Maceio, Brazil, May 3, 2015 – Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas and Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt gave themselves the perfect boost before they start their FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour campaigns when they won the Super Beach tournament, the final stage of the Brazil Tour on Sunday.
Neither side competed at the Fuzhou Open, the opening tournament of the 2015 World Tour, but they are set to face a busy year in 2015 with the World Tour, FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, Netherlands 2015 and the start of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games qualifying.
Agatha and Barbara defeated Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-13) to win women’s gold, while Fernanda Alves and Taiana Lima defeated World Tour champions Juliana Felisberta and Maria Antonelli 2-1 (21-17, 12-21, 15-10) to win the bronze medals.
“We had to be patient in the final,” Agatha said. “They started well, but we made some mistakes. Larissa was pulling her shots well and making reception difficult for me. We had to stay calm because if we started rushing we would make more mistakes. It is great to finish the season well and I hope we can take this spirit into the World Tour.”
Alison and Bruno topped the podium in the men’s tournament with a 2-1 (14-21, 21-16, 15- 11) defeat of veterans Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos after Pedro Salgado and Evandro Goncalves had beaten Alvaro Filho and Vitor Felipe 2-1 (22-20, 21-19).
“Alison’s tears are genuine as he was desperate to win,” Bruno said after also being named player of the season.
“I am very happy with our growth together and that is something that will help us in the World Tour. Obviously it will be very difficult, but we like that kind of competition.”
The next stop on the World Tour is the Lucerne Open in Switzerland that runs from May 12-17. The World Championships take place in four cities across the Netherlands – The Hague, Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and Rotterdam – from June 26 – July 5.