World Series of Beach Volleyball 2017 scores: Brazil’s Talita Da Rocha Antunes and Larisa Franca beat Americans April Ross and Lauren Fendrick in final
The World Series of Volleyball was very exciting in the women’s bracket, and Brazil came out on top over the US in the final.
The World Series of Beach Volleyball has wrapped up, at least for the women’s teams. The Brazilian team of Talita Da Rocha Antunes and Larissa Franca beat the American team of April Ross and Lauren Fendrick in straight sets, 21-15, 21-17, on Saturday.
The third place match, featuring the US and international losers from the semifinals, was won by the Americans Sara Hughes and Kelly Claes, who bested Germans Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst, also in straight sets, 21-17, 21-14.
In the women’s semifinals, the team of Ross and Fendrick prevailed over the very tough Hughes and Claes. The latter team was favored to win it, and was the higher seed, but Ross and Fendrick ultimately won the match in three sets, 19-21, 21-19, 15-11.
On the international front, the team of De Rocha Antunes and Franca breezed through the team of Ludwig and Walkenhorst to punch their ticket into the final, 21-16, 21-16. The Brazilians needed just 35 minutes to beat the Germans, while the Ross/Fendrick semifinal lasted just over an hour.
That set up a USA vs. Brazil final between the team of Ross and Fendrick and the team of De Rocha Antunes and Franca. The third-place match was then set to be between the team of Ludwig and Walkenhorst and the team of Hughes and Claes.
Ross had previously been partnered up with Kerri Walsh Jennings for a number of years. That pairing was one of the most dominant in the sport for a long time, but they split in May due to Walsh Jennings refusing to sign a contract with the AVP.
Walsh Jennings ended up teaming with Nicole Branagh, and they lost two of their three matches in this tournament, falling to both the team of Ross and Fendrick and the team of Hughes and Claes.

