Australians rule the 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China, October 6, 2015 – Australians Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy of Australia 1 thrashed Vanuatu’s top seeds Linline Matauatu/Miler Pata in comfortable straight sets 21-16 21-15 to capture the 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship Hong Kong on Sunday. For the victory, Bawden/Clancy claimed US$10,000 cash prize plus 500 world ranking points, while the Vanuatu’s duo collected US$7,500 cash plus 450 points. The third place went to Australia 2’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird, who powered past China 2’s 21-16 21-14 in the playoff. The Australians claimed US$5,000 plus 400 points.

Hong Kong, China, October 6, 2015 – Australians Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy of Australia 1 thrashed Vanuatu’s top seeds Linline Matauatu/Miler Pata in comfortable straight sets 21-16 21-15 to capture the 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship Hong Kong on Sunday. For the victory, Bawden/Clancy claimed US$10,000 cash prize plus 500 world ranking points, while the Vanuatu’s duo collected US$7,500 cash plus 450 points. The third place went to Australia 2’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird, who powered past China 2’s 21-16 21-14 in the playoff. The Australians claimed US$5,000 plus 400 points

Australians Bawden/Clancy reign supreme at 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China, October 4, 2015 – Australians Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy stamped their authority in the 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship Hong Kong following their scintillating 21-16 21-15 victory over Vanuatu’s top seeds Linline Matauatu/Miller Pata in the Sunday’s final showdown.

In the semi-finals earlier, in-form Bawden and Clancy, who finished fifth at this year’s FIVB Beach Volleyball Women’s Championships in the Netherlands, stunned China 2’s Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi, who captured the gold medal at the last year’s Asian Games in Incheon, Korea, 21-16 21-13, while Matauatu/Pata powered past Australia 2’s duo of Peruvian-born Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Nicole Laird 21-17 21-15.

Against the talented Matauatu/Pata, who last year claimed two titles in Thailand consisting of the Pattaya Challenger in Chon Buri and the Asian Tour Samila Open in Songkhla, Bawden and Clancy performed well, using their greater experience and form to foil the Vanuatu rivals’ determined fightback in the final showdown

The 183cm Bawden, who represented Australia in the 2012 London Olympics with Becchara Palmer but did not qualify from the pool stage, and Clancy, 184cm tall, combined well to penetrate the Vanuatu’s defence with their spectacular attacks and deceptive drops to win the first set without much effort 21-16.

The second set was still dominated by the Australians, who shone through their exceptional skills defensively and offensively. Bawden/Clancy captured the second set 21-15, the match and the championship. For the victory, Bawden and Clancy claimed 500 world ranking points, with Matauatu/Pata collecting 450 points

It was the year’s first victory of Bawden/Clancy after they finished fourth at the Long Beach Grand Slam in the USA onAugust 23 and a disappointing 25th position at the Oisztyn Grand Slam in Poland on the same month. Last year, the Australian duo clinched the Binz Beach Volleyball Tournament in Germany aside from landing the AVC Beach Volleyball Championship in China.

In the third-place playoff earlier, Australia 2’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Nicole Laird pulled off a convincing 21-16 21-14 win over Chinese Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi to secure the third place of the tournament. Attach Del Solar/Laird claimed 400 points and the Chinese duo collected 350 points.

SUNDAY’S RESULTS

Semi-Finals

Linline Matauatu/Miller Pata (Vanuatu) b Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird (Australia 2) 2-0 (21-17 21-15)

Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy (Australia 1) b Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2) 21-16 21-13)

Third-place playoff: Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird (Australia 2) b Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2) 2-0 (21-16 21-14)

Final: Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy (Australia 1) b Linline Matauatu/Miler Pata (Vanuatu) 2-0 (21-16 21-15)

Final Ranking

1. Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy (Australia 1) 500 points
2. Linline Matauatu/Miller Pata (Vanuatu) 450 points
3. Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird (Australia 2) 400 points
4. Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2) 350 points
5. Chen Chunxia/Tang Ningya (China 1); Dhita Juliana/Putu Dini Jasita Utami (Indonesia 1); Miki Ishhii/Megumi Murakami (Japan 2); Tatyana Mashkova/Irina Tsimbalova (Kazakhstan 1) 300 points

9. Cat/Wong Yuen Mei (Hong Kong 2); Lo Wai Yan/Tam hing Ching (Hong Kong 3); Takemi Nishibori/Sayaka Mizoe (Japan 1); Bakhtygul Samalikova/Yekaterina Lassyuta (Kazakhstan 2); Julia Tilley/Shaunna Polley (New Zealand); Rumpaipruet Numwong/Khanittha Hongpak (Thailand 2); Varapatsorn Radarong/Tanarattha Udomchavee (Thailand 1); Liu Pi Hsing/Chang Ya Chu (Chinese Taipei 2) 240 points

