People and Places
28/04/2023
Mount Eliza youngster named MVP at beach volleyball champs
by Mornington Peninsula Magazine

Mount Eliza youngster named MVP at beach volleyball champs

Apr 28, 2023 | People and Places

Adele Curtis, left, and her teammates Izabella Cheng, Ediri Ukoko, Ellie Mellings and Mayra Pacioni celebrate their gold medal win with coach Darren Curtis, Adele’s father.

Volleyball Victoria has much to celebrate after an impressive performance at the 2023 Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships in Coolangatta last March. The Victorian contingent improved on last year’s medal tally, bringing home an impressive two golds, four silvers and a bronze.

Among the 90 athletes that Victoria sent in the under-14, under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-18 divisions was Adele Curtis, a 12-year-old from Mount Eliza. Adele and her teammates Ellie Mellings, Ediri Ukoko, Izabella Cheng and Mayra Pacioni dominated the under-14 division, not dropping a single set throughout the tournament. They went on to defeat Queensland 21-13, 21-16 in the gold medal match, with Adele being named the under-14s’ Most Valuable Player of the match.

Adele was named the under-14s’ Most Valuable Player.

Adele’s father, Darren Curtis, is also her team’s coach and inspired her to play beach volleyball, having represented Australia in the sport when he was younger. To prepare for the tournament, Adele and her team trained on Saturdays at South Melbourne Beach for about 10 weeks, regardless of the weather.

When asked to nominate her most important lesson from the experience, Adele said: “To never give up. If you miss your serve or you miss your hit, don’t put your head down. Keep it up.” This positive attitude is what helped her handle the pressure in the big games, staying focused and reminding herself they could win.

Despite her age, Adele already has her sights set on becoming an Olympic champion. She acknowledges it’s a challenging sport – particularly on sand, which is not only hard to move through but can be scorching – but she’s willing to put in the years of training necessary to further hone her speed and reflex skills.

Although beach volleyball stops over winter, Adele is not slowing down. She trains with the Mornington Volleyball Club and plans to try out for indoor volleyball to continue her pursuit of excellence in the sport. With an MVP award and Australian championship gold medal to her name, the future’s looking sunny for Adele in the world of beach volleyball.