Two months in the past, Megan Kraft was a left-side blocker, sporting a USC Trojans tank-top, competing in opposition to NCAA expertise on an NCAA stage.
On Saturday afternoon in Vienna, Austria, Kraft was, as she has been since leaving USC as a four-time NCAA champion, a right-side defender, sporting a USA Volleyball tank prime, competing in opposition to Elite16 expertise on the world’s largest stage.
She seems to be the identical in pink, white and blue as she did within the garnet: Dominant.
Following a convincing 21-16, 22-20 sweep over Brazilians Agatha and Rebecca within the bronze-medal match of the Vienna Elite16, Kraft and one other former Trojan, Terese Cannon, will return dwelling from Europe with two medals in hand. Simply eight days earlier this new pair went all the best way to the Gstaad Elite16 ultimate earlier than dropping to fellow Individuals Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss.
“Megan’s superb. She has fully switched positions,” mentioned Cannon, who collected her eighth and ninth medals within the final two weeks in Gstaad and Vienna. “The truth that we’re capable of have such success in opposition to unimaginable groups — it’s simply been so enjoyable. I’m excited to see the place we go.”
For a second, they nearly — nearly — went into a 3rd set in opposition to Agatha and Rebecca. With Cannon and Kraft holding three match factors up 20-17, Brazil erased it with a facet out and consecutive earned factors, placing the Individuals below duress for the primary time of the match. That is the place a typical rookie recent out of faculty would possibly get pinched, the stress of a three-point edge constructing to a nervy crescendo.
Which is exactly the place Kraft reminded everybody that she isn’t any typical rookie.
A missed serve from Agatha gave the USA a further match level, the place Kraft, simply two months into defending full-time, dug a bomb into the angle from Agatha and buried the following swing down the seam for the match-clinching kill.
“We wished to gradual it down,” Kraft mentioned. “They’re clearly a very good group, had a variety of momentum, we wished to gradual to down, belief our go, and we simply stayed regular, trusting one another, trusting the sport plan.”
The sport plan was, it grew to become evident early on, to keep away from Rebecca, each in serve obtain and in protection. Throughout their semifinal in Gstaad — a 21-18, 15-21, 15-13 win for Kraft and Cannon that put them of their first Elite16 ultimate as a group — Rebecca sided out at 64 p.c and killed 50 p.c of her transition alternatives. They wished nothing to do along with her in Vienna, serving Agatha almost solely, looking the excessive palms of Agatha on the web versus capturing and bringing Rebecca’s protection and transition attacking in play. For the second straight week, it labored, and Cannon and Kraft have, for the primary time of their careers, consecutive medals due to it.
“Simple” is how Emily Stockman as soon as described enjoying with Kraft throughout their two years as companions. Positive sufficient, Kraft made it look straightforward all match, siding out at 75 p.c, 14 p.c larger than what they restricted their opponents to in Vienna. However straightforward can be a phrase that shortly involves thoughts with regards to enjoying, and succeeding, with Terese Cannon.
Prior to now three seasons, Cannon has now medaled with 5 totally different gamers on the Seashore Professional Tour. Molly Shaw, Delaney Mewhirter, Sara Hughes, Sarah Sponcil, and now Kraft have all benefitted from her block and intangible potential to make each one among her companions higher. Kraft, for the foreseeable future, is the one who will get to profit from the 6-foot-3 blocker who’s making a case for the world’s most improved participant.
But Cannon has stiff competitors in that class. Germany’s Svenja Muller gained her first Elite16 gold medal in additional than two years with Cinja Tillmann, sweeping Switzerland’s Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader, 21-14, 21-18. Six straight matches did Germany win en path to their first podium because the Seashore Professional Tour Finals final December, dropping solely a single set within the course of.
The silver marks Switzerland’s first medal above the Problem degree since Verge-Depre and Mader gained bronze on the Tokyo Olympic s in 2021.
Andy Benesh, Miles Partain enhance with a fifth at Vienna Elite16
For the second straight Elite16, there can be no podium for the American males. Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, the lone USA males in the primary draw, fell within the quarterfinals to Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, who’re returning to peak type after a foot harm saved Mol out for 3 months.
Whereas the fifth brings dwelling no {hardware} for Benesh and Partain, who gained a bronze a month in the past on the Ostrava Elite16, it was the way during which they performed that ought to give American followers hope. The apathetic pair that was summarily dismissed of their ultimate three matches in Gstaad was changed by one with a rediscovered enthusiasm in Vienna, with three sweeps over Germany, Australia, and Austria. Their two losses got here to the 2 seed (Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler) and the three in Mol and Sorum.
It’s the ultimate time Benesh and Partain can be in motion till the Paris Olypic Video games, the place they’re in a pool that features Cuba’s Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz, Brazil’s George Wanderley and Andre Loyola, and Morocco’s Mohamed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui.
