TOUGH LOSS FOR MCHUGH AND BURNETT IN FIRST POOL MATCH OF VOLLEYBALL WORLD BEACH PRO TOUR CHALLENGE IN MEXICO

Chris McHugh and Paul Burnett have gone down in a tough match against seventh seeds Krattiger/Breer (SUI) in their first pool match of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge in Tlaxcala, Mexico.

After qualifying for the main draw with two strong wins under their belt, McHugh and Burnett put up a tough fight against Switzerland, pushing the match out to three sets.

However, the Swisse pair managed to edge ahead in the third set to defeat McHugh and Burnett 2:1 (21-18, 24-26, 15-12).

Despite a tough loss, Burnett said he was proud of the determination he and McHugh showed to take the match to three sets.

“I’m proud of the fight we put up, especially in the second set, we were down a lot towards that back end so to hold on tight and eventually come away with that set was really encouraging for us,” Burnett said.

“That was definitely a big match for us and it’s tough to not come away with the win, but I’m happy with how we went about it as a team.

“Fortunately, the competition isn’t over for us yet, we’ve got another game tomorrow so we’ve got a chance to bring it back and go strong.

“We’re still in the competition, and we’re going to fight for our position moving forward,” he said.

McHugh and Burnett will face host city Mexico in their second pool match tomorrow, with a spot in the Round of 18 up for grabs.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

McHugh/Burnett (AUS) v Gaxiola/Rubio (MEX) | Saturday 19 March 5.30am AEDT

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