McNamara twins eyeing return to the sand at King of the Court
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, September 7, 2020 – After a long wait,
the McNamara twins are finally set to return to a beach
volleyball court. 23-year-old Megan and Nicole haven’t appeared
in an international tournament since July 2019, but the
Canadians are set for a busy ten-day period in Europe, which
will be capped off with their participation at the 2020 King of
the Court event in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Megan and Nicole, who ended a successful collegiate career in
the United States with UCLA in 2019, last played internationally
at the five-star FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Vienna Major
in July 2019, when they lost the only qualifier match they
played. Three months later, they finished fourth at a NORCECA
event in Boca Chica, the Dominican Republic.
Their return to the courts will take place this weekend, when
they are set to appear in a Dutch Tour event in Breda. From
there, they will head to Utrecht, as they are set to debut on
Wednesday in a pool with Brazil’s Ana Patricia Ramos/Rebecca
Silva, Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich/Anouk Verge-Depre, Spain’s
Liliana Fernandez/Elsa Baquerizo and Dutch Esmee Priem/Julia
Wouters.
“It’s a different format to a usual World Tour event,” said
Megan in an interview with Canadian website Delta Optimist.
“It’s super fun with 20 teams. With the pandemic it’s going to
be different than in past years, but they have a pretty cool
stadium that is very safe for the fans and it’s just going to be
great to be playing again.”
After such a long time away from the courts, the McNamaras might
be short on match rhythm, but their minds couldn’t be in a
better place.
After living in Los Angeles between 2015 and 2019, they
relocated to Toronto, where the Canadian national team training
facilities are located. During the pandemic, they were able to
return to their hometown Tsawwassen, on the west coast of the
country, and to spend time with their family.
“We were so grateful for that time,” Nicole added. “It was so
nice to catch my breath and be with my family. It still feels
like home and there is a sense of comfort to be back there. At
the end of the day, it wasn’t the worst timing for us and was a
total blessing in disguise. We haven’t had a chance to spend
that much time at home for a long time, with our parents, our
dog and our grandparents too.” |