In association with:
Coca-Cola Bray Beach Volleyball Festival '06: Report
July 15th 2006 is currently being hailed as the date on which one of the finest volleyball events was staged in Ireland. Promoting “Women In Sport”, Coca-Cola teamed up with Bray Events and the Volleyball Association of Ireland to host a unique Irish sporting event; an event that captivated the of interest of the Irish volleyball community, sports enthusiasts, several media sources, and indeed a full disparity of age groups from members of the public, both tourists and locals.
An estimated 18,000 spectators witnessed up front the events in
the sand arena, including those lucky enough to get good view points
from outside the arena perimeter. Courtside, the many magnified
camera lenses were fixed in position for that perfect snap that
would sum up the electric atmosphere of the stadium in their Sunday
publications.
The clear skies and sweltering heat made the play typically absorbing
from the off, however tough in such fantastic weather conditions
for an Irish event. The women’s teams hit the sand early
and played their opening games, with Olive Rossiter and Noemi Kuncik
beating Pauline Walsh and Leanne Dignam in 3 sets, consecutively
followed by a 2-set victory for Jennifer Walsh and Doireann Counihan
over Miriam Gormally and Eleanor Dunne. On the back of their victory,
J.Walsh and Counihan then took on P.Walsh and Dignam immediately
afterwards, however the result going in favour of the J.Walsh and
Counihan, assuring them of a top-2 finish and place in the final.
The first of four exhibition matches then took place, comprising
of four California based players from the internationally acclaimed
AVP tour in the USA. Ali Wood, Kirstin Olsen, Leanne Haarbauer
and Kathleen Madden all made special arrangements to attend and
add extravagance to the event by competing for their own individual
feat of Queen of the Beach, by winning the most of four exhibition
matches individually. Throughout the day, these matches made for
stunning encounters, drawing masses of attention and interest to
the stadium from outside the barriers.
Proceedings were hotting up in the Women’s Competition,
where the winning team would claim the prize of an all-expenses
paid trip to an internationally renowned beach tournament in Weymouth,
England, on July 29th. Rossiter and Kuncik recorded a hard fought
2-set win against Gormally and Dunne, also guaranteeing them of
a top-2 finish and place in the Final with J.Walsh and Counihan.
Although with one game remaining for each team and the finalists
confirmed, pride was at stake for each team in their final group
games and the spectators were certainly treated to a display of
passionately contested volleyball in both games, while the entertainment
from the DJ and cheerleaders also raised the figures watching,
convincingly enough to over 500!
In those last group games, Gormally and Dunne claimed 3rd place
in the table with a 2-set win over the pairing of P.Walsh
and Dignam, while the curtain-raiser fixture to the Final of J.Walsh
and Counihan against Rossiter and Kuncik went all the way to 3
sets in favour of the latter, in what was the most exciting match
of the day. An intriguing Final between the same two teams was
on the cards…
Before the Final, Accenture won the Corporate Competition Final
of the Festival, which was also contested also by KPMG, Coca-Cola,
ELAN, Bikram Yoga and Comhairle. Team USA’s Queen of the
Beach was also decided in the last of 4 exhibition matches, with
Kathleen Madden claiming the honour, who ironically has Irish ancestors
in Co. Galway! With things gearing up now towards the women’s
grand finale and the crowds pouring in to claim their seats for
the showpiece fixture, the Final of the Men’s Competition
also took place, contested between Odhran O’Braonain (IRL)
and Martin Janecka (CZE), against Ivars Kezberis (LAT) and Markhus
Kaehnel (GER).
The Round Robin of the Men's Competition was played behind closed
doors on the eve of the festival, with Kezberis and Kaehnel undefeated
and brewing full of confidence. With a strong Irish backing however,
O’Braonain and Janecka produced some moments of brilliance.
Nevertheless, the aces were with Kezberis and Haehnel as they powered
on to win narrowly in 2 sets and claim their place in the Weymouth
tournament.
And so to the last and final fixture of the day – the Women’s
Competition Final, pitting undefeated Rosster and Kuncik against
J.Walsh and Counihan. Following their close 3-set match in the
group, an evenly poised match was expected. On the contrary, the
balance swung considerably in favour of Rossiter and Kuncik as
they claimed the 1st set by a convincing difference in the score
line. The 2nd set went to the wire on the other hand as both teams
fought tooth and nail, with J.Walsh and Counihan fighting more
so to get a 3rd set out of the game, much to the crowd’s
eager support!
Tiredness was evident from both teams however after the long day’s
events in the sand drew to an end, leading to some unforced errors
on both sides. Yet where the hits were pulsating, likewise was
the defence, drawing the match to dramatic climax on a 20-20 score
line. From here it was once again Rossiter and Kuncik who held
their nerve with some intelligent play to win the 2nd set 22-20,
the Championship and indeed their all expenses paid trip to the
Weymouth tournament.
While the VAI contributed to what was a fantastic and memorable
volleyball event that will be talked about for ages to come, massive
credit also goes on behalf of the volleyball community to Coca-Cola
for sponsoring the prestigious event, Jerry Dawson and his crew
in Bray Events, and the Bray Summerfest 2006 for including the
event as part of their Summer long festival. The VAI would also
like to thank in particular the referees and numerous volunteers
who played an important role in the smooth running of the event
by their admirable and valuable assistance. A special thanks to
Westwood for their generous social spot prizes.
Report by the VAI Office
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