Miles Partain/Andy Benesh of the United States knocked off Italy’s Samuele Cottafava/Paolo Nicolai in straight sets (21-17, 21-18), advancing to the men’s beach volleyball quarterfinals.
Partain/Benesh found immense success with the jump set technique, reading the Italian defense to perfection and converting for easy scores.
Benesh was a force at the net, winning multiple meetings in the air with the 6-foot-8 Nicolai. A 3-0 run gave the Americans a 12-7 first set lead, and they went on to take the set by a comfortable margin.
In another match-changing run, the United States rung off five straight points in the second set to once again cruise to a set victory. The United States’ option offense proved to be the difference as Benesh/Partain won the match in convincing fashion.
The youngest Olympic men’s beach volleyball team in U.S. history, Partain/Benesh defeated a veteran Italian team that featured a Tokyo silver medalist in Nicolai.
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