Men's beach volleyball falls to Ukrainians

by Leila Hanaumi on September 14, 2009

The undefeated U.S. Men’s Beach Volleyball Team’s duo of Mike Bruning and Dimitri Nikiforov finally fell against a hard-hitting Ukraine team Tuesday at Pacific Green Bay.

The packed bleachers vibrated with energy, especially on America’s side. Other U.S. beach volleyball players united fans and Taiwanese volunteers with chants and never let up throughout the match.

Bruning won roars from the energetic crowd as he set a firm tone from the start, hitting a fierce spike twice in a row and then making a near-impossible save. Soon after, he did his first sky-ball serve, which Ukraine received nicely. The crowd ate it all up.

When Bruning sky-balled for the third time, Ukraine appeared to start focusing on receiving the difficult serve and not concentrate on making good hits. This allowed the U.S. to catch up just in time and tie the set at 20.

Both teams first made kills and then serving errors. But then Nikiforov made an ace that won the game, 24-22. The screaming fans leaped out of their seats.

The U.S.’s biggest challenge was adjusting its defense set-up. Bruning’s blocks — which had helped win all his and Nikiforov’s matches — couldn’t save the duo this time. Ukraine played smart and made more high lobs past Bruning’s hands rather than attacking.

The crowd took everything in and wasted no time jumping to their feet in objection when the referee made a mistaken call against the U.S. They also didn’t seem to tire of Bruning’s sky balls, which he continued to make in the second game.

“My jump serves didn’t feel right,” Bruning said when asked why he used the sky ball move so often. “I was also trying to put the pressure on.”

Ukraine, on the other hand, seemed to be prepared for Bruning’s fierce jump serves and sky balls. The U.S.’s opponent kept playing smart and working around Bruning’s blocks, which threw Bruning and Nikiforov off. Although the Americans had their share of great plays, Ukraine simply had more as they won, 21-15.

Going into the final game, Bruning made the decision to start with a sky-ball serve, which helped U.S. take the first lead, but afterwards he made his first sky-ball error of the match.

In the middle of the game, Bruning and Nikiforov switched positions, and Bruning began receiving balls and Nikiforov blocking them. It worked the first time, but their defense seemed choppy.

As quickly as it began, the match was over. Ukraine had won, 15-11. The Ukraine players jumped on each other and fell to the sand in jubilation, while Bruning and Nikiforov turned to address their supportive fans.

“Ukraine was a very tough competition,” Indoor Volleyball Assistant Coach Ray Lehmann said, shaking his head. “Darn.”

Coach Said Soukiane said he was disappointed, but that the duo played “outstanding. Both teams did. Ukraine played very aggressively.”

Soukiane said he definitely will return for the 2013 Deaflympics with Bruning and Nikiforov, with whom he had only three weeks to train before the championship game.

The U.S. men were the only Americans to medal Tuesday. Jessica Ensign and Nancy Moore failed to claim bronze when they lost a dull match against Ukraine, who took an easy 2-0.

Coach Lauren Mills said she was disappointed at how Ensign and Moore seemed to give up.

Meanwhile, Moore managed an optimistic smile and said, “Fourth place is better than last!”

Ensign, who was visibly upset and left the court immediately after the loss, later said she was definitely returning to the next Deaflympics.

“I owe Ukraine and everybody else!” Ensign said. “I also want to thank my partner, Nancy, for this experience.”

Both American teams had very little time to train before going to Taipei, and they say they are determined to return to the next Deaflympics better than ever.

Men's beach volleyball falls to Ukrainians

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