17. Tatiana Sablan/Kendra Byrd (Guam 1); Jasmine Wenzel/Kristi Hammond (Guam); To Wing Tun/Koo Yung Yung (Hong Kong 1); Law W.S./Leong O.I (Macao); Lei S.K./Lei W.S. (Macao); Kou Nai Han/Tsai T.J. (Chinese Taipei); Do Hong Loan Huynh/Cam Thi Tran (Vietnam) 180 points

Photos taken in semi-finals

Linline Matauatu/Miller Pata (Vanuatu) against Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird (Australia 2)

Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy (Australia 1) against Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2)

Two Australian teams join Vanuatu and China in semi-finals of 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China, October 3, 2015 – Two Australian pairings advanced to the Sunday’s semi-finals of the 2015 AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship Hong Kong, with Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird taking on Vanuatu’s Linline Matauatu/Miller Pata and Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy pitted against Chinese Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi.

Contesting the quarter-finals on Saturday, top seeds Matauatu/Pata, who combined well to win two titles in Thailand last year consisting of the Pattaya Challenger in Chon Buri and the Asian Tour Samila Open in Songkhla, had a little problems in thrashing Indonesia 1’s Dhita Juliana/Putu Dini Jasita Utami in straight sets 21-11 21-19, while Peruvian-born Artacho/Laird of Australia 2 produced a magnificent come-from-behind 17-21 21-11 15-13 victory over Japan 2’s Miki Ishii/Megumi Murakami.

The other quarter-final matches saw Australia 1’s Bawden/Clancy power past China 1’s Chen Chunxia/Tang Ningya 22-20 21-15 and China 2’s Ma/Xia stun Kazakhstan 1’s Tatyana Mashkova/Irina Tsimbalova, gold medallists at the last year’s Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand, 21-14 21-17.

In the Sunday morning’s semi-finals, Vanuatu’s Matauatu/Pata will go up against Australia 2’s Artacho/Laird, gold medallists at the last year’s World Under 23 Beach Volleyball Championships in Poland, while Australia 1’s Bawden/Clancy will challenge China 2’s Ma/Xia, champions at the last year’s Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.

The two losers will battle it out in the Sunday afternoon’s third-place playoff, with the two winning teams advancing to the afternoon final showdown.

Meanwhile, Thailand 1’s Varapatsorn Radarong/Tanarattha Udomchavee, silver medallists at the last year’s Asian Beach Games on home soil and the Asian Games in Korea, failed to make their mark to go down 16-21 9-21 to much stronger Bawden/Clancy from Australia 1 in the elimination round. Team-mates Khanittha Hongpak/Rumpaipruet Numwong also faced the similar fate when they were beaten by Japanese Miki Ishii/Megumi Murakami in a totally one-sided battle 9-21 10-21.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

ELIMINATION ROUND

Linline Matauatu/Miller Pata (Vanuatu) b Julia Tilley/Shaunna Polley (New Zealand) 2-0 (21-14 21-13)

Dhita Juliana/Putu Dini Jasita Utami (Indonesia 1) b Bakhtygul Samalikova/Yekaterina Lassyuta (Kazakhstan 2) 2-0 (21-12 21-15)

Mariafe Artacho Del Solar/Nicole Laird (Australia 2)  b Lo Wai Yan/Tam Hing Ching (Hong Kong 3) 2-0 (21-12 21-11)

Miki Ishii/Megumi Murakami (Japan 2) b Khanittha Hongpak/Rumpaipruet Numwong (Thailand 2) 2-0 (21-9 21-10)

Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy (Australia 1) b Varapatsorn Radarong/Tanarattha Udomchavee (Thailand 1) 2-0 (21-16 21-9)

Chen Chunxia/Tang Ningya (China 1) b Liu Pi Hsin/Chang Ya Chu (Chinese Taipei 2) 2-1 (21-15 16-21 15-9)

Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2) b Cat/Won Yuen Mei (Hong Kong 2) 2-0 (21-14 21-10)

Tatyana Mashkova/Irina Tsimbalova (Kazakhstan 1) b Takemi Nishibori/Sayaka Mizoe (Japan 1) 2-1 (21-10 19-21 15-12)

QUARTER-FINALS

Matauatu/Pata (Vanuatu) b Dhita/Putu (Indonesia 1) 2-0 (21-11 21-19)

Artacho Del Solar/Laird (Australia 2) b Ishii/Murakami (Japan 2) 2-1 (17-21 21-11 15-13)

Bawden/Clancy (Australia 1) b Chen Chunxia/Tang Ningya (China 1) 2-0 (22-20 21-15)

Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2) b Mashkova/Tsimbalova (Kazakhstan 1) 2-0 (21-14 21-17)

MATCH SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015

SEMI-FINALS

Match 37: Matauatu/Pata (Vanuatu) v Artacho Del Solar/Laird (Australia)

Match 38: Bawden/Clancy (Australia) v Ma Yuanyuan/Xia Xinyi (China 2)

THIRD-PLACE PLAYOFF: Losers Match 37 v Match 38

FINAL: Winners Match 37 v Match 38