U.S. women"s beach volleyball team eliminated from Rio tournament

Top 10 Revealing Moments in Women"s Beach Volleyball

Nate Scott, USA TODAY Sports , KING 3:30 PM. EST August 11, 2016

U.S. blocker Lauren Fendrick (1) and right defender Brooke Sweat (2) react in a women"s preliminary - Pool A match against Russia at the Beach Volleyball Arena during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. (Photo: Keven Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

RIO DE JANEIRO - American beach volleyball duo Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweats Olympics are over.

The pair fell to Russians Evgeniya Ukolova and Ekaterina Birlova in their final qualifying match on Thursday afternoon, a loss that puts them in last place in Pool A and ends their Olympic run.

On a breezy and cool day at the stadium on Copacabana Beach, Fendrick and Sweat challenged the Russians gamely. The first set was a back-and-forth affair, and while the Americans played well, the Russian duo routinely kept points alive with their length and defense. The final play of the first set was illustrative a Fendrick spike was kept alive with a diving save from Ukolova, and then placed perfectly with a looping winner from Birlova. The Russians won the set, 21-18.

The second set was similarly close, with points traded back and forth. The wind picked up as the set went on, and you could see the players struggling to adapt as the gusts swirled around the court. With the score tied at 20-20, the crowds intensity picked up, and chants of USA roared out as the teams traded point after point. The Americans eventually won the set, 26-24.

The third set was more of the same, points traded back and forth, the score never swinging more than a point or two in one direction. It was finally the Russians who put it away, winning the set 15-13 and the match.

The crowd, which at times this tournament has been profoundly anti-American, was mostly calm and neutral for the match. There was one fan holding a Russian flag who would yelp loudly before every Fendrick serve, which some American fans countered with yells of their own before the Russian duo would serve.

Both teams stood at two points in Pool A entering the match, trailing the leading teams from Brazil and Poland, who have 6 and 5, respectively.

This is Fendrick and Sweats first appearance in the Olympics.

Copyright 2016 KING

Source: http://www.wlbz2.com/sports/olympics/us-womens-beach-volleyball-team-eliminated-from-rio-tournament/295166442