Emily Stockman and Amanda Dowdy recorded a career-best fifth place FIVB finish at the Fortaleza Open this weekend. Thanks to an impressive three-set victory over No. 2 Brazilian pair and World Championships title-holders Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas de Freitas in the second round of elimination play, the young and newly formed American team advanced to the quarterfinals

Dowdy and Stockman then faced Brazilians Elize Maia Secomandi and Eduarda Santos Lisboa—one of five Brazilian teams that advanced to the quarters. Although Stockman and Dowdy were able to push the Maceio Open gold medalists to three games, they ultimately came up short 21-11, 24-22, 15-11.

The triumphant Brazilian duo then went on to defeat Vanuatu’s Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu in the semifinals and will play in tomorrow’s gold-medal match against the winner of the two Brazilian teams in the second semifinal—Juliana Felisberta Da Silva and Taiana Lima versus Rebecca Cavalcanti Barbosa Silva and Liliane Maestrini.

On the men’s side, Americans Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb also took fifth, losing to Jonathan Erdmann and Kay Matysik in the quarterfinals 21-18, 23-21. Gibb and Patterson went 3-0 in pool play to earn a bye into the second round where they took out Brazilians Gustavo Albrecht Carvalhaes and Saymon Barbosa Santos.