Qualifiers win first FIVB title in Porec - Articles

The No. 1 qualifier seed Chantal Laboreur and Julia Sude of Germany came through to win gold Saturday at the Swatch Major series stop in Porec, Croatia, 21-19, 21-18 over No. 4 Sarah Pavan/Heather Bansley of Canada. The men’s finish up Sunday. “It is a dream come true,” said Laboreur, in a FIVB interview. “We played our best today against two teams headed to the Olympics. We have worked very hard the past several years to position ourselves as one of the best teams in the world. All our hard work and training paid off today as we defeated two very good teams. No one expects a qualifying team to win an event, and today we did.” “I am very disappointed,” said Pavan, the former Nebraska star. “I think we really played well throughout the whole tournament. In the final we did not play at the same level. So it’s tough. But there’s always room for improvement and you know, we want get on top of that podium.” In their first semifinal, Laboreur/Sude dispatched fellow Germans Karla Borger/Britta Buthe 21-19, 22-20. In the second semifinal, No. 2 Sarah Pavan/Heather Bansley of Canada dismissed No. 2 Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst of Germany 21-17, 21-15. Ludwig/Walkenhorst of Germany had been the hottest team on the planet, having won 17 in a row on the FIVB tour; 24 including the European championships. Borger/Buthe rebounded to win bronze over compatriots Ludwig/Walkenhorst 21-17, 21-15. On the men’s side, No. 3 Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena overcame fellow Americans Tri Bourne/John Hyden i 13-21, 22-20,...

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