SANTA ROSA, Laguna — Lithuanian Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte dominated Americans Alaina Chacon and Madelyn Anderson, 21-12, 21-11, to rule the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge before a lively Sunday evening crowd at the Nuvali Sands Courts here.
The 6-foot-6 Raupelyte imposed her will at the frontline to pull away in the second set, while Paulikiene capitalized on a lucky dig to stretch the lead to 18-8.
Chacon briefly stopped the bleeding as Team USA trimmed the gap to 19-11, but Paulikiene soon sent Lithuania to championship point. Raupelyte then finished it off with a point off a floating ball to seal their first championship together in the Nuvali Challenge organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under chairman Patrick Gregorio.
“Like always, just to do the best as I can and be aggressive on the block,” Raupelyte said after erupting for 23 points built on 16 kills and seven blocks.
The 25-year-old Lithuanian also praised Paulikiene, who added 10 points off eight spikes and two aces and was in tears of joy after clinching their first title.
“She makes my job easier by putting the ball by one touch. I think that we made it because we had a great atmosphere. We’re supporting each other,” she said.
Paulikiene and Raupelyte finally got over the hump after settling for silver in their first two finals appearances in the Tlaxcala Challenge in Mexico last March and the Xiamen Challenge in China earlier this month.
(C) PNVF
“It’s amazing after playing three years in the Challenger events. It’s our first gold, so we’re really proud of each other,” Raupelyte said. “This is history for Lithuanians, the first time for Lithuanians to take a gold medal.
“I hope we want to make everyone play volleyball. To want the sport, because it’s amazing,” she added.
The gold remained elusive for Chacon and Anderson, who dropped their second match to the Lithuanians in their last three meetings. Anderson finished with 11 points, while Chacon was limited to eight.
In the men’s division, Australia’s Thomas Hodges and Ben Hood overcame a lethargic first set to pull off a come-from-behind 14-21, 21-16, 15-8 win over Adrian Heidrich and Yves Haussener of Switzerland, securing their first championship in the Nuvali Challenge, which is supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Rebisco, Akari, Ayala Land, and PLDT.
Carrying the momentum from their strong second-set win, Hodges sparked a 10-4 start in the decider before Hood scored off the block to stretch the lead to 13-7.
Hodges later delivered a crucial block to reach championship point, and Hood sealed the victory with a powerful hit.
“We just had to stick together,” said Hodges, who finished with 23 points. “We had a few moments where, I mean, this morning we lost a set, but we managed to maintain a good head. First set here, they came out and played really, really well. Full credit to the team for staying composed and continuing to go back to what we do.”
“Awesome. It’s just been really fun and I’ve really enjoyed the battles we’ve had,” added Hood, who tallied 11 points.
(C) PNVF
Meanwhile, Emi Van Driel and Mila Konink of the Netherlands took down Ukrainian pair Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil, 22-20, 21-18, to capture the bronze medal in the tournament hosted by the City of Santa Rosa and supported by Medical South City Luzon and Jersey Haven.
Konink fired 23 points to bounce back from their heartbreaking semifinal loss to eventual champions Paulikiene and Raupelyte, 21-18, 21-15, earlier.
In the men’s side, Switzerland’s Julian Friedli and Jonathan Jordan bagged the bronze medal after pulling off a come-from-behind 18-21, 21-13, 15-13 win over Germany’s Philipp Huster and Sven Winter.
Tied at 13 in the third set, Friedli restored order to push their side to match point. Jordan then delivered the game-winning hit as he dropped to his knees in celebration of their podium finish.
