Port Vila, Vanuatu, December 15, 2017 – Vanuatu’s Loti Joe/Linline Matauatu played a dominating, tactical game in front of their home crowd, as they beat Papua New Guinea’s Gwali/U’Una 2-0 (21-11, 21-9) in the gold medal match of the Pacific Mini Games.
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FIVB.com - Beach VolleyballLatest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesJoe/Matauatu played in five events of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, including the Sydney 2-Star last November. The top local pair evidently benefitted from the World Tour stints to dominate women’s beach volleyball at the Pacific Mini Games.
They stamped their authority on their rivals Gwali/U’Una, which they also beat in the preliminary round 2-0 (21-4, 21-13) and went on an unbeaten run in the tournament without dropping a set.
Fiji’s Nima/Ratudina defeated Papua New Guinea’s Bae/Walo in the tightly-contested 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) bronze medal encounter.
In the men’s medal matches, Papua New Guinea’s Mea/Kilarupa rallied from a set down to record a 2-1 (10-21, 21-19, 15-13) gold medal win over Samoa’s Tui/Lesoa, while Fiji’s Korowale/Elliot beat Tonga’s Tuakoi/Funaki 2-0 (21-12, 21-19).
“Fantastic results for Oceania teams on the rise – Solomon Islands and PNG also doing very well alongside Fiji and Vanuatu now,” Oceania Volleyball president Craig Carracher said. “Great progress by Oceania teams and massive improvement over the past three years to produce FIVB world ranking teams and performances.”
“Now Oceania will host events in January and February, leading up to the Shepparton FIVB World Tour 1-Star Event in Australia as the last major event in the region for preparation of all teams for the Commonwealth Games in April 2018.”