BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Australian beach volleyballers Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy have won bronze at a World Tour event in Croatia, the first medal Australia has won at a senior international level since 2007.

Bawden and Clancy were too strong for Canada’s Valjas and Broder at the Porec Open, winning 21-15, 21-17.

Earlier in the day the Australians led another Canadian pair, Bansley and Pavan, 12-10 in the third and deciding set of their semi-final before losing 15-13.

Clancy, who turns 23 later this month and is competing in her third international season, said it was important not to let the disappointment of the semi-final match distract them.

“We knew we could play our offence a lot more and be more physical,” she said.

“They had a nice tall blocker, so we just had to go out and play aggressive. It was really fun.”

The last time Australia won a medal at this level was when 5-time Olympian Natalie Cook and her partner, 2-time Olympian Tamsin Hinchley, won the gold medal at the Korean Open in 2007.

33-year-old Bawden began her Olympic career as a teenager in the Sydney 2000 indoor team, before returning in 2012 with Becchara Palmer in the beach event.

She teamed up with a teenage Clancy straight after the London Olympics, the pair dominating the Australian tour in their first season together.

She said their partnership is developing all the time.

“We continue to invest into our team work and maximising our offensive strengths,” she said.

“Our connection and communication allows us to create opportunities to attack in important moments. We know that doing these things well will see us do well in the top four.”

ROSS SOLLY FOR VOLLEYBALL AUSTRALIA