Information and photo courtesy of volleyball.org.au
Ben Carroll and Klaas McIntosh have delivered the upset of the season by knocking out the top seeds and 2024 Asian Champions in the quarter-finals of the Cobram-Barooga Classic.
Coming into the tournament as the eighth seeds, the Victorians dropped just one set on the way to the final eight and surprised the crowd when they outlasted D’Artganan Potts and Jack Pearse in the first set as they targeted a maiden national tour semi-final.
The top seeds hit back in the second, however the unheralded combination held their nerve in the decider, creating a small gap on the scoreboard and holding it all the way through to the finish, much to the excitement of the crowd on Thompsons Beach.
“The belief just kept growing the more the game went, and then the first set came and we thought ‘wow, we’ve really got a chance here’,” said Carroll. “And it was great – we just kept to our game and got it done in the third set.”
McIntosh added: “I don’t think anyone thought it was going to happen. I’ve never had that many people cheering before.”
The pair will not play Olly Merritt and Jed Walker, who also outplayed their ranking to make their first Super Sunday. The fifth seeds knew they would face a torrent of energy from experienced fourth seeds Rob Reeves and Matt Abela, however the younger combination kept lifting the longer the match progressed to make the final four.
The other men’s semi-final has gone with the rankings, with second seeds Paul Burnett and Luke Ryan set to face off with third seeds Garang Anyang and Justin Schumann, who have now qualified for their 10th Super Sunday as a pairing.
In the women’s quarter-finals, a similar tale unfolded where top seeds and Canberra champions Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic also found themselves needing to come from behind to progress to the semis.
The women’s top seeds suffered a scare in their final eight clash with Ruby Vanloo and 15-year-old Ava Gaborit claiming the first set.
Clancy and Milutnovic showed their composure to reduce their errors in the second and tie up the match before booking their place in Super Sunday with victory in the third.
They will now play Tara Phillips and Cameron Zajer who took down Glenelg champions Gosia Rzepka and Camila Franchi in their all-South Australian quarter-final.
The other semi-final will be contested by the second and third seeds who both proceeded through their quarter-finals without trouble.
Second seeds Georgia Johnson and Lizzie Alchin are still on track for a second straight ABVT Final, but will need to get past defending Cobram-Barooga Classic champion Stefie Fejes and new partner Lara Marić.
Neither pairing have dropped a set at Thompsons Beach over the last two days but that record will be broken on Sunday morning.
While Fejes, Johnson and Alchin are well-versed in what it means to play on Super Sunday, it will be Marić’s first time in the semis and her partner could not be more impressed with the way the 17-year-old is performing.
“First Super Sunday for Lara – oh my god, epic! Her weapons are insane – she’s just got to unleash it; it’s so cool to see,” said Fejes. “Cobram is probably my favourite event, to be honest; It always gives me extra happiness.
“Playing with a new partner, you’ve got to bring the energy.”
Marić said she was enjoying playing with the four-time winner on the national tour, particularly the positivity she exudes after every point.
“We’re building our partnership together,” she said. “Still our first comp but it’s been really good and really excited for tomorrow.
“[Stefie] is giving me lots of feedback and I just love her energy on court.”
The semi-finals of the Cobram-Barooga Classic begin at 8am AEDT at Thompsons Beach.
The bronze medal matches will be streamed live on the AusVolley YouTube Channel from 11:30am AEDT, followed by the gold medal matches.
2024/25 AUSTRALIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOUR
Round 3 – Cobram-Barooga Classic, Thompsons Beach VIC
Day 3 – Sunday 2 March (play starts at 8am AEDT)
WOMEN’S SEMI-FINALS
1-Taliqua Clancy/Jana Milutinovic v 4-Tara Phillips/Cameron Zajer
2-Georgia Johnson/Lizzie Alchin v 3-Stefie Fejes/Lara Marić
MEN’S SEMI-FINALS
8-Ben Carroll/Klaas McIntosh v 5-Olly Merritt/Jed Walker
2-Paul Burnett/Luke Ryan v 3-Garang Anyang/Justin Schumann
QUICK LINKS
AVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net
AVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com/AsianVolleyballConfederation
AVC Twitter: click: www.twitter.com/AsianVolleyball
AVC Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/avcvolley/?hl=en
Mikasa Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/mikasasports_official
AVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation
AVC WeChat: Asian Volleyball Confederation
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