Beach volleyball player Katja Stam from Klijndijk and Raïsa Schoon lost the final of the Challenge tournament in Itapema, in Brazil.
In the final, the American duo Sara Hughes and Kelley Kolinske were too strong in two sets. It was twice 18-21.
At the start of the game, Stam and Schoon were already 4-7 behind. They managed to turn that into a 14-11 lead, but they still lost the first set to the American duo. In the second set it was still even, but a 6-7 deficit grew to a 10-14 deficit, to 12-17.
The Challenge tournament is part of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, the beach volleyball season of the International Volleyball Federation. It is split into three levels: the Elite 16 Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Future Tour, with the Elite 16 being the highest level. At the end of the season, the top ten duos play in the Beach Pro Tour Finals.
Stam and Schoon already have a win in the current season. In Mexico, they won an Elite 16 tournament last month. They also already won a final place together in a Challenge tournament, also in Mexico.
Earlier in the day, they defeated Brazilian duo Andressa and Vitoria in the semifinals in 21-10 and 21-16.