With the women’s quarterfinal coming to a close here on day 4 of competition, the Canadians and Brazilians came out victorious.

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USA favorite and #1 seed Lauren Fendrick and April Ross fell to the Canadians in straight sets this afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals (15-21, 16-21). Bansley and Pavan served very tough and covered the court impressively - scooping up the usually effective cut shot from Fendrick and even many of the hard driven balls from Ross. Lauren and April played from behind in both games and simply had no answer for the Canadian duo who looked fresh and determined on the court. This loss came as somewhat of a shock as the American pair was favored to go further in the Finals.

Photocredit: Joerg Mitter

In the first quarterfinal the young Brazilians Agatha and Barbara were victorious over the Dutch team of Meppelink and Van Iersel in 2 sets (21-13, 26-24). Agatha and Barbara used their consistent steady play and ball control to wear down the Dutch. Both teams played very well and the second set in particular was incredibly close, extending into extra points just to close it out.

Brazilians Agatha/Barbara and Canadians Bansley/Pavan both move on to the semifinals on Saturday.

Look for match schedules to be released this afternoon.