New pair Bettenay and Stevens a force to be reckoned with
After only joining up as a team less than a week ago, Caitlin Bettenay and Alisha Stevens have sailed through to the Women’s Elite division semi final at the Cobram Barooga Classic Australian Beach Volleyball Tour.
The duo won both pool rounds and automatically qualified for the quarterfinals, where they faced Lisa-Marie Moegle and Sarah Nolet.
Bettenay and Stevens took the win 2-0 (21-9, 21-10), and have not yet dropped a set in this tournament.
“We did really well in that quarter final, we have a strong game plan going in and we just stuck to it and stayed really disciplined. We went out and executed it really well,” Bettenay said following the win.
Clearly a strong force, the duo came into the event as the 3rd seed, and Bettney said the pair have gelled really well over the past couple of days.
“We’ve just trusted each other,” she said. “We have really similar values and that helps with a connection and a partnership.
“We asked each other the hard questions early on, like what do we need from each other, and how we can support each other the best. I think just having the goal of making each other better is the way to build a really strong, solid partnership.”
“We really connected as a team,” Stevens added. “That’s what you really need, especially during these long hot weekends, is to be with your partner and do what you need for your body to keep running through the weekend.”
They’ll face #5 seeds Jana Milutinovic and Kayla Mears in Sunday’s semi final, after Milutinovic and Meares defeated #2 seeds Jasmine Fleming and Georgia Johnson in three sets (21-10, 18-21, 10-15).
Also through to tomorrow’s semis are top seeds Phoebe Bell/Stefanie Fejes, who are also yet to drop a set at the tournament. Their toughest match came in the quarters, where they narrowly defeated Cassie Dodd /Charlotte Duncan 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).
They’ll face #7 seed Sarah Burton/Michela Strati in a replay of their second pool match, which Bell and Fejes won 2-0 (21-13, 21-11).
Tomorrow’s Women’s Elite Bronze Medal Match will be streamed live on SBS on Demand at 11.30am AEDT followed by the Men;s Bronze Medal Match.
Then, tune in live to SBS Australia for the Women’s Gold Medal Match live from 2pm, with the Men’s final to follow at 3pm.
For all results and draws, click HERE
