A common denominator of the best teams in the world – Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, Jacob Holting-Nilsson and Elmer Andersson – is that they are, while strong in sideout, the best defensive teams in the world.
Such is the foundation of Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh: serve, block, and defense.
And that foundation is already being laid, in their opening event as partners, the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Joao Pessoa Elite.
Down 15-18 in the first set against Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher, they ripped off a 6-1 run to close it, needing a little luck – a miscommunication on Nicolaidis and Carracher on a virtual free ball from Benesh – and a heavy dose of earned points via blocks and transitions from Crabb. But this is why this team presents to much excitement: The ability to earn points.
Crabb makes more digs by volume than Benesh’s old partner, Miles Partain. While his transition rate is lower than Partain’s — Crabb’s sideout percent is, surprisingly, two percent higher — he has more opportunities to pick up points. It makes for 15-18 deficits to be far from over. It makes for comebacks like those to be quite regular.
It took one match to see one.
Because there they were again, down 2-6 in the second set – and then ripping off an 8-1 run to take a three-point lead.
This is more than likely going to be the norm going forward: streaky matches where defense reigns. Benesh finished with three blocks and six aces. Crabb added an ace and six digs – more than Nicolaidis and Carracher combined.
And they logged a notch in the most important statistical category of them all: The win column.
Intrigue Rules Pool Play at Joao Pessoa Elite
Sometimes leads and headlines write themselves. Sometimes a day – or entire tournament, in the case of this week’s Joao Pessoa Elite – has a cup runneth over in intrigue, it’s a wonder where to begin.
You tell me.
Is it Savvy Cory and Devon Newberry, squeaking through the qualifier and then stunning world champs Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova, 21-18, 20-22, 15-10? And then sweeping Piper Ferch and Teegan Van Gunst to punch their ticket into the playoff rounds?
The aforementioned successful debut of Andy Benesh and Taylor Crabb, the new standard-bearers for USA Volleyball’s men, who swept Australians Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher, 21-19, 21-16? And then followed up with another sweep over Brazil’s Vinicius and Heitor in a match where the scores are much closer than the match actually was?
Or perhaps Trevor Crabb and Wyatt Harrison, qualifying and then upsetting Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, 15-21, 21-19, 15-7 – the very team who kept Crabb and Phil Dalhausser off the Manhattan Beach Pier last August? And following that up with a comeback win over Argentina’s Capogrosso brothers, in which they were down 9-12 in the third set, only to come back and win again?
Take your pick. They’re all compelling.
And that doesn’t take into account the opener for Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, who swept Paraguay’s Michelle Valiente and Giuli Corrales, 21-18, 21-17, a win that required a gritty comeback from down 11-14. No gritty comeback was required in the next, a dominant sweep over Hailey Harward and Xolani Hodel.
It doesn’t take into account an excellent win for Piper Ferch and Teegan Van Gunst, who are sneakily riding a streak of two straight fifth-place Elite finishes. They took out Brazil’s Kyce Martins and Talita Simonetti, 21-14, 16-21, 15-11.
Season-openers across all sports are always full of intrigue and strange, unexpected results. Remember when the woebegone Raiders beat the Patriots in week one of the NFL season – and then both teams proceeded to sprint in completely opposite directions? The Raiders became the worst team in the League, while the Patriots ran all the way to the Super Bowl.
Such is week one life in sports.
Such is the Joao Pessoa Elite.
Expect the unexpected. Be intrigued by the intriguing.
