Czech Republic’s Slukova & Hermannova deny German Glory

Klagenfurt, Austria, July 29, 2016 – Barbora Hermannova and Marketa Slukova denied Germany a possible FIVB World Tour women’s podium sweep here Friday morning as the Czech Republic pair eliminated Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude in an opening “Sweet 16” match at the UIS$800,000 A1 Major Klagenfurt.

Competing as the 11th-seeded team in the fourth of five SWATCH Major Series events on the 2015-2016 FIVB World Tour calendar, Hermannova and Slukova posted a 2-0 (21-19, 23-21) win in 39 minutes over the fourth-seeded Laboureur and Sude in the first international meeting between the two teams.

With four teams in the A1 Major Klagenfurt Round of 16, Germany was in position for a podium sweep as three of the four pairs from the European country were seeded among the top for tandems in the last FIVB World Tour stop prior to the start of next week’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Exiting the “Sweet 16” round, Switzerland is now in position to sweep the A1 Major Klagenfurt podium with three teams advancing to quarter-finals with fifth-seeded Joana Heidrich / Nadine Zumkehr, 10th-seeded Isabelle Forrer/Anouk Verge-Depre and 18th-seeded Nina Betschart/Tanja Huberli winning matches Friday morning.

Top-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst advanced to the quarter-finals with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-13) win in 31 minutes over Victoria Bieneck and Julia Grossner in an All-German “Sweet 16” match.  It was Ludwig and Walkenhorst’s second win over Bieneck and Grossner on the international circuit with the first last month in Olsztyn, Poland.

Second-seeded Karla …

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