Tilley and Bain just miss out

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

New Zealand elite beach volleyball players Julia Tilley, of Gisborne, and Alice Bain had their best career result last weekend, narrowly missing out on a medal at the Anchor International Beach Volleyball Carnival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The two-star tournament was the second of six events in the FIVB World Tour, which attracts top international volleyball players and decides world rankings. This fourth placing follows a ninth placing by Tilley and Bain at the first World Tour event in Sydney, Australia, in November.

They powered through pool play and their quarterfinal, before being beaten 2-0 in the semifinal by eventual gold-medallists Anna Behlen and Sarah Schneider of Germany.

Tilley and Bain then put in a defiant performance in the bronze-medal match against Russian duo Ksenia Dabizha and Daria Mastikova, who claimed gold in last week’s one-star tournament in Langkawi.

The New Zealanders played a strong first set in sweltering conditions but the Russians snatched the win, 21-19. Tilley and Bain faded in the heat and lost the second set 21-8.

Tilley said the pair were pleased with some of their performances but had work to do to be more consistent. They were determined to bring it all together.

The remaining FIVB World Tour two-star events will be held in China and Singapore this year.