Blundell & Scarlett (NZ) playing the German team in the Beach Volley Ball final at Oriental Bay.New Zealand pair Anna Scarlett and Susan Blundell tasted victory at last Wellington, winning a thrilling final over German opponents in the second round of the national beach volleyball series today. After finishing runner-up in Wellington for the past two years, Scarlett and Blundell finally shook off the bridesmaid tag, beating accomplished foe Okka Rau and Helke Claasen 21-19 17-21 15-13.
Rau is a two-time Olympian, and ranked 14th in the world, so the win was especially satisfying for the New Zealanders, making it two wins from two events in the series. The lead changed several times in the deciding set, before some great serves and blocks from Scarlett saw the hosts to a popular win. Earlier in the day they enjoyed another three-set tussle in their semifinal, beating Americans Paige Davis and Jen Snyder 21-16 17-21 15-13.
Rau and Claasen won their semifinal 21-16 21-16 over the promising New Zealand combination of Emma Preston and Toni Edmonson. To make the semifinal was a victory in itself for Preston and Edmonson, upsetting the fancied Brazilian pairing of Nina Zgoda and Fernanda Costa in their quarter-final. (Report by NZPA)
For information on the world rankings
3 comments:
My photos of the event, which you'll remember me taking since I was standing beside you, are here:
http://darwinianevolution.blogspot.com/2009/01/beach-volleyball.html
look at all those swish apartment blocks - i remember only old wooden houses on the hill above the beach!
I laugh every time I look at this sport. How on earth did it make it into the Olympics? Although I'm sure it's a great pastime on the beach.
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