POWER PLAY: Tauranga's top ranked male pair of Sam O'Dea (left), and Mike Watson are top seeds at the NZ Open at the ASB Tennis Centre this weekend.PHOTO/FILE
POWER PLAY: Tauranga's top ranked male pair of Sam O'Dea (left), and Mike Watson are top seeds at the NZ Open at the ASB Tennis Centre this weekend.PHOTO/FILE
The 2015 National Beach Volleyball Tour returns to the ASB Tennis Centre in Auckland tomorrow for three days of exciting international beach volleyball at the NZ Open.
This beach season has included events at Mt Maunganui, Lake Karapiro and Mairangi Bay. With the support of a new partner Boomo, mobileapp partner, and the progressive North Harbour Volleyball Association, the tour concludes with 100cu m of sand being moved on to the centre court at Stanley Street.
"Boomo has provided an opportunity to bring the exciting game of beach volleyball back on centre court. New Zealand's top players, including recently qualified world championship contenders Mike Watson and Sam O'Dea will be in action," said Volleyball New Zealand chief executive Paul Cameron.
The open includes 12 teams in both men's and women's fields. Volleyball New Zealand is pleased to confirm the eight New Zealand teams per gender will go directly into the main draw.
Tauranga's top ranked pair of Watson/O'Dea will be joined in the men's main draw by Rene Kapa/Thomas Hartles, Charlie Stewart/Liam Munday, Tauranga pair Brad Fullerton/Daryl Lewis, Griffin Muller/Paora Morunga, Morgan Seymour/Calvin Buttermore, Tauranga's Thomas Reid/Kahurangi Robinson and Johnny Kessenich/Max Longdill. In the women's main draw the New Zealand contingent is led by Melissa Ruru/Danielle Quigley, Julia Tilley/Shaunna Polley, Tauranga pair Alice Bain/Bex Story, Tauranga pair Susana Vega/Shannen Bagge, Tauranga pair Kiana Tawa/Emma Flynn, Georgia Morton/Emily Johnston (Tauranga), Annalise Vukets/Renei Ursem and Antonia Harrison/Rachael Gunn.
They will be joined by teams that are still to qualify, as well as top international teams that have entered. Those include the German men's pair of Christoph Gruenaug and Martin Kaufer and the Vanuatu women's pair of Linline Matauatu and Miller Pata, who were 9th at the 2013 World Championships.
