Cook and Barnett pull off good win over Brazilians in Beijing Beach Volleyball
August 13, 2008
Australian beach volleyball duo of Natalie Cook and Tamsin Barnett have defeated the highly rated Brazilian pair of Ana Paula and Larissa. The Brazilians were world champions in 2005 and 2007 and have been the top ranking pairing on the FIVB world tour in 2005-2006-2007.
This match was a real test for the medal aspirations of the Australians and it was one that they emerged with high hopes for the days ahead. The score was 23-21, 23-21 to the Aussie underdogs. It could not have been closer than that.
Larissa’s seven service faults helped the Australian’s to victory although this was almost offset by five service errors from Barnett. Probably the key stat for the Australians was the dig successes with 5. This allowed Cook and Barnett to edge ahead of their opponents.
The win today leaves the Australian’s undefeated after the pool stage. They topped the pool with a 3-0 record. The Brazilians took second spot. The Aussies now move into the knockout phase and will play their next match on August 16 at 9.00am against a team that places third in one of the pools.
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