Aalsmeer, Netherlands, October 28, 2017 – Top-seeded Joy Stubbe and Madelein Meppelink from the Netherlands pleased the home crowd at The Beach Indoor Center in Aalsmeer by qualifying for the women’s final of the one-star tournament on the 2018 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. In Sunday’s battle for gold, the Dutch pair will face Germany’s Kim Behrens and Sandra Ittlinger.
Stubbe and Meppelink started their Saturday with a tough quarterfinal encounter with France’s Alexia Richard and Margaux Carrere. The home team lost the first set in overtime, but then came back to claim a 2-1 (22-24, 21-14, 15-11) victory.
In the evening’s semifinals, the Dutch duo cruised to a speedy 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) win against Japan’s Miki Ishii and Megumi Murakami, seeded fourth. “We did the right things at the right time with Madelein making especially important contribution,” Joy Stubbe commented. “Our goal against Germany tomorrow is clear. Now that we are in the final, we want to win it, of course. I want that gold medal around my neck. That would be my first FIVB gold.”
Germany’s Behrens and Ittlinger celebrate their quarterfinal win against Matei and Vaida
Third-seeded Behrens and Ittlinger had to go through tie-breaker resolutions in both their matches on Saturday. In the quarterfinal round, the Germans managed a 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 15-9) victory over Romania’s Adriana-Maria Matei and Beata Vaida.
They followed up with a 2-1 (21-17, 16-21, 15-9) win against USA’s Betsi Flint and Kelley Larsen in the semis. Flint and Larsen had emerged victorious from the all-American quarterfinal encounter with compatriots Emily Stockman and Kimberly DiCello with a 2-0 (21-9, 21-17) win.
The last day in the women’s competition on Sunday will start with the bronze medal game between Ishii and Murakami and Flint and Larsen at 12:30 local time, to be followed by the gold medal match between Stubbe and Meppelink and Behrens and Ittlinger at 13:45.