Toronto beach volleyball combo advances to semifinals

JURMALA, Latvia – Toronto volleyball players Brandie Humana-Paredes and Melissa Humana-Paredes punched their semifinal tickets on Saturday at the Beach Pro Tour Challenge tournament in Jurmala on the Baltic Sea in Latvia.

The third-seeded Toronto team started the day with a 21-14, 21-14 victories in the round of 16 over Lithuanian pair Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte.

In the quarterfinals, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes defeated Chinese qualifiers Dong Jie and Wang Fan, also in straight sets (22-20, 21-16). Humana-Paredes produced the match high of 20 points, including two aces, while Humana-Paredes added an impressive five kill blocks toward a 15-point total.

Home-crowd favourites Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina will play Canada in Sunday’s semifinal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2023.