VanHuizen-Redmann Best-Ever
Jonas Reckermann (left) of Germany at the net with Richard VanHuizen (right) watching his partner Christian Redmann hitting. photo: fivb.org
Christian Redmann and Richard VanHuizen entered “unchartered territory” for their partnership on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as the 22nd-seeded Canadians reached the men’s quarter-finals at the US$600,000 Grand Slam Moscow 2009 by winning their opening elimination match Saturday morning.
With their 21-17, 19-21 and 15-13 win in 54 minutes over 10th-seeded Yury Bogatov and Serguei Prokopiev of Russia, Redmann and VanHuizen secured their best-ever finish together on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as the Canadians prepared for their next match against top-seeded Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann of Germany with the winning tandem advancing to the Grand Slam Moscow 2009 semi-finals.
For Redmann, the four-straight wins with VanHuizen this week has secured his best-ever finish on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour in 13 events to better his previous top placement of ninth with his current partner two weeks ago at the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Championships in Stavanger, Norway.
Sunday, the top-ranked Germans, Brink and Reckermann out-lasted Redmann and VanHuizen 25-27, 22-20 and 15-12 in a very close match lasting 81 minutes. They will finish up fifth for the tournament. Redmann and VanHuizen were seeking to become the first Canadian men’s team to reach a SWATCH FIVB World Tour semi-final since 2003 when three-time Olympians John Child and Mark Heese placed fourth in the 2003 season opening event in Rhodes, Greece.
The only Canadian women’s appearance in a SWATCH “final four” was at a 2004 stop in Norway by Guylaine Dumont and Annie Martin.
fivb.org
