Beach Volleyball, Monaco DL, Wimbledon Finals, WNBA & NWSL Olympic Scrambles
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Women’s Beach Volleyball World Tour
The FIVB Beach volleyball world tour has officially reached Gstaad, Switzerland!
Early sensations of the tournament, Spain’s Daniela Alvarex and Angela Lobato managed to defeat reigning world champions, Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada in a main draw match.
But have no fear! If we know anything about this Canadian duo, it’s that they know what it takes to win. And they showed that as they bounced back to clench a spot in the elimination round.
Friday’s schedule features the Round of 24 and the Round of 16. The quarterfinals are set to happen on Saturday with the medal matches on Sunday.
The elimination round starts TODAY! Check out the women’s quarters, semis and finals this weekend on CBC Sports!
2021 Track and Field Wanda Diamond League Series: Monaco
The start of the Tokyo Olympic Games is just around the corner but track and field fans will get a preview of the Games this Friday at the Wanda Diamond League Series stop in Monaco.
There will definitely be some mega clashes but the women’s 200m is expected to take centre stage as three of the top medal prospects are competing in today’s race. Topping the field is world leader Gabrielle Thomas of the U.S. (the second fastest woman in history!) - as well as Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shaunae Miller-Ubo of the Bahamas.
The women’s 1500m field features another almighty matchup as Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon takes on Dutch runner, Sifan Hassan. ALSO, the women’s 3000m steeplechase will feature previous gold medalist, Beatrice Chepkoech, who will be seeking a return to the top.
Check out the 2021 Track and Field Wanda Diamond League Series stop in Monaco Friday at 2pm ET on CBC Sports!
Wimbledon
We’re nearly there!! The women’s Wimbledon finals are upon us and I’m willing to bet it’ll be one hell of a match.
After defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the semis, Karolina Pliskova is set to face Ashleigh Barty in the final on Saturday morning! It’ll be an interesting match to say the least. On the one hand, Barty doesn’t let obstacles trouble her and always seems to figure out a way to win (which is why she’s world No.1). But on the other hand, Pliskova has proven to play a calm, consistent and steady game - always on the lookout to take advantage of her competitors' weaknesses.
Both are fighting for their first Wimbledon championship title. You do not want to miss this!
In other Wimbledon news, the women’s doubles are approaching the semifinal stage of the tournament. Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina will face off against Caroline Dolehide and Storm Sanders. While Su-Wei Hsieh and Elise Mertens go head-to-head against Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara.
Tune in to the Wimbledon Women’s Finals Saturday at 9am ET and the Women’s Doubles semis and finals Friday and Saturday at 9am ET on ESPN, TSN and TVA Sports!
WNBA
As we approach the halfway mark of the WNBA season, teams are scrambling to lock down their rosters before the Olympic break. And speaking of the Olympics, now seems like a good time to take stock of team performances throughout the league.
Sitting alone at the top of the standings are the Seattle Storm holding a 15-4 record in the Western Conference. The Las Vegas Aces are not far behind them at 14-5. These two teams have already played their three matchups for the season, with the Aces holding a 2-1 edge over the Storm.
At 12-6 the Connecticut Sun are the top team in the East and rank third overall. The Minnesota Lynx (10-7) and Chicago Sky (10-9) round up the league’s top five.
I’m really looking forward to the Lynx vs. Aces game on Friday at 10:30pm ET. If Minnesota can defeat Vegas for a second time (the first time being a couple of weeks ago), I think we’ll be able to look at them as championship contenders!
This weekend’s games:
Dream vs. Sun - Friday at 7pm ET
Liberty vs. Fever - Friday at 7pm ET
Storm vs. Mercury - Friday at 9pm ET
Lynx vs. Aces - Friday at 10:30pm ET
Mystics vs. Sky - Saturday at 8pm ET
Aces vs. Wings - Sunday at 1pm ET
Sun vs. Liberty - Sunday at 2pm ET
Fever vs. Dream - Sunday at 5pm ET
Mercury vs. Storm - Sunday at 6pm ET
Lynx vs. Sparks - Sunday at 9pm ET
Tune in to this weekend’s lineup of WNBA games, Friday, Saturday and Sunday on ESPN or with the WNBA League Pass!
NWSL
The NWSL will see no stoppage in play during the Tokyo Olympics. And I’m interested to see how each team will set up to weather the storm and build momentum as the season’s halfway mark approaches.
Most teams in the league will be missing high-profile pieces of their roster to international play. Just to scratch the surface, the North Carolina Courage (No.1 in the league) will be losing centre-back Abby Erceg. Erceg has been essential to North Carolina’s defence and without her, the Courage may struggle to keep the ball out of the back of their net. The challenge begins as teams reassemble and solidify their squads without their Tokyo-bound stars.
I have to mention Olivia Moultrie. The 15-year-old made her regular-season debut with the Portland Thorns and is the youngest player in NWSL history! It’s so impressive! The young up-and-coming talent could see more time on the pitch in the near future as Portland deals with the absences of key players, Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair due to Olympic duties.
Games this weekend:
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville - Friday at 7pm ET
Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage - Saturday at 7pm ET
Portland Thorns vs. Gotham FC - Sunday at 3pm ET
Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash - Sunday at 6pm ET
OL Reign vs. Kansas City - Sunday at 7pm ET
Check out this weekend's NWSL matchups Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Twitch!
Women’s Sports on TV Guide
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Only 4% of national airtime is devoted to women’s sports. At The 4% our objective is to promote what, when, and where to watch women’s sports to help raise awareness and grow the audience for women’s sports on TV.
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