Vanuatu Volleyball has again just missed out on an Olympic spot, having made it to the final qualifying hurdle, in China.
The national women’s team, having progressed through the first phase of the qualifiers, at the AVC Continental Cup – Oceania event, hosted in Port Vila last year, headed to China in June to compete in the second qualifying phase, then following success at that event, remained in Ningbo for the Phase 3 Final. 
Team Vanuatu came up against a strong and consistently high performing New Zealand team, as they had done in Vanuatu last September, losing both matches and thereby ending their journey to Paris 2024.
Coach Shanon Zunker, who had been with the team throughout their Continental Cup journey, said the final hurdle had been a huge challenge for the players, but had been underlined by their determination and hard work.
“The CC was a big challenge for the whole team. The girls had spent several weeks in final preparation for the event. We had injury hurdles to get over, which we only seemed to be able to do towards the end of our preparation, and that definitely affected the team just a few weeks out from the competition.
“Despite all this, the players can hold their heads high. They trained hard, advanced their skills and battled every chance they could against world class teams and strong high-performance outfits, from our big regional competing nations. Some teams even had more staff there than athletes, which shows immediately what resources they have at their disposal.”
Zunker said he was proud of how the team was able to push opposition teams, with Vanuatu often ‘punching above its weight’ at this level of competition.
“Vanuatu have always been a master in doing what they can with what they’ve got, and I feel confident to say that we really pushed those teams, despite being a small outfit from the Pacific!”
(PC: AVC Continental Cup Ningbo) Lin hydrating in the semi-final.
The coach highlighted the significance of the final tournament for the team, with veteran Linline Matauatu having decided to retire, saying that he was proud to have had a front-row seat for it all.
“It was a special tournament being the last for Lin, who has decided to retire. Lin had only just recently returned to beach volleyball full-time, and despite the limited period for full-time training, she was able to hold her own against world class players. This shows what sort of champion she is,” said Zunker.
“To be one of only 8 nations competing in the finals for the entire Asian zone is a huge achievement and I am super grateful to have been a part of that.”
The national women’s squad will now have a small break, spending time with coaching staff, including new national coach and former champion player Miller Pata, to review the efforts of the past year, and with VVF management, plan for the next competition cycle.
