BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Beach volleyballers Taliqua Clancy and Louise Bawden’s maiden Olympic campaign together came to end last night with a 14-21, 16-21 quarter final loss to the USA at Copacabana Stadium.
The Aussies entered the blockbuster match-up with a 4-0 tournament record and ambitions to shock a primetime US audience tuning in to see gold-medal favourites Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross.
While the result did not go their way last night, this Olympics was one to savour for a duo who have come so far since they were first matched in late 2012.
With three-time Olympian Bawden’s experience and composure complementing Clancy’s aggressive and powerful style, the Aussies tore through the preliminary stages.
It would take arguably the best team in the world to stop them, but it wasn’t as easy as the scoreline suggested.
“It’s obviously stinging pretty hard right now,” Bawden said after the match.
“It’s hard to walk away and feel like you could have cashed in [on their good form] a bit more, but we dug deep and we fought hard and I think we can hold our heads high.”
The Australians started well, jumping to an early 4-1 lead as both teams made use of the review system to challenge several calls in the hope of securing valuable early points.
However the Americans soon found their rhythm, reeling off some spectacular saves to keep themselves alive point after point, eventually earning them a hard fought 13-11 lead.
They then pulled off another miraculous save that was typical of their performance: Walsh Jennings ducking under the net to the Australians’ court to save a miscued Ross dig that was flying well out of bounds.
Like many points on the night, it was another in which the USA somehow found a way to turn a likely miss into a score.
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting young talents in world volleyball, 24-year-old Clancy rued those missed opportunities that the wily Americans managed to take at crucial times of the match.
“Our expectation was always to play medal rounds – we are a top team of the world tour and it’s disappointing that we fell short,” Clancy said.
“We play at a high level and if you don’t take your opportunities you can be punished, and that’s what happened.
“But the opportunities were there and I’m really proud of our fight.”
Bawden paid tribute to Clancy’s rapid development on and off the court, hinting the best may still be to come from the pair.
“I’ll always say ‘never say never’,” Bawden said when asked about the prospect of a fourth Olympics appearance.
“’T’ and I came together after the London Olympics and I’m just so grateful that we did, and for the team and the coaches that we’ve had supporting us along the way.
“They’ve made it such a wonderful and enriching experience, and I feel like I’ve grown so much and I know ‘T’ has become just the most wonderful teammate and friend, and I wouldn’t swap it for the world.”
Doug MacDougall
olympics.com.au
