Scarborough Beach hosted the first event of 2012 in the Alcohol. Think Again WA Beach Volleyball Tour last weekend. This was the 3rd State Series round of the summer and it saw the return of several elite teams from National Tour events.
The warm and windy conditions made play very tricky on both days, particularly as the afternoons progressed. A howling seabreeze during finals meant that players were, at times, limited in their shot selection. However, both AAA Grand Finals were exciting contests.
A large crowd gathered in the shade of Scarborough's Amphitheatre to watch Tara West / Jenny Day take on Kirsty Cribb / Pauline Manser in the Women's AAA Grand Final. In an epic battle during the round robin phase, Cribb / Manser lost to West / Day, albeit by a total of just two points over the course of three sets. Looking to reverse the result in the final, Cribb and Manser played precision volleyball, making their opponents work hard for every point. However, the height and power of West / Day proved to be too much in the end, as they dominated the second part of each set, to take out the Final 21-11, 21-14.
3rd and 4th places in AAA women went to the pairings of Mel Johnson/Taleah Atthowe and Tara Banks/Simone Barker respectively.
On Sunday, the AAA Men had their moment on Centre Court. Rhodri Simmonds and Brett Lewington were hoping to continue their winning ways from SS#2, but had to face the pairing of Michael Snart and Cole Durant, fresh from National Tour competition. The round robin phase saw Snart / Durant come out on top in a very close three set match. Simmonds / Lewington took up the challenge in the final, though, pushing Snart and Durant all the way in Set One, losing 19 - 21. In the second set, a similar pattern emerged, but this time it was Simmonds and Lewington winning (22 - 20). The 3rd and deciding set finally went the way of Michael Snart and Cole Durant, 15 - 11.
3rd and 4th places in AAA Men went to the pairings of Mark Termeer/Stuart Davis and Jason Fox/Mark van Winsen respectively.
All State Series #3 results, can be found here.
The Alcohol. Think Again WA Beach Volleyball Tour heads south for Round 4, as players will be competing at the sensational Koombana Bay, Bunbury on January 28th and 29th. The Bunbury Volleyball Association host this round of the tour, and it is always a fantastic event.