AVC Beach Continental Off to Flying Start in Shangluo, China
It was a clean sweep for the Australian’s on day two of the AVC Beach Continental in Shangluo, China, with wins across the board securing top rankings for each team in their respective pools of the preliminary phase.
The teams now reset and turn their attention to the round of 16, the first step towards the final rounds.
The men were in action in the afternoon sun. Paris Olympians Marck Nicolaidis (QLD) and Izac Carracher (NSW) were the first Australian Men’s team on the sand, facing fierce competition from Japan. The Olympic duo leaned on their defensive strength to close out the match in three sets, winning 2:1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-12). Thomas Hodges (VIC) and Ben Hood (QLD) had a strong performance over Kazakhstan, dispatching the opposition in two sets for a final score of 2:0 (21-12, 21-17).
The women, meanwhile, were in action twice in the day. Jasmine Fleming (QLD) and Lizzie Alchin (WA) got the day underway with a hard-fought three setter over Thailand, 2:1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-6), before holding firm through two tight sets for a 2:0 (24-22, 21-15) win over the Philippines.
Olympic Silver Medallist Taliqua Clancy (QLD) and Stefie Fejes (NSW) were equally locked in, seeing off Hong Kong 2:0 (21-10, 21-11) before returning under lights to defeat New Zealand 2:0 (21-18, 21-7).
Four teams, all undefeated, will move through to the knockout rounds. It’s shaping up as a strong week for Australian Volleyball in Shangluo, with the tournament title and an LA28 quota spot qualification still very much in play.
The Australians are back on the beach Friday, 4 September, for the round of 16 matches.
Friday 4 September | Round of 16
Men | AUS Hodges/Hood v KAZ Yakovelv/Mokhammad | 5:20pm AEST
Men | AUS Nicolaidis/Carracher v PHI Netitorn/T.Poravid | 6:10 AEST
Women | AUS Fleming/Alchin v PHI Naraphornrapat/Worapeerachayakorn | 8:00pm AEST
Women | AUS Fejes/Clancy v DRAW (TBD) | 10:30pm AEST
For Full Thursday Results: AVC Beach Continental | China
For Live Stream: AVC Beach Continental | China
The AVC Beach Continental in Shangluo, China is off to a flying start this week, with all four Australian teams winning every match on day one.
These early wins are important building blocks as the Australians chase the tournament title and the LA28 quota spot that is on offer.
Paris Olympians Mark Nicolaidis (QLD) and Izac Carracher (NSW) put the Australians on the board with a 2:0 (21-13, 21-14) win over Lebanon, setting the tone for the day ahead.
Olympian Thomas Hodges (VIC) playing alongside partner Ben Hood (QLD) kept the momentum going with a 2:0 (21-19, 21-12) victory over Oman.
In the afternoon session, Olympic silver medalist Taliqua Clancy (Qld) and new partner Stefie Fejes (NSW) showed their strength, defeating Mongolia 2:0 (21-7, 21-5). The new duo are building their partnership on the international stage, with more to come through the tournament.
Jasmine Fleming (QLD) and Lizzie Alchin (WA) followed with a 2:0 (21-9, 21-6) win over Uzbekistan, rounding out a clean sweep for the women’s teams.
The men returned under lights for the evening session to continue the hot streak. Nicolaidis and Carracher backed up with a 2:0 (21-12, 21-17) win over the Philippines, while Hodges and Hood capped off a perfect day for Australia with a 2:0 (21-16, 21-14) win over Iran.
With all four Australian teams undefeated after day one, the squad will be aiming to carry that momentum into the next pool stages as they continue their push for LA28 qualification.
The Australian’s are back in action on the beach Thursday, 3 September, looking to keep their winning streak alive.
For Full Wednesday Results: AVC Beach Continental | China
For Live Stream: AVC Beach Continental | China
Thursday, 3 Sep
Women | AUS Fleming/Alchin v S.Patcharaporn/M.Salinda THA | 11:00am AEST
Women | AUS Fejes/Clancy v W.T. TO/W.M.To HKG | 11:50am AEST
Men | AUS Nicolaidis/Carracher v KAI/Adachi JPN | 7:30pm AEST
Men | AUS Hodges/Hood v Bogatu/Gurin KAZ | 7:30pm AEST
Women | AUS Fejes/Clancy v Green/Tiplady NZL | 9:50pm AEST
Women | AUS Fleming/Alchin v Rondina/Pons PHI | 9:40pm AEST
