Two Australian pairs are in Mexico preparing for their Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour debut in the Tlaxcala Challenge qualifiers on Wednesday.

The men’s team of Christopher McHugh and Paul Burnett and the women’s pair of Nicole Laird and Phoebe Bell are excited to compete at the world level again, after a long absence from the international beach volleyball stage.

“Outside of the Tokyo Olympics, it has been the best part of two and a half years since we had the opportunity to train and compete against other countries at a world-level event,” McHugh told Volleyball Australia. “We arrived into Mexico early to try and get best acclimated to the high altitude, but also to get as much practice as possible in with international teams.”

He and his previous partner Damien Schumann last played at an FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event over two years ago, at the Phnom Penh 2-star in February 2020. As did Paul Burnett, alongside Marcus Ferguson. Within the following period - a period of pandemic-hindered travel for all Australians - McHugh and Schumann were able to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Games last August and left a good impression.

The Australian women's team have faced a similar situation. “We haven’t competed at a world-level event since 2019, so we are hoping to get out there and just focus on competing hard,” Nikki Laird said. “We are working to put together our best volleyball, and it’s just awesome to be back at an international event again.”

Laird is back to the country where she and her previous teammate Becchara Palmer played their last high-level World Tour competition, the Chetumal 4-star in November 2019. They also managed a visit to Cambodia in 2020 to compete at the Siem Reap 2-star in early February, an event Phoebe Bell was at too with Brittany Kendall.

“Phoebe and I spent a week in Los Angeles training against other Beach Pro Tour teams, which was the perfect preparation for us. We have been out of the international game for such a long time that it was a good reminder of the level that is required to win. Phoebe and I are on the same page about how we want to approach competition this year,” Laird added.

“Training in Los Angeles has allowed us to find our rhythm and build back into playing against international teams,” said Bell. “All we can ask for ourselves is that we compete hard, enjoy being back on tour, and stick to our team values.”

McHugh, Burnett and Bell also had an opportunity to test themselves against high-level foreign opponents at the continental level a few months ago as they took part in the AVC Asian Championships in Phuket in late November. The guys won the title, while Bell’s partnership with Georgia Johnson brought her the bronze.

As the new international season gets underway, the Australian teams are also planning further ahead into the year when, in addition to more Beach Pro Tour events, they have the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships and the Commonwealth Games to look forward to.

“This is the first Challenge event of the season, and every team here is looking to compete hard and get a good result to kick-start their season, especially with the run into the World Championships in Rome, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later in the year, and ultimately the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said McHugh.

Laird and Bell will be the first of the Australian teams to test the sand in Tlaxcala. On Wednesday, at 09:40 local time, they will take on Japan’s Asami Shiba and Takemi Nishibori in the first qualification round. Later in the day, at 13:00, McHugh and Burnett will face Poland’s Milosz Kruk and Mikolaj Miszczuk in the men’s qualification bracket.

“Every team on the Beach Pro Tour is talented!” Bell said. “But the most important thing for us is focusing our energy into our team and our processes. We trust that if we do that well, then the outcome will take care of itself.”

“As a relatively new team, Paul and I are learning a lot each and every practice, and improving as a team,” said McHugh. “For us, this week is a great opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the world after a good training block in Australia. We want to back ourselves and our game style, and compete hard with every team we play.”

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