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Partain and Benesh Fifth Place in Paris
PARIS, France, August 7, 2024.- The U.S. men’s beach team of Miles
Partain and Andy Benesh completed their Olympic run in Paris in the
quarterfinals with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) loss to Cherif Younousse and
Ahmed Tijan of Qatar on Wednesday. Partain and Benesh, the youngest U.S.
men’s beach team in Olympic history, ran off three consecutive wins to
reach the quarters.
“I think everyone gave their best effort,” Partain said.” I am pretty
confident in that and I am happy we got to represent the U.S. along with
the other three teams.”
Cherif/Ahmed earned their country’s first medal in Olympic history with
the bronze in Tokyo and earlier in Paris, defeated the top seed in pool
play.
The U.S. was nearly even statistically in kills (23-22 Qatar) and were
even in blocks (5-5). Qatar served the only two aces, but the difference
was points on opponent errors as Qatar benefited from 12 U.S. errors,
while making only three of its own.
Benesh scored 15 points on 10 kills and five blocks, with Partain
contributing 12 kills and five digs.
“I thought Qatar played really well,” Benesh said. “They are a great
team. They executed really well. I thought our intention was good, we
just didn’t execute as well as them and they deserved to win tonight,
but proud of how we played and thankful to have Miles as a teammate.”
Neither team could gain more than a one-point advantage until Qatar ran
off four consecutive points for a 11-8 lead in the opening set, which
led to Partain/Benesh taking their timeout. A Partain dig and Benesh
kill cut the gap back to one point, 11-10, before the side switch.
Benesh recorded back-to-back blocks to regain the lead, 12-11. Two
errors, one a serving and another hitting, gave Qatar the lead again.
Cherif ended the long rally with a block to make it 14-12. Three hitting
errors in a row gave Qatar a five-point lead, 17-12. A Cherif kill off
the block extended the run to 7-0 before a hitting error ended it.
Another Cherif block gave Qatar set point. After a Partain kill, Cherif
scored on a second ball as Qatar ended the set on a 10-2 run.
Benesh added four kills to his three blocks to score seven points in the
set with Partain registering six kills. Kills (10-10) and blocks (3-3)
were even, but the U.S. made eight errors, while Qatar made just one.
After trailing 4-3, Qatar went on a 4-1 run to take a 7-5 lead in the
second set. An ace that trickled off the net increased the lead to
three, 10-7. A Partain kill on a second ball and a Benesh block brought
the U.S. back within a point, 11-10.
Qatar scored the first two points after the side switch to go back up by
three points. Despite multiple great digs by Ahmed, who is the top
defender in this year’s Olympics, and hustle by Cherif, the U.S. scored
the next point to pull back within two points and lead to a Qatar
timeout. A Cherif block gave Qatar its biggest lead of the set, 16-12,
before the side switch.
A net violation extended the lead to five points before the U.S. scored.
A sixth service error made it 18-13. A Benesh kill and his fifth block
of the match closed the gap to three points. The U.S. looked like it was
going to pull within two, but more tremendous defense by Ahmed prevented
it.
A Benesh kill on a second ball made the score 19-16 before the side
change. A Qatar kill gave them match point with an ace ending the match.
Benesh led the U.S. with eight points on six kills and two blocks, while
Partain again totaled six kills.
The match was the first in the last four meetings between the teams that
did not go three sets. Partain/Benesh won in Ostrava earlier this year
15-8 in the deciding set after each team won a set 21-19. Cherif/Ahmid
dropped the first set in both meetings in 2023 but came back to win in
the third set each time, 15-9 in Ostrava and 20-18 on their home court
in Doha. In their only previous matchup that did not go the distance,
Cherif/Ahmid took both sets 22-20 in Maldives (South Asia) in 2022.
Olympic Games Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball: schedule and results |
