The Canadian beach volleyball pair of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson secured a spot in the semifinals of the Montreal Elite16 tournament by defeating Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka 22-20, 21-18 in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson showcased superior blocking and digging skills compared to their opponents. They will now face off against Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta of Brazil in the upcoming semifinal match.
In earlier editions of the tournament, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson clinched the titles in 2023 and 2025, also securing an Olympic silver medal in between. Reflecting on their upcoming match against the Brazilian duo whom they previously defeated in pool play, Humana-Paredes mentioned they will review their past performance to capitalize on their strengths.
Meanwhile, Ontario’s Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused a major upset by advancing to the men’s semifinals after defeating the top-ranked team of Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson from Sweden with a score of 2-0 (21-19, 21-17). The Canadian pair, ranked 39th, also eliminated Austria’s Alexander Horst and Paul Pascariuc earlier in the day. Schachter attributed their success to playing consistent and solid volleyball at a high level, emphasizing the importance of basic gameplay.
Schachter and Pickett are set to face off against Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein in the semifinals on Sunday morning. Viewers can catch the action live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.