Lithuania and Australia capture Nuvali Challenge crowns

Lithuanian Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte delivered a commanding performance to defeat Americans Alaina Chacon and Madelyn Anderson, 21-12, 21-11, and claim the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge title on Sunday evening at the Nuvali Sands Courts.

Raupelyte, standing 6-foot-6, dominated at the net in the second set, while Paulikiene produced a key defensive dig that helped Lithuania surge to an 18-8 lead.

Although Team USA briefly halted the momentum to trim the gap to 19-11, Paulikiene soon pushed Lithuania to championship point before Raupelyte sealed the win with a floating shot to secure their first title as a pair.

“Like always, I just tried to stay aggressive on the block,” said Raupelyte, who finished with 23 points on 16 kills and seven blocks.

She also credited Paulikiene, who added 10 points on eight spikes and two aces, noting their strong chemistry as a key factor in their breakthrough victory.

“She makes my job easier by giving me good touches. We really supported each other and built a great atmosphere,” she added.

The Lithuanian duo finally broke through after finishing runner-up in two earlier finals — the Tlaxcala Challenge in Mexico and the Xiamen Challenge in China — earlier in the season.

“It’s amazing after three years on the Challenger circuit. This is our first gold, and it’s historic for Lithuania,” Raupelyte said. “I hope we can inspire more people to play volleyball and enjoy the sport.”

Chacon and Anderson were unable to complete their title run, suffering a second defeat in three meetings against the Lithuanians. Anderson finished with 11 points, while Chacon was held to eight.

In the men’s final, Australia’s Thomas Hodges and Ben Hood overcame a slow start to rally past Switzerland’s Adrian Heidrich and Yves Haussener, 14-21, 21-16, 15-8, and capture their first Nuvali Challenge crown.

After dropping the opening set, the Australians took control in the decider, racing to a 10-4 lead behind Hodges before Hood extended the advantage with a block that made it 13-7.

Hodges then produced a key block to reach championship point before Hood finished the match with a powerful attack.

“We just had to stick together,” said Hodges, who led with 23 points.

“We stayed composed after a tough start and kept trusting our game,” he added.

Hood, who contributed 11 points, said he enjoyed the battle and credited their resilience throughout the tournament.

“It’s been really fun—we’ve enjoyed every match and every challenge,” he said.

In the women’s bronze medal match, the Netherlands’ Emi Van Driel and Mila Konink edged Ukraine’s Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil, 22-20, 21-18. Konink led the way with 23 points as the Dutch pair bounced back from a semifinal loss to the eventual champions earlier in the day.

On the men’s side, Switzerland’s Julian Friedli and Jonathan Jordan secured bronze after a comeback win over Germany’s Philipp Huster and Sven Winter, 18-21, 21-13, 15-13. Jordan delivered the decisive point in a tight finish to seal a podium finish for the Swiss duo.