Deajra Tulloch and Amanda Robinson ended their campaign with a 10th-place finish at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball World Championship which ran from 18-22 Sept., in the Dominican Republic.
Placed in pool C, Tulloch and Robinson, who were playing together internationally for the first time, started the competition with a loss against El Salvador, falling 21-14, 21-10.
Next up was a match with the US Virgin Islands where they lost 21-9, 21-9, before wrapping up pool play with a 21-7, 21-10 defeat to the host nation, the Dominican Republic.
In the match for ninth place, they again met El Salvador, ultimately losing 21-18, 21-12 and finishing the tournament in 10th place.
During the championship, the top four winners of both the women’s and men’s divisions secured their tickets to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, to be held in Adelaide, Australia, from 14-23 Nov.
Qualifying for the championships were the women’s teams from Canada, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Mexico, along with the men’s teams from the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Nicaragua.
Players reflect on their performance
Despite the losses, both athletes came away with a sense of accomplishment and optimism about their performance.
“The tournament was definitely tough, which we expected since it was a World Cup Championship qualifier and every country brought their best teams,” said Tulloch.
“Considering it was [our] first international tournament … together, and that we had to deal with just about every weather condition – pouring rain, heat and strong winds – I think we did a good job working with each other and adapting,” she added.
Tulloch identified key areas for her personal growth moving forward including “ball control and overall court awareness”.
Robinson said that “even though we didn’t get any wins”, they fought hard, had fun and learned a lot.
“At this level, every team has their own strategy, so being able to stay in control and play our own game makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to conserving energy over the course of matches,” she said.
Both players acknowledged the lessons learned during the tournament, including the importance of staying in control, and improving fitness and court strategy.
“We’re excited to get back, put in the work and come back stronger,” Robinson said.
