Day One of Australian Beach Volleyball Tour Delivers Exciting Action
Round two of the 2024/25 Australian Beach Volleyball Tour at the Lyneham Courts in Canberra played host to an incredible opening day of on-court action.
Two Developing Volleyroos, Lizzie Alchin and Finley Bennett, are taking on this weekend’s challenge as they look to battle it out against some of the country’s best talent.
Alchin, 20, is partnering with the experienced Georgia Johnson, and is excited to be back competing on the national tour.
“Day one of the tournament has been awesome,” Alchin said. “The Canberra event is always fun, and it’s great to be back.
“It is quite hot out here today, but with the extra drink breaks and everything, it’s been really good.
“Getting to partner with Georgia is awesome; I think playing with someone with more experience is always really fun.
“And getting to learn from her and being able to grow as a pair is always really cool.”
Having competed in Bulgaria, China, India, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand and more, getting to come back to Canberra is a highlight on the calendar for Lizzie.
“The national tour is always fun because you get to see everyone that you know, and it’s a good time to catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while,” she said.
“And of course, getting to play in front of my family who are here this weekend, which is always so fun to get to play in front of my parents.”
As a member Volleyball Australia’s Developing Volleyroos Program, Lizzie is grateful for the support and preparation the program provides to prepare them for tournaments.
“I think the coaching that we get and the support that we get is really important for our journey as an athlete,” Alchin said.
“I think having all our coaches here, who are helping us warm up and with games is really important, and of course the support we get from Volleyball Australia.
“Winning is the goal for this tournament, and there are obviously lots of good teams here, but it would be awesome to get the win.
“And then hopefully, the goal for 2025 is to qualify for World Champs in Adelaide at the end of the year.”
Competing in the Men’s Elite division is 18-year-old Finley Bennett, who is enjoying the intimate venue at Lyneham for the second stop of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour.
“It is pretty hot out here for day one, but it’s a really good competition,” Bennett said.
“It is always a good venue, the courts are close together which means you get to watch other games and have other people support you, and you get to support other people, which I really like.”
Also involved with the Developing Volleyroos program, Finley has been proud of his development so far, and can’t wait to continue his volleyball journey as he looks ahead to the 2025 competition season.
“It is a great program, and I’ve developed so much in such a short period of time,” he said.
“Since coming in at the start of this year, I’ve already seen improvement, because of the way we train, building up to events and then having a little bit of a break, and then continuing just to build towards each event with your new partner, if you have someone new.
“The goal for this tournament is to win, but I think I’d be very happy if we made Super Sunday and got to be in the top four.
“That’d be definitely something to be very proud of.
“For the rest of the year, my goal is to get a bit more experience overseas at international tournaments, and do some good things there.”
Click here to see all draws and results from Day 1.
Day 2 actions commences at Lyneham Beach Courts at 8:00am AEDT.
