Invicto means undefeated in Portuguese, which is a convenient word for USA Volleyball fans to know, as all four American teams in the Joao Pessoa Elite qualifier — Kamila Tan and Tiffany Svenssohn, Savvy Cory and Devon Newberry, Trevor Crabb and Wyatt Harrison, and Cody Caldwell and Jacob La Bouliere — won, punching their ticket into the main draw.
Tan and Svenssohn opened Wednesday’s play with the biggest upset of the day, as the No. 14-seeded Americans shocked No. 3 Emi van Driel and Mila Konink, 21-14, 16-21, 15-12. It’s the first main draw above the Futures level for Svenssohn, and the first Elite main draw for Tan, who won a gold medal at the Pompano Futures with Natalie Myskowski in December.
Cory and Newberry also prevailed in three in their debut as a team, fending off Hungary’s Stefania Kun and Lilla Villam, 20-22, 21-9, 16-14.
The two men’s teams — Crabb and Harrison, Caldwell and La Bouliere — needed just two sets each to win. Crabb and Harrison swept Spain’s Nathan Matos and Pablo Perez, 21-15, 21-14. Caldwell and La Bouliere, in their first tournament together, stunned Brazilians Vinicius and Heitor, 23-21, 21-10.
The qualifier success makes for 11 total USA Volleyball teams in the Joao Pessoa Elite main draw. Kristen Cruz and Taryn Brasher, Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft, Piper Ferch and Teegan Van Gunst, Hailey Harward and Xolani Hodel, Abby Van Winkle and Molly Phillips, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh, and Chase Budinger and Miles Evans were already into the main.
Marco Krattiger celebrates at Gstaad/Volleyball World photo
Other notable qualifier results from the Joao Pessoa Elite
- Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier, the lone mainstay partnership of the Swiss men’s federation, qualified, continuing a hot run to end the 2025 season.
- Lui Wust and Maximilian Just, in their first tournament together after the German men reshuffled almost every partnership, made the main draw.
- Sofia Bisgaard and Cirkeline Hog put Denmark on the map with a shocker over Brazil’s Hegeile and Vitoria.
- Sophie Bukovec is back on the Beach Pro Tour, blocking for Lea Monkhouse, and they swept Brazil’s Andressa and Taina, 21-15, 23-21.
