September 9, 2018
Beach volleyball star Taliqua Clancy has won the award for “Best Server” during the recently completed FIVB World Tour, the international sport’s most elite competition.
The latest round of FIVB World Tour events began in October 2017 in China and wound up in Germany last month.
Taliqua’s on-court partner, Mariafe Artacho del Solar, won the award for “Most Improved Player”.
The pair won four gold medals during the 2017-2018 world tour season.
The last time an Australian women’s player won an award on the World Tour was in 2009 when Louise Bawden was named the top rookie.
Louise was Taliqua’s former on-court partner.
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FIVB World Tour Awards
Women:
Most Outstanding Player: Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa (Brazil)
Best Blocker: Brandie Wilkerson (Canada)
Most Improved Player: Mariafe Artacho del Solar (Australia)
Best Offensive Player: Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa (Brazil)
Best Hitter: Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa (Brazil)
Best Defensive Player: Heather Bansley (Canada)
Best Server: Taliqua Clancy (Australia)
Best Setter: Melissa Humana-Paredes (Canada)
Most Inspirational: Agatha Bednarczuk (Brazil)
Sportsman: Agatha Bednarczuk (Brazil)
Rookie: Tina Graudina (Latvia) and Svetlana Kholomina (Russia)
Men:
Most Outstanding Player: Anders Mol (Norway)
Best Blocker: Anders Mol (Norway)
Most Improved Player: Anders Mol (Norway)
Best Offensive Player: Anders Mol (Norway)
Best Hitter: Alexander Brouwer (Netherlands)
Best Defensive Player: Christian Sørum (Norway)
Best Server: Evandro Gonçalves (Brazil)
Best Setter: Janis Smedins (Latvia)
Most Inspirational: Ricardo Alex Costa Santos (Brazil)
Sportsman: Ricardo Alex Costa Santos (Brazil) and Aleksandrs Samoilovs (Latvia)
Rookie: Igor Velichko (Russia)
