In an all-U.S. Collegiate Beach National Team final on Sunday, Nicolette Martin and Terese Cannon defeated fellow Americans Brittany Howard and Corinne Quiggle to win the Shenzhen International Festival in China.
The invitational brought college-aged teams from the U.S., Canada and China together for a three-day event, as part of the annual Dapeng International Outdoor Carnival.
Cannon/Martin (above) from USC and Howard/Quiggle from Pepperdine qualified for the event by finishing second and third in last May’s USAV Collegiate Beach Championships in Hermosa Beach, California.
“I’m so happy to be a part of the High Performance CBNT and beyond grateful for the training opportunities they provide such as these,” said Cannon (Pittsford, N.Y.)
“Traveling to China for my first international tournament was such an awesome experience!,” she said. “I have learned so much and met so many incredible people. The opportunity to travel, see a new culture and play the sport I love is something that I will cherish forever.”
Her partner concurred.
“This was my first time representing the U.S. overseas,” said Martin (Anaheim, Calif.). “It was such an honor be maxing experience to be able to compete with athletes from the other side of the world and embrace the Chinese culture! I think this trip has definitely better prepared me on my journey in pursuing professional beach volleyball.”
Howard (Los Altos, Calif.) said, “I have loved every second of this trip. Getting to represent Team USA is such an honor and amazing opportunity. We were able to show younger players from different cultures how we train and compete, in addition to getting the experience of what the next step in our careers will be like at FIVB events.”
Finally, Quiggle (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) commented on the trip.
“This was an unbelievable experience, it’s such a great learning experience for volleyball and for life. It’s a great way to learn how to adjust for time and get around in a culture different than your own. I’m so thankful to have come on this trip, the people in Shenzhen were so hospitable and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to travel with.”