BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Missed opportunities at the death punctuated a heartbreaking loss for Australia’s beach volleyball pairing Mariafe del Solar and Nikki Laird in their Pool C clash against Switzerland.
The young Sydneysiders went down 21-19, 16-21, 19-21 to the Anouk Verge Depre-Isabelle Forrer pairing, despite having several match point chances in a thrilling final set at Copacabana Stadium.
The pair’s aggression and execution that so typified their much improved performance deserted them in some crucial moments late in the game, leaving the door ajar for Switzerland to steal the win.
Laird, 23, said they’d learn from the experience to capture their first Olympic win against China on Wednesday.
“We created all these opportunities for ourselves, but it was in those moments that we couldn’t quite finish off the point and that was the difference,” Laird said.
“We had our chances and it’s just that real clutch ability of backing your gut to take those opportunities that we didn’t quite have today.”
Laird admitted the intensity of the Olympic stage may have got to her and her teammate, leaving them frustrated at being unable to maintain their aggression into the final points of the match.
“I think it’s just that undying belief in your skills and yourself that environments like this shake out of you a little bit,” Laird said.
“It’s the beauty of the Olympic Games that the best players in the world can have so much self-doubt on the court just because of the pressure cooker that it is … and it’s just something learn from.
“It is what it is – we’ve got one more opportunity and we’ve got nothing to lose. If we don’t bring our best, we’re out of the tournament.”
The Australians came out firing to start the match, jumping to a 4-nil lead early on the back of some solid work from Laird at the net.
That early lead would prove the difference, with the Aussies holding out a late run from the Swiss to capture a well-earned first set win in 22 minutes.
The Swiss hit back well in the second, grinding to a 17-13 lead before a mini-run from the Australians brought it back to 17-15 and forced a time-out from their opposition.
After the break it was all Switzerland, the red and whites cruising to a 21-16 win to level the scores and set up a gripping finale.
The third set was a spectacular affair with both teams putting on a show for the Copacabana crowd.
Del Solar in particular was terrific, making a diving save before recovering to spike the ball home for a 14-12 lead and two match point opportunities.
But just as they did in their nail-biting loss to China on Saturday, the Swiss would not go away, recovering to equal the scores at 15-all.
The Australians then had another chance at closing out the match only to see Laird’s serve miss its target, before being forced to defend several match points to the Swiss.
A sensational ace from Laird gave the Aussies a 19-18 lead and one more chance to capture the win, but again the Swiss held out.
It was the cunning serving of Isabelle Forrer which finally decided the match, forcing an error from del Solar to clinch victory 21-19.
An emotional del Solar said the pair would spend tomorrow recuperating from the match before preparing for a Wednesday showdown with China.
“We have [played China] once and they’re a good team – it’s going to be another tough battle,” del Solar said.
“But there’s nothing to lose, it’s our last pool game, so we’ll be going hard.”
Despite their 0-2 pool results, the Australian pairing could still earn an unlikely finals berth should they beat China and see some other pool results fall their way.
Doug MacDougall
olympics.com.au
