Sibling stars lighting up Coolangatta
The Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships is a family affair for many competitors who are supported by relatives who travel from near and far to see them play.
For some participants, getting encouragement from family members can come from simply sitting down under the team tent.
Making the journey from Victoria, twins Madison and Joss Kerr are competing in the Girls Under 17 competition, but are not on the same team!
Thankfully the sisters were not pitted against each other in the pool stage, with Joss and her partner finishing third in their group after splitting their first four games. Following day three, Joss has one more match to play which will be a 13th place decider, however her sister is faring even better.
Madison finished second in her pool with a 3-1 record after the opening two days. She and her teammate then won six sets from six in the round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final to progress to the gold medal match on Thursday.
As Madison prepares to play in the decider, Joss couldn’t be more proud of her twin.
“It excites me to see how she’ll go,” said Joss. “Whenever she’s there playing, I’m always supporting her on and off the court.
“She is someone that I can confide within.”
Madison said that while the pair may not team up on the court, the do exhibit the same pre-match quirks and get behind each other whenever they can.
“Our hair has to be really neat before each game – just a funny superstition we have!” said Madison. “I always help encourage her and try to lift her spirits given I know her so well.
“We really appreciate our coaches who put a lot of effort into finding a balance with how they coach us between being stern and easy-going.”
Another set of siblings in Coolangatta who aren’t lining up with each other are the Barnetts from South Australia.
Noah is competing in the Under 15 Boys competition while younger sister Amber is in the Under 14 Girls.
After finishing fourth in his pool, Noah and his team will play for seventh place on Thursday while Amber will be playing for gold after her team completed their round robin matches on top of the standings.
Amber said her brother is always there for support and hopes he will help cheer her towards a national title tomorrow.
“Yes, we absolutely cheer each over on during games and outside of games,” said Amber. “We talk and give each over advice which is always extremely helpful to share each other’s opinions which brings out the best of us.
“It’s very exciting and makes me feel happy to know I have someone there for me throughout the competition.
“It feels way more special since we spend time together a lot and [playing for our] state is absolutely amazing to experience together.”
While many teenage siblings never see eye to eye, Noah says he and Amber always have each other’s backs.
“Me and my sister always get along and can talk to each other about anything,” he said. “We always see always see each other at the courts and talk about how our games go.
“We always support each other and cheer each other on. We try to find the time to watch each other’s games and tell each other when our games are.
“This personally makes me perform better as my sister can always make me feel more confident when playing.”
The final day of the 2025 Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships takes place on Thursday 27 March – click here for draws and results.
