‘No words’: Duo triumph in 2024 after heartbreak at the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships

Crowds packed Coolangatta Beach over the weekend to witness a redemption story at the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships.

Crowds packed Coolangatta Beach over the weekend to witness a redemption story at the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships.

New South Wales’ Stefanie Fejes and teammate, South Australian Jana Milutinovic came into the three day tournament as the number one seeded team after winning the Silver Medal last year.

In a surprise, they took on seventh seed and Queensland pair Phoebe Bell and Caitlin Bettenay in the final.

Milutinovic was overcome with emotion after winning the final 2-0 (22-20, 21-19).

Stefanie Fejes dives for the ball during the Gold Medal game at the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships at Coolangatta. Picture: Rogue Gun

“I’ve got no words for this moment right now,” Milutinovic said.

“The last five weeks have been a lot.

“But we’ve really pushed and given it our all and I’m really proud of us for the way we’ve been able to back it up every week.

“We’ve got a lot of trust in our team.

“Credit to Caitlin and Phoebe, they really pushed us today, made us grind it out and fight for those couple of points that in the end, made the difference.

“It was a really good game,”

Fejes echoed her partner’s comments and said that the result was a dream come true.

“We’ve really pushed, and I couldn’t be happier or prouder with our result, I really can’t believe it,” Fejes said.

“Thank you everyone for the support, we’re so happy, I’ve got no words.

“Defence is always a puzzle that you’re trying to solve throughout the game.

“So just piecing it together as best as we could out there today was our aim.

“We really played our best game and this is just such a great end to a great season for us.”

In the men’s marquee event, Manly duo Declan Tiso and Mateusz Zieba staged one of the biggest upsets to be crowned the men’s 2024 Australian Beach Volleyball Champions.

The pair knocked out top seeds Paul Burnett and Jack Pearse during the quarterfinals on Saturday.

They took that momentum into Sunday’s final rounds, knocking out Victorian duo Justin Schumann and Garang Anyang to progress to the Gold Medal match.

It’s back-to-back Australian crowns at Coolangatta for Zieba, this time with his new partner Tiso.

Tiso said they were able to use the energy of the crowd to spur them onto victory over New Zealand’s Thomas Reid and John McManaway.

Declan Tiso and Mateusz Zieba claimed the Gold Medal in the men's at the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships at Coolangatta. Picture: Rogue Gun

“This honestly is just such an incredible moment to me, I’m speechless, this is a dream,” Tiso said.

“It’s my first Super Sunday let alone a national tour gold medal so it feels unreal.

“It makes it so much more special with everyone here as well.

“Even though I’m focused on the sand the whole game, I can really feel the vibe around me and really feel the support.

“Thanks to everyone who came along today, you really pushed us through.”

Zieba knows what it takes to win the Gold Medal, he said he knew it was going to be a tough final matchup.

“It’s amazing, it’s the best feeling ever. Winning today proves that plenty of hard work can get you a long way, it’s amazing to go back to back,” said Zieba.

“I can’t remember too much of the game, it feels like a blur.

“The New Zealand team is so amazing, they really impressed me with how they play, so I’m still a bit surprised that we won.

The Kiwis pushed the Aussie pair to a three set match.

Losing the first set 21-19, Reid and McManaway came back strongly in the second to win 21-15.

With the crowd getting into the final set, Tiso and Zieba were able to hold onto win claim victory, winning 16-14 in the final score.

Originally published as ‘No words’: Duo triumph in 2024 after heartbreak at the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships