Alayo/Diaz unbeaten, Partain/Benesh earn first win and Evans/Budinger are 1-1

PARIS, France, July 30, 2024.- Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz lead Pool D unbeaten, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh earned their first Olympic win and Miles Evans and Chase Budinger dropped to 1-1 at the Eiffel Tower stadium on Tuesday.

In Pool D, the first match of the day had Cubans Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz beating Brazilians Andre Loyola and George Wanderley 2-0 (21-13, 21-18).

With the results, the Cubans lead the pool with four points and are guaranteed in the Round of 16 and will end pool-play on August 1 against Mohammed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui of Morocco.

Alayo scored a match-high of 6 blocks, 13 kills and one ace, totalizing 20 points. Diaz scored 15 points on 13 kills and two aces, in addition to a match-high of five digs.

Playing in nearly 115-degree heat on center court, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh of the United States outlasted Mohammed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui of Morocco, 2-0 (21-12, 28-26) to even their record at 1-1 in Pool D.

Partain/Benesh will play their final pool match Thursday, August 1 against George Wanderley and Andre Loyola of Brazil.

Benesh posted match-highs of 16 kills and 20 points, adding a block and three of the four aces in the match. Partain scored 16 points on 15 kills and the other ace, adding a match-best nine digs.

In Pool F, after opening the Paris Olympics with a win yesterday, the U.S. beach team of Miles Evans and Chase Budinger dropped to 1-1 with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) loss to Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands. Boermans/de Groot moved to 2-0.

Evans/Budinger complete pool play on Friday, August 2 against Pablo Herrera and Adrián Gavira of Spain.

Budinger finished the match with 12 points on 11 kills and an ace. Evans totaled 11 points on10 kills and an ace. The U.S. made 14 errors compared to five for their opponents.

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball: schedule and results