2017 Fort Lauderdale Beach Volleyball Major

Top 4 Takeaways From The Fort Lauderdale Major

Top 4 Takeaways From The Fort Lauderdale Major

The FIVB Fort Lauderdale Major, the first of five Swatch Major Series stops in 2017, wrapped up on Sunday, February 12, 2017. There was a lot to learn from seeing these athletes out on the sand for the first time since the end of the 2016 season, but ther

Feb 12, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
Top 4 Takeaways From The Fort Lauderdale Major
The FIVB Fort Lauderdale Major, the first of five Swatch Major Series stops in 2017, wrapped up on Sunday, February 12, 2017. Team USA walked away with one medal, a bronze--won by Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena--and American fans got to watch some great early season beach volleyball.

There was a lot to learn from seeing these athletes out on the sand for the first time since the end of the 2016 season, but there are our top four takeaways.

1. Despite not medaling in Rio, Larissa and Talita are still queens of the beach, and Brazil rules the game.


Larissa and talita fort lauderdaleBrazilian duo Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes won the women's gold medal at the Fort Lauderdale Major in straight sets over their countrywomen Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda Lisboa. The gold-medal winning pair lost in pool play to Jolien Sinnema and Joy Stubbe of the Netherlands, but otherwise didn't drop a set in the tournament.

Both finals featured two Brazilians teams, with Alvaro Filho and Saymon Barbosa defeating Evandro Goncalves and Andre Loyola in the men's gold medal match, proving once again that the South American country will be a force to be reckoned with on the FIVB tour this year.

2. John Hyden's still got it.


John Hyden and Ryan DohertyThe 44-year-old John Hyden picked up Ryan Doherty for the Fort Lauderdale Major after his regular partner Tri Bourne decided he needed to sit this one out due to illness. Despite the last minute arrangements, Hyden and Doherty went 2-1 in pool, and steamrolled their way through the elimination rounds and into the semifinals.

They lost to eventual gold medalists Alvaro and Saymon in the semis and then to Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena in the bronze-medal match, but it was one of only a handful of times that either man had made it to the semifinals on the FIVB tour, so you'd have to say the outing was a success. Now the question remains if Hyden will resume his partnership with Bourne as soon as he's healthy, or if he'll consider giving it another go with Doherty.

3. The German women are GOOD at beach volleyball.

Chantal Laboreur and Julia Sude Fort LauderdaleLaura Ludwig, one half of Germany's top women's pair, had to stay home during the Fort Lauderdale Major as she continues to recover from shoulder surgery. Ludwig's partner Kira Walkenhorst didn't have a great outing with substitute partner Julia Grossner finishing 17th, but Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude won their seventh medal as partners on the FIVB tour, defeating Summer Ross and Brooke Sweat in the bronze-medal match, and holding up the German women's recent tradition of excellence on tour.

4. New partnerships have potential for Team USA.


Brooke Sweat and Summer Ross Fort LauderdaleSummer Ross and Brooke Sweat put on an impressive show in their first outing as partners. The pair went 3-0 in pool and score two victories in elimination play, finishing in fourth place. On the men's side, Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb finished fifth and Theo Brunner and Casey Patterson ninth. Patterson and Brunner also scored a huge victory over Brazilian Olympic gold medalists Bruno Oscar Schmidt and Alison Cerutti in pool play.

All photos Swatch Major Series.