Another weekend, another potential medal haul for USA Volleyball on Sunday. In Poland, at the Stare Jablonki Challenge, Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg are enjoying a breakout event on the Beach Pro Tour, making their first semifinal as a team. After a loss to Ukraine’s Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko in the semifinals, Donlin and Denaburg will be playing for bronze against France’s No. 1 duo, Aline Chamereau and Clemence Vieira.
Stare Jablonki marks Donlin’s first semifinal since a silver medal win at the Montreal Elite16 in July of 2023 with Betsi Flint, where they made the finals out of the qualifier. It’s Denaburg’s first crack at a podium since Joao Pessoa last fall, where she and Deahna Kraft finished fourth, also out of the qualifier.
As a team, the two have had an expectedly topsy-turvy run in their debut season, one marked with elite wins — a three-set victory over Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson in the opening weekend of the AVP League, a sweep over defending League Champs Geena Urango and Toni Rodriguez, a three-set win over Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw — and understandable lows, take a qualifier loss at the Quintana Roo Elite in March.
Regardless of what happens on Sunday against France, a top-four finish will be a huge points boost in the race to the World Championships this November in Adelaide, Australia, especially with Kim Hildreth and Teegan Van Gunst dropping in the quarterfinals for a fifth (they also lost to Ukraine) and Savvy Simo and Abby Van Winkle taking a second consecutive ninth.
They will play for bronze at 6 a.m. Eastern and 3 a.m. Pacific.
For full results of the Stare Jablonki Challenge, head here.
Audrey Koenig, Alexis Durish continue hot start in Geneva
Audrey Koenig and Alexis Durish are technically no longer perfect on the 2025 international season.
They have officially dropped one set on the year, at the Beach Pro Tour Geneva Futures, on an otherwise flawless season. Granted, they haven’t dropped a match, no. Just a single set, to Canada’s Emma Glagau and Kaylee Glagau in the final round of pool play in Switzerland, in a match they’d win, 21-13, 17-21, 15-9, and march into Saturday’s quarterfinals. There, they capitalized as well, sweeping USA Volleyball’s Mariah Whalen and Rachael Cramer 21-9, 21-19.
On the year, Durish and Koenig have now outscored opponents 221-139, a total that does not include a straight-set gold medal run to a NORCECA gold medal last week or a straight-set run through the World University Games qualifier.
Durish and Koenig, Florida State’s top duo, will get a rematch with Canada’s Glagaus in the semifinals at 6 a.m. eastern.
