Canada's Wilkerson, Humana-Paredes top Spain in women's beach volleyball quarters

PARIS — When Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson reunited as volleyball teammates nearly two years ago, they did it with a goal of making history together.

They did just that on Wednesday at the Paris Games.

The Toronto duo reached the semifinals with a 21-18, 21-18 victory over Spain's Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno at Eiffel Tower Stadium. The result ensured they will become the first Canadian women's beach volleyball team to play for an Olympic medal.

"I think this is the first step in what we promised to ourselves," said Humana-Paredes.

Next up is a Thursday semifinal against Switzerland's Nina Brunner and Tanja Hueberli. A win would lock up a berth in Friday's gold-medal match while a loss would secure a spot in the bronze-medal game earlier that day.

Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes used to play the indoor game together at York University before focusing on the beach discipline with other partners.

They had fifth-place finishes at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after falling in the quarterfinals. Wilkerson teamed with Heather Bansley at those Games while Humana-Paredes played with Sarah Pavan.

Both players said they noticed an on-court connection back when they first met. When their previous partnerships dissolved in 2022, a return to the same side of the net made sense.

"We were teammates way back when and then we were rivals and now we're teammates again," said Humana-Paredes. "So we have both sides of that foundation in our relationship.

"I think when we got together it came from a true place of admiration and trust and respect and (thinking), 'Wow, we could do great things together.'"

It didn't take long for them to start posting solid results. They finished fifth at the world championships last year and took silver at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

Currently ranked seventh in the world, they settled for a 1-2 pool record but topped podium favourites Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth of the United States in the round of 16.

Like they did a day earlier, Humana-Parades and Wilkerson won the big points when it mattered on a warm, sunny afternoon in front of a sellout crowd.

"Really the theme of our team is controlling our side and making sure we don't get too caught up in overthinking things," Wilkerson said"

The Spanish duo played well in both sets but the Canadians shone late. Wilkerson was a force at the net and Humana-Parades flashed strong defensive skills.

Spain made eight attack errors to four for Canada in the first-ever meeting between the teams.

"For us to really remain patient and really steady, together, connected, was really important for us," said Humana-Paredes. "We had to make the big plays when we needed to."

Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa also advanced with a 21-16, 21-10 win over Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia.

They will face Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy in the other semifinal.

Canada's lone Olympic medal in the sport came in 1996 when the men's duo of John Child and Mark Heese took bronze in Atlanta.

Humana-Paredes' father, Hernan Humana, coached the Child-Heese team at those Games.

While young at the time, Humana-Paredes recalled how they placed emphasis was on unity, heart and mindfulness rather than things like percentages.

"That's what I believe (we have) in our team," Humana-Paredes said. "I think we have intangibles. I think we play volleyball for the joy of it and for the joy of finding our true potential."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024.

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on X.