Beach Volleyballers Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain Defeat Morocco, Overcoming Heat And Match Point Controversy

PARIS – Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain survived searing heat, a feisty Moroccan duo and a surprise reversal of their apparent winning match point, to claim victory on center court in Eiffel Tower Stadium.

The California beach volleyball tandem – who were first U.S. athletes to win on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour in Oct. 2022 – knocked off Mohammed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui, 21-12, 28-26, in a 45-minute match. The mercury rose to 92 degrees Fahrenheit under sunny skies with 45% humidity. Sand temperatures exceeded 110 degrees.

With the sun beating down, conditions were exhausting for both teams, as volunteers lightly sprayed spectators with mists of water during breaks in the match. A near capacity crowd of 10,226 watched the mid-afternoon tilt, with the iconic French landmark towering above, but not providing any shade to cool matters down.

“It was a big factor, especially for blocking and if you’re getting served and getting a lot of jumps in,” Partain said, asked about playing in the sweltering heat. “The water breaks help, but it’s really hot. I don’t sweat a lot – Andy sweats a lot,” he said, eliciting laughter from his trusty teammate.

It apperared that the match was Olympic history after a sweet dink by Benesh made the second set score 25-23. Game, set, match, right? Not so fast.

Benesh dropped to the sand and raised his arms in victory, and perhaps exhaustion too. Partain walked over to join the celebration. However, the Moroccans contested the winning point, claiming Benesh brushed the net with his arm. The decision went to the challenge referee Robert Bronisz of Poland.  After a considerable delay, it was deemed that Benesh had nipped the net with his arm. An informal protest ensued, to no avail.

“There’s definitely sometimes when you don’t feel it, but I’m almost positive that the ball came off my arm and clipped the top of the tape,” Benesh explained, from his perspective.

“I was trying to re-challenge it and get a different angle. I am positive that I did not net, but it happens – they’re doing the best they can and there are some optical illusions where maybe it looks like I did (hit the net),” Benesh said.

The score was adjusted to 24-24 and the match continued. The outcome of the review, re-energized the Moroccan duo. Benesh and Partain were forced to dig deep and be resilient. A few match points later, the Americans finally ended the contest, 28-26. This time, no Moroccan challenges.

“It’s pretty easy to roll over when something like that happens, but Miles was great supporting me and I think we stayed in the moment,” Benesh said. “There’s a lot of pressure here, burt we trust in our team and our abilities. I thought we were clutch when we needed to be.”

"You could feel the pressure but we were just trying to stay in our heads and not get outside,” Partain said. “I thought we did a decent job of that."

Benesh contributed 16 attack points, while Partain had 15, a well-balanced scoring effort.

The duo displays chemistry despite their vastly different characteristics. Partain, age 22, is the USA's youngest beach volleyball player to ever compete at an Olympic Games.

Benesh, 28, stands 6-foot-8, towering above Partain at 6-foot-3, and is an imposing presence at the net. The California beach boys seem to click together.

Benesh and Partain rebounded on Tuesday from their opening match, having lost to Cubans Dias and Alayo, in two sets, on Saturday. As Pool D play moves forward, Brazil’s Evandro and Arthur are up next, on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 1.

Temperatures are expected to drop over the coming days, but the formidable Brazilian veterans are sure to bring the heat. Benesh and Partain will try to maintain their Californian cool.

“We’ll just play as hard as we can and we have some scouting to do,” Partain said. “We’ve trained with them – they’re a good team and we’re looking forward to the match.”