Marseille was simply one of the best tourneys that Phil and I have ever played. Probably top 5 as far as our performance on the court was concerned. It was a bit windy as Wend. and Thurs. were both shut down. The wind was blowing over 50 MPH with some crazy gusts. Phil and I went down and played one on one and it was comical. You would have never thought that either of us was a pro beach volleyball player.
We had a bye in the first round and then played Latvia yet again. 3rd time in 3 straight tourneys. The first game we smoked them. The second game they played better and I was struggling to sideout. They were ahead the majority of the game but we came back strong at around 17 to 13 or something like that. They kind of crumbled a bit as well and we pulled it out with a sideout to win 21 -19. That was our closest game of the tourney. Our second match was against Heyer and Heuscher from Swissland. We beat them 15 and 16. Our third match of the day on Friday was against Klemperer-Koreng from Germany. We beat them 12 and 15. Just didn't seem like their heads were in the game. David was complaining that Phil was foot faulting and he wasn't even close. Normally they are a much stronger team than that.
On Saturday we played the semis vs. Brink-Reckermann. We won 18 and 15 on the center court. It was windy that day but center court was pretty good to play on as it was blocked by the stands. Both Phil and I served really well. He probably had 5 aces and I had 2 as I was jump serving for some reason. Just felt good. Phil was putting the ball wherever he wanted to. Not really hitting it overly hard but with good pace and great placement. In the finals we played the Spanish team we lost to in Gstaad. Simply put, we played awesome. We didn't give up a real point until the score was 18-10 in the second game. Phil served unbelievably well and we sided out pretty much every time. The final scores were 8 and 14. Hopefully we can keep that up for the rest of the year or at least play up to our abilities. Now for Klagenfurt.
6 comments:
Congrats Todd! Well deserved win!
I have a question: As a hobby beach volleyball player with basketball backgrounds I have a problem with my armswing. I just cannot hit the ball with enough speed and forward rotation. Can you give me some hints on how to practice timing and armswing? What are the critical points I should pay most attention to?
Should you find the time it would be cool if you blogged about these technical issues or maybe DM me at stkl23 [at] me.com
Thanks in advance,
Steff
Two questions.
How many aces in-a-row did Phil have in game 2 against Spain? It looked like 3.
Second, what was Phil pointing to on the MVP trophy?
Hope they put your match on the replay list for Universal Sports - only the women's medal matches are there so far.
Congratulations.
/dlr
Todd,
I really enjoyed seeing you guys play well in France. I don't think I've ever seen such a mismatch in a final......like Ring and Olson a few years ago.
The attendance seemed a little off on television. Is this a pattern in Europe this year....smaller crowds.
Good luck in Austria and I look forward to watching you guys in Hermosa.
Steve
Looks the hike cleared the cob webs and paid off. Don't let all the hoopla distract you from who you are, and how you have played the last 15 years
J
hi todd
it's urs from SWITZERLAND... I'm doing Sascha Heyer's and Patrick Heuscher's website (www.heyer-heuscher.ch). I just wanted to mention that the country's name is Switzerland and not Swissland.
I wish you all the best. Thanks again for the interview you gave us once in early 2007. And: I was there in Beijing too - simply great. I'm a big admirerer of yours!
I wish you all the best!
Urs Bachmann
urs.bachmann@heyer-heuscher.ch
Steff- Would be a good blog at some point in time. Tough to say for you specifically without seeing your arm swing. I would say work on your wrist snap to get more top spin.
Dave- Not sure how many aces in a row. Might have had 3. Think he had about 5 for the match. MVP trophy said Klagenfurt, Austria rather than Marseille, France.
Steve- Crowds have been great in Norway, Switzerland, and here in Austria. I have yet to be in Marseille with a full stadium.
Urs- Well aware that Swissland is Switzerland. I just abbreviate whenever I can. I hope it isn't a slight to the Swiss people? Is not meant to be in any way shape or form. Play your boys in about 2 hours or so here in Austria.
Todd
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