in many cases but extant nonetheless—and, well, it's just a messy situation. Let's hope nothing too horrendous washes up.
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Can’t-Miss Matches
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Team USA vs. Team Brazil
No one knows who will advance to the gold-medal match—or the round of 16, for that matter. So for now, we have to stick to the relatively uncompetitive preliminary matches.
Still, we do know when the Brazilians and Americans—the respective first and second favorites in both brackets—will tangle in the early rounds. In the women's draw, Brazilian women's faves Talita and Larissa take on the Team USA B team of Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Nothing is scheduled on the men's side as of now, but as we've established, that should change as teams emerge from pool play.
Ludwig-Walkenhorst vs. Menegatti-TBD
The team with the best medal odds outside the two powerhouses is the German women's duo of Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst. Next Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, they'll take part in what is probably the best matchup of the early rounds when they meet a tough Italian team.
Or, at least, they were supposed to be tough.
On Wednesday, news came that Viktoria Orsi Toth will miss the Games after testing positive for a banned substance. That leaves Marta Menegatti in the lurch for now, but she's expected to go with U.S.-born Italian citizen Becky Perry, according to Gazzetta (h/t NBCOlympics.com).
This is a high-level match that may contain a bit of drama.
Favorites for Gold
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Women's: Talita-Larissa, Brazil
All this team has done is defeat the second-best team—that's Walsh Jennings and Ross—in five of their six meetings. At one point, the Americans were 0-3.
The Brazilians also won the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. The only feather they need is the big tamale, and you can be certain they'll be able to taste it on their home beach.
Men's: Alison-Bruno, Brazil
Chris Chavez of Sports Illustrated wrote: "Alison and Bruno have been working together since 2013. After leaving behind his professional basketball career, Bruno emerged as one of the best defensive players on the FIVB world tour and earned Best Defensive Player honors in 2013 and 2014."
It seems like Bruno made a good choice and is putting that vertical to work in stopping opposing kill shots. He and Alison are expected to join the Brazilian women in standing at the top of the podium.
Dark Horses to Watch
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Men's: Phil Dalhausser-Nick Lucena, USA
With his 6'9" frame and bald dome, Phil Dalhausser drew plenty of eyeballs during his gold-medal run in 2008. But as with Walsh Jennings, that was with a different partner. Now he saddles up with Nick Lucena.
They have an uphill battle with the Brazilians looming, but if anyone can do it, it might be the imposing Dalhausser and his running mate.
Women's: Ludwig-Walkenhorst, Germany
This team is ranked atop the FIVB official world rankings. All eyes are on Brazil and America, but the Germans could swoop in and crash the party.
A relatively recent knee injury to Walkenhorst may have dampened enthusiasm for the Germans. If that's behind them, they could be flying in under the radar.
Potential Breakout Stars
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Men's: Jake Gibb, USA
At age 40, Gibb is the oldest member of Team USA's beach volleyball contingent. He and Casey Patterson are long shots to find the medal stand, but if they do, you know how everyone loves an old-man-schooling-the-young-guys story.
Women's: Becky Perry, Italy
If she can step in for Orsi Toth and help Italy make a splash, the University of Washington standout will be a grooved fastball for mid-Games media coverage.
Women's: Agatha and Barbara, Brazil
Larissa and Talita are absorbing all the headlines. Is that a good thing for the other Brazilian women's team?
Agatha is paired with Barbara, and together these first-name-only ladies won the 2015 world championship. So to the extent they're an underdog, it's not by a huge margin, and it could change fast.
Team USA Outlook
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All us Americans, we know how it goes. We love our stars, and in beach volleyball that's Kerri Walsh Jennings.
In her final ride, she's facing an uphill battle, and that's emblematic of the gold-medal prospects for all of Team USA.
Maybe it speaks to our spoiled status, but if it does, that's Walsh Jennings' fault, at least in a beach volleyball context. She's a legend of her sport and, along with former partner Misty May-Treanor, got us accustomed to the view from the uppermost podial level.
Anything else is like going back to coach after first class! Or so I've been told!
The Brazilians have the upper hand in this and on the men's side. The silver medal is highly possible for both teams, and gold isn't out of the question. Still, the smart money, as it were, is on the men going goldless for their second straight games, and for the American women—and Walsh Jennings—finally abdicating the throne.
Medal Predictions
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Women
Gold: Larissa-Talita, Brazil
Silver: Ludwig-Walkenhorst, Germany
Bronze: Walsh Jennings-Ross, USA
Men
Gold: Alison-Bruno, Brazil
Silver: Dalhausser-Lucena, USA
Bronze: Samoilovs-Smedins, Latvia
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but this is the Brazilians' time.
Larissa and Talita are in the catbird seat thanks to their near-total mastery of Team USA, not to mention their home-beach advantage. The German women's team will swoop in and sweep the Americans farther down—but not off—the medal stand.
Dalhausser and Lucena have a shot on the men's side, and Dalhausser remains a potent weapon. But he's 36 years old now. Alison and Bruno, along with the rest of Team Brazil, seem well equipped to top the podium.
Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins are tops in the FIVB men's rankings, and though they're considered underdogs, they should have the talent to take home some hardware.
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