Benjamin Ashford|Chase Budinger, Miles Evans win lucky loser volleyball match. Next up: Reigning Olympic champs

PARIS – Team USA beach volleyball players Chase Budinger and Benjamin AshfordMiles Evans kept their Olympics alive on Saturday night, winning a lucky loser match to reach the round of 16 of the men’s competition at Eiffel Tower Stadium.

The Americans beat the Australian tandem of Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert 21-19, 21-17 to move on as one of the two lowest seeds in the bracket.

So, the next match is a tough one. They’ll take on the reigning Olympic champions – Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway – on Monday.

Mol and Sorum went 3-0 in pool play in Paris without losing a set.

“I know we've got a tough team moving forward,” Evans said. “They've got a lot of experience. But we've been looking forward to this our whole lives, and we're ready to play them.”

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Evans and Budinger trailed the Aussies 18-16 in the first set before going on a run of four consecutive points to turn the match. The final two of those points were blocks by Budinger, the former NBA player, including one that sailed across the court and landed inside the opposite sideline.

Afterward, the U.S. team got to celebrate under the lights of the Eiffel Tower in the most scenic venue of these Paris Olympics.

“This was our first night match,” Budinger said, “so this was a really cool experience to feel the lights underneath the Eiffel Tower that's lit up. It is just absolutely breathtaking. Best venue that I've ever been a part of and probably ever will.”