Photo by PNVF
PAUL Burnett and Luke Ryan defeated Ben Hood and Oliver Merritt, 21-13, 21-18, in an all-Australian men's Final to rule the Rebisco Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Nuvali Open Saturday in the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna.
The Australians swept the gold medals as the women's team of Stefanie Fejes and Jasmine Fleming defeated New Zealand’s Shaunna Polley and Olivia MacDonald, 21-13, 13-21, 17-15.
Burnett and Ryan booked a spot in the final by stunning top-rated compatriots and Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Champions D’Artagnan Potts and Jack Pearse, 21-16, 21-5.
Hood and Merritt defeated Iran’s Amerali Ghalehnovi and Bahman Salemiinjehboroun, 21-12, 21-16, in the other semifinal.
Elizabeth Alchin and Georgia Johnson of Australia overcame a nervy finish against Japan’s Asami Shiba and Reika Murakami, 21-17, 17-21,15-11, to claim the women's bronze medal.
The men's bronze medal went to Potts and Pearse, besting Ghalehnovi and Salemiinjehboroun.
The Philippines' highest-ranked team in in the tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, also chief of the AVC was the women's pair of Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara, who reached the quarterfinals. Progella and Pagara were eliminated by Alchin and Johnson, 18-21, 19-21 on Friday.
