#USC2Paris Olympics Recap (Day Seven): Trojan Andy Benesh Advances To Men’s Beach Volleyball Knockout Rounds In Paris

PARIS, FRANCE — USC alum Andy Benesh punched a ticket to the Olympic men's beach volleyball knockout rounds with a three-set victory today for the American pair over their Brazilian opponents. Another Trojan alum helped put his team in good position for advancement as well, with three-time Olympian Kostas Genidounias scoring again for Greece in men's water polo to keep the Greeks undefeated in group play. Elsewhere on day seven in Paris for USC's Olympic contingent, four Trojans helped push Australia to a tight win over host France, while two Women of Troy raced in the 4x200m freestyle relay in another busy day of action today. See below for full results and statistics for USC athletes in Paris today.

August 1 Recap
Men's Beach Volleyball
Benesh/Partain (USA) def. Loyola Stein/Souto Maior Wanderley (BRA) 2-1
   • First-time Olympian Trojan Andy Benesh earned his second Olympic victory with a 2-1 (21-17, 14-21, 15-8) win today over Brazil's Loyola Stein/Souto Maior Wanderley. He recorded 11 kills, four blocks and three aces to help secure the Americans' a place in the knockout rounds.
Tijan/Younousse (QAT) def. Carracher/Nicolaidis (AUS) 2-0
   • First-time Olympian Izac Carracher tallied nine kills, three blocks and an ace in a 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) loss to Qatar's Tijan/Younousse in Pool A competition. Carracher/Nicolaidis will not advance to the knockout rounds in Paris.

Women's Beach Volleyball
Clancy/Mariafe (AUS) def. Bansley/Bukovec (CAN) 2-0
   • A three-time national champion as a Trojan and first-time Olympian, Sophie Bukovec had 11 kills, two aces and a block in a 2-0 (21-10, 21-16) loss to Australia's Clancy/Mariafe in Pool B competition to miss advancement to the knockout rounds in Paris.

Women's Swimming
4x200m Freestyle Relay Heats
   • Current Trojan and first-time Olympian Minna Abraham helped Hungary's relay team finish second with a time of 7:52.25 to advance to the final.
   • USC alum and first-time Olympian Latricia Transom helped New Zealand's relay team finish eighth with a time of 7:54.37 to advance to the final.
4x200m Freestyle Relay Final
   • Abraham and her Hungary relay team finished in sixth place with a time of 7:50.52.
   • Transom and her New Zealand relay team finished in eighth place with a time of 7:55.89.

Men's Swimming
50m Freestyle Heats
   • USC alum Dylan Carter (Trinidad & Tobago) finished 29th in a time of 22.18 to miss advancement to the semifinals.
   • Current Trojan Artem Selin (Germany) finished 38th in a time of 22.54 to miss advancement to the semifinals.

Men's Water Polo
Australia 9, France 8
   • A 2018 NCAA champion at USC and first-time Olympian, goalie Nic Porter made 10 saves in Australia's win over France.
   • A 2018 NCAA champion at USC and first-time Olympian, Jacob Mercep scored one goal vs. France.
   • Two-time Olympian Lachlan Edwards started for Australia in today's win over France.
   • Two-time Olympian Blake Edwards scored one goal and had a steal for Australia.
Greece 13, USA 11
   • Playing in his second Olympic Games, Hannes Daube scored in his third straight game for Team USA, tallying one goal and adding two rebounds in the USA's loss to Greece.
   • Playing in his second Olympic Games, Marko Vavic scored his first goal in Paris today for Team USA.
   • Playing in his third Olympic Games, three-time NCAA champion Kostas Genidounias scored two goals and added a steal and a field block to help Greece stay undefeated in Paris with its third win of group play.

Women's Rowing
Four B Final
   • First-time Olympian Astrid Steensberg (Denmark) placed second in today's B Final with a time of 6:36.43.
Eight Repechage
   • First-time Olympians Nicoline Laidlaw and Caroline Munch placed fifth in Denmark's boat to miss advancement to a final.

Women's Basketball
France 74, Nigeria 54
   • Two-time Olympian Amy Okonkwo scored six points and had seven rebounds, three steals and an assist for Nigeria in a loss to host France to move to 1-1 in group play.

NEXT UP:
Tomorrow (Aug. 2), Olympic competition continues for USC athletes in women's rowing, men's and women's swimming, men's indoor volleyball, women's beach volleyball and women's water polo, while Trojans will also kick off action on the track. On the beach, the all-Trojan pair of NCAA champs and medal favorites Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes will be looking to add to the two wins they've already collected in women's beach volleyball group play. So, too, will Trojan alum Micah Christenson be aiming to help his U.S. men's volleyball squad to a third win in Paris when they hit the court tomorrow. Check the full list of participating Trojans along with schedule and results HERE.

Players Mentioned

Minna Abraham

Artem Selin