The Hague, The Netherlands, June 28, 2015 - A leg injury in the third match here Sunday afternoon on the Beach Volleyball schedule at the 2015 FIVB World Championships halted play in a women's Pool A confrontation between Guatemala and Kazakhstan on the sand at The Hofvijver stadium court.After 25th-seeded Tatyana Mashkova and Irina Tsimbalova of Kazakhstan won the first set 21-7, Guatemala scored two of the first three points in the second set before a play at the net stopped ended when Maria A. Orellana injured her left leg. The injury happened when the Guatemala player was accidently hit under the net by Mashkova.After taking a medical timeout, it was determined at Orellana, who was playing with her sister Maria J. as the 48th-seeded team in the competition, could not continue and Kazakhstan was awarded the Pool A win via forfeit.With Maria A. Orellana leaving the court on crutches for further examination, her status for her team's next match Monday against top-seeded Madelein Meppelink and Marleen Van Iersel of The Netherlands is not known. Meppelink and Van Iersel, who defeated the Kazakhstan team in the opening match of the world championships Friday, play their second match later Sunday against 24th-seeded Melissa Humana-Paredes/Taylor Pischke of Canada.
The Orellana sisters opened play Saturday by losing 2-0 (21-11, 21-7) in 30 minutes of Humana and Pischke. A forfeit by the Guatemalans Monday to Meppelink and Van Iersel would mean their elimination from the competition and a 37th-place finish. If the 19-year old Maria A. Orellana is able to play Monday, she and her 34-year old sister must defeat the Dutch to have any chance of advancing to the opening elimination rounds that begin Wednesday at the four world championship sites in The Netherlands - Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Rotterdam and The Hague.The FIVB World Championships continue through next weekend with the medal matches July 4 for women and July 5 for men. In addition to playing for the $60,000 first-place prize money, the 2015 FIVB World Championships will also reward the country with the gold medal team a berth in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.