Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson clinched an Olympic beach volleyball berth for Canada on Sunday, sweeping Americans Megan Kraft and Kelly Cheng in the women’s final at the NORCECA continental qualifier in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.
The Paris 2024 silver medallists beat the previously undefeated U.S. duo 21-16, 27-25 at the Areia Sports Complex to secure NORCECA’s lone direct women’s berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Canadians needed several match points to close out a marathon second set. Wilkerson’s kill made it 26-25 before the Americans couldn’t keep Humana-Paredes’s serve alive on the final point.
The Toronto duo didn’t lose a set in the knockout rounds, beating Mexico’s Susana Torres and Abril Flores 21-12, 21-18 in 40 minutes in the semifinals earlier Sunday.
The Mexicans had won Pool A with a 4-0 record, including a 23-21, 21-11 win over top-seeded Puerto Rico.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson defeated T’ara Austin and Taylor Buckner of the U.S. Virgin Islands 21-11, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
The third-seeded Canadians finished second in Pool B at 3-1, with their lone loss coming against the second-seeded Americans. Canada was the only team to take a set off Kraft and Cheng in pool play, winning the opener 23-21 in Saturday’s meeting before dropping the next two 21-16, 15-12.
The Americans reached the final with a 21-16, 21-12 win over Puerto Rico’s Allanis Navas and Keishlyann Sanchez in 35 minutes.
On the men’s side, Canada’s Samuel Schachter and Jonathan Pickett will play for bronze after losing their semifinal 21-19, 21-18 to Trevor Crabb and Chase Budinger of the U.S.
The second-seeded Canadians will face Puerto Rico’s William Rivera and Diego Rosich, who lost their semifinal to Mexico’s Carlos Andres Ayala and Ines Vargas Lares.
Schachter and Pickett went undefeated in Pool B and beat Costa Rica 21-14, 21-14 in the quarterfinals.
Only the winners of the women’s and men’s finals earn direct berths to the 2028 Games, but countries can still qualify through the FIVB Olympic Ranking, the 2027 world championships and the 2028 Olympic Qualifier Series.
