beach volleyball

Tuvalu overcome 3-day voyage to spring beach volleyball surprise

In Tuesday’s pool matches at Apia Waterfront, Tuvalu’s Saaga Malosa and Amalamo Talake defeated PNG’s Richard Batari and Loi Walo in straight sets, although the PNG pair are not the same players that won gold at the Port Moresby XV 2015 Pacific Games.

Along with the rest of Team Tuvalu, Malosa and Talake endured a three-day voyage to reach Samoa. They only arrived on Saturday before attending Sunday night’s opening ceremony and going straight into action on Monday.

PNG begin defence of men’s beach volleyball gold

On the new courts at Apia Waterfront, PNG won the first set 21-17 and the second 21-7, playing with a new line-up of Richard Batari and Loi Walo, in place of Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games gold medalists Richard Kilarupa and Mea Moha.

Day one of competition saw six games played in the men’s competition in front of a capacity crowd at the free event.

Cheered on by packed crowds, Samoa won the first set 25-23, Tahiti took the second 21-12, and Samoan claimed the last set 15-11.

Vanuatu beach volleyball teams do well at Arafura

The team lost to Lampard/Landers of Australia 0-2 in their final pool round match today.

The team made up of Joshua Toares and Stivano Bango won their second match 2-0 against 1st B.

They won their first match against Australia (2) earlier on Wednesday.

Vanuatu women’s team on Miller Pata and Henriette Iatika won their match against Northern Territory 2-0.

     

Photo Vanuatu Beach Volleyball Facebook 

Vanuatu defend Oceania beach volley title

Top seeds Miller Pata and Sherysyn Toko defeated Emere Maau-Boutry and Vaihere Fareura 21-17 21-17 in the final, having also beaten the hosts top pairing in the pool stages.

The President of Vanuatu Volleyball, Debbie Masauvakalo said the result maintained their winning run in Oceania and was also a chance to keep blooding new talent.

"This is our third Oceania in a row so we won the 2015 in the Cook Islands with Miller and Linline (Matauatu)," she said.

Vanuatu volleyballers make Commonwealth Games semis

 

Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu dropped the first set of their quarter final against England 23-25 after squandering six set points.

The Melanesian pair trailed 14-18 in the second set but rallied to win 21-19 before clinching the decider 15-12.

Miller Pata said they never gave up.

"On the first set we worked really hard to get back up and we [were] down again on the next set, so we talked about the strategy and strong beliefs we can win the next match."

Linline Matauatu said they were made to work hard in all three sets.

Commonwealth Games history beckons for Vanuatu

Vanuatu is one of a number of Pacific countries who have never won a medal at the Games, and the team narrowly missed out on a place at the Rio Olympics.

Pacific Beat reports Vanuatu’s beach volleyball pair of Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu are ranked in the top four.

Coach Shannon Zunker says the duo are in excellent form

“The medal is within their grasp so we will approach it one step at a time. But we have set those goals and we would like to be there at the end of the week, “Zunker said.

 

     

Beach volleyball starts to unveil contenders

On Tuesday’s fixture, six games took place down at the new Korman courts,which started early and as scheduled 9am and entertained the crowd for over four hours of action and excitement in both the Men’s and Women’s competition.

Solomon Islands Women’s team won its first game taking the match two sets to nil against Tuvalu. The second match between the hometown heroes of Vanuatu and Wallis & Futuna was unsurprisingly dominated by Linline Matauata and Loti Joe taking the match two sets to nil.

Games spots up for grabs in beach volleyball

Australia and New Zealand have already secured their place on the Gold Coast in the men's and women's competitions, while host nation Vanuatu is qualified for the women's event courtesy of their world ranking.

President of the Vanuatu Volleyball Federation, Debbie Masaufakalo, is hoping home-town support can help the men's duo of James Chilia and Donny Aru over the line.

"I think our biggest competition would be Papua New Guinea and Fiji and also Cook Islands is quite strong as well," Masaufakalo said.

Beach volleyball gets locals excited ahead of Van2017

The matches played at the Van2017 Test Event day at the weekend showed that Vanuatu Beach Volleyball is prepped and ready for these Pacific Mini Games.

With the National Men’s team competing in Australia this week, the trial event matches were performed by VBF league players.

“Trial matches are being performed by the league players, who are players not selected to be in the team to perform at the Games,” said Debbie Masauvakalo, the President of the Vanuatu Beach Volleyball Federation.

“The selected team is in Sydney at the moment for the FYVB world tour events.”

Vanuatu still seeking justice after Olympic beach volleyball snub

In the end they missed out after the Italians were allowed to replace one of their two athletes even though she had failed a dope test.

Mr Boudier has just been voted on to the Oceania National Olympic Committees executive board, and he says he's determined that the ideals which ONOC aspires to, should apply to the entire Olympic movement.

He says at the end of the day it’s not about his country.