Just beachy for our girls
Win tops off perfect Games debut for volleyball
BEACH volleyball’s debut in the Commonwealth Games was peak Gold Coast – sun, sand, high-rise apartments and, helpfully, an Australian win.
The high-energy nature of the sport was matched by the enthusiasm of Australia’s undefeated glamour girls, Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar.
They defeated Mariota Angelopoulou and Manolina Konstantinou from Cyprus 21-14 21-9 in the first round in front of a raucous and rocking stadium on Coolangatta Beach.
The beach is overlooked by several high-rise apartments, all of which had more than a few people on their balconies trying to see some Games action for free, with some flying Australian flags.
Although the Australians took the lead early, Cyprus did fight back, making Clancy and Artacho del Solar work hard for the first set.
The second set started evenly before Clancy began to use her superior height of 184cm.
Australia won several points in a row, taking Cyprus out of the game and they were never able to come back.
Artacho del Solar said there was no panic, even as the Cypriots started to find their feet.
“We just kept calm and cool. We have a strong belief and trust in each other, so I guess any of those moments we feel the pressure we have that belief and that trust that it will pay off in the end,” she said.
Clancy acknowledged the impact the crowd had on the match.
“It was so much fun to have the energy of the crowd behind us. This is what beach volleyball is all about, it was perfect,” she said.
After a relatively easy win, the Australians will now have their eyes on their main gold medal rivals, Canadians Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana -Peredis.