New Zealanders Alice Zeimann and Shaunna Polley were delighted to get their beach volleyball tournament off to a winning start.
The New Zealanders beat Kenya 21-10, 21-19 in their opening match of the women’s competition.
After dominating the first set, Zeimann and Polley seemed to drift off the pace and had to reapply themselves in a hurry to win the second.
“We’re very pleased to win our opening game, and in two sets as well,” Zeimann said. “We were a bit nervous at the start but once we settled down we started to play well. They’re a solid team and came back at us strongly, so it’s a good result for us.”
This is Polley’s second Commonwealth Games. She represented New Zealand at the 2018 Gold Coast Games with Kelsie Wills.
Brad Fuller and Sam O’Dea completed a good day for New Zealand when they emerged 21-18, 21-13 winners over Cyprus. After a tough first set the New Zealanders settled down and found their best form later in the match.