The following is a press release from FIVB.
Alison and Bruno make it five in a row at Olsztyn
Olsztyn, Poland, August 30, 2015 – World champion duo Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt won their fifth consecutive FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour gold when they defeated Jacob Gibb and Casey Patterson in the Olsztyn Grand Slam gold medal match on Sunday.
The Brazilians hit their stride early in the match and maintained their red-hot form to beat the American duo 2-0 (21-10, 21-15).
“It has come at an excellent time because it is the Olympic qualifying period,” Bruno said. “We feel really good and played very well in this tournament and continued to raise our level right to the end and the final.”
“Bruno was fantastic again, he is the best in the world right now,” Alison said. “In the semifinal he was amazing with his service and attack and he saved me a lot in the final.”
The pair’s gold at the Netherlands 2015, FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships was followed up by further gold at the Gstaad Major Series event and the Yokohama and Long Beach Grand Slams.
Their next stop is the Rio de Janeiro Open on Copacabana Beach, which will serve as a test event for the Rio de Janeiro 2016, Olympic Games.
“We have to try and save some energy because we are really tired,” Bruno added. “Our bodies are aching, but we love this sport.
“Our coaches push us all the time, so this isn’t just about us, but the whole group.”
The silver medal is Patterson and Gibb’s second appearance on a World Tour podium in 2015. Earlier in the season they won the St Petersburg, Florida Grand Slam.
“They are the best team in the world right now,” Gibb said. “They are wonderful, but not unbeatable. There are a wonderful team and I love those guys. I am very happy for them, but they are not unbeatable.”
Saxton and Schalk break German duck for bronze
Chaim Schalk and Ben Saxton ended a run of five losses to Jonathan Erdmann and Kay Matysik to win bronze.
The Canadian pair needed two match points, but eventually Schalk scored the winning point for a 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) victory. It is their second medal in two World Tour tournaments following silver at the Yokohama Grand Slam.
“They always play tough against us and we’ve taken our time to figure them out, plus we are playing a higher level than we have in the past,” Schalk said. “Our coach Jason Lochhead has been incredible for us and we’ve been in California with a lot of the USA team, it has been a gradual process, but it is going our way.”
“Hopefully we can start the next season this way and carry it through to future seasons,” Saxton added. “We’re improving as the results show and hopefully we’ll continue to thrive.”
For all the news and scores from the Olsztyn Grand Slam, click here
