March has shown to be a successful month for Beach Volleyball with the execution of the ATABT in Esperance to start off followed by the Lendlease Waterbank Festival and concluding with the mixed doubles and the WA Beach Juniors this weekend.
The Esperance Tournament saw the integration of international and intestate teams into the Western Australian spectrum. 1st place winners of the AA women’s team included VWA’s events and competitions coordinator Irene Alonso Chartier alongside her partner Najwa Mouline. The AA men’s division saw West Australian’s Taison Wilkie and Paul Sisson awarded champions. Also representing Western Australia champions from the AAA men’s division included Sam Halley and partner Sam Kingston. The tournament did have one international champion team, Brittany Tiegs and Christie Jenkins in the AAA women’s division. In addition to the tournament Volleyball WA provided coaching clinics for the Esperance Volleyball Association and surrounding school communities.
This month the opportunity to showcase VWA talent through a small beach volleyball tournament at the Lendlease Waterbank Festival was an honorary and exciting moment for our organisation. Lendlease personally invited VWA to display our four top women’s and men’s volleyball teams in an exhibition beach volleyball tournament. The small beach tournament awarded both genders cash prizes for teams which placed 1st and 2nd.
This weekend commenced with the Alcohol. Think Again Beach Volleyball Tour Mixed Doubles played here at the VWA in Inner City Beach. This turned out to be a great event despite the unassuming weather. Greg Hunt and his partner Gabrielle Whittington landed themselves in the grand final alongside Darek Peszel and Agnieszka Peszel. The game was quite a close one resulting in Gabrielle and Greg taking out the title of mixed double champions.
Concluding the weekend and beach volleyball tour was the WA Beach Juniors Championships on Sunday. In the men’s division the grand final resulted in a close 2nd set between the duos of Daniel Piggott and Adam Kempen and Jack Chamberlain and Greg Hunt. However Piggott and Kempen had the 1st set advantage and pulled out in front by 2 points in the end, naming them the Junior Men’s Beach Volleyball Champions. The same cannot be reported for the women’s grand final with duo Amy Jurilj and Gabrielle Whittington defeating Tammy Mulholland and Christie Daniels in both sets.
Congratulations and thanks to the participants of the Alcohol. Think Again Beach Volleyball tour this month. Acknowledgements to the events and senior coordinators as well as the set up and pack down crew without their help these events would not be possible.
