The 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia was equally historic for their neighbours New Zealand. With the World Championships being staged in Oceania for the first time, the tournament also carried special meaning for New Zealand’s athletes.
New Zealand was represented by one men’s pair and one women’s duo. Brad Fuller & Ben O’Dea marked New Zealand’s first men’s team qualification for the World Championship in 10 years. On the other hand, Shaunna Polley and Olivia MacDonald’s cameo marked the first appearance of a New Zealand women’s team at the World Championship since 2001.
“It was a huge honour! With the World Championships being across the ditch, we were lucky to have a massive support crew, which definitely helped lift our performance,” MacDonald told FIVB.com.
New Zealand’s Olivia MacDonald (right) in action at the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia.
Fielding two teams in the World Championship was a landmark achievement for the rugby-crazy New Zealand and Macdonald is optimistic that it will spark new interest in beach volleyball among the youth back home.
“I love rugby but it has nothing on the beach volleyball lifestyle. I’d love to see young players in New Zealand fall in love with the sport the same way we did. If beach volleyball had the same reputation as rugby in New Zealand, there would be no stopping us,” she asserted.
After a slow start to the competition that saw them lose their opening Pool I match to USA’s 16th seeds Julia Donlin & Lexy Denaburg, Polley & MacDonald won their next two matches against Italy’s Valentina Gottardi & Reka Orsi Toth and Canada’s Lea Monkhouse & Marie-Alex Bélanger to storm the Round of 32. However, they lost to Germany’s Linda Bock & Louisa Lippmann in straight sets to exit the competition in the Round of 32.
“We were stoked, obviously gutted not to advance but it left us hungry. We know we’re capable of more — it just wasn’t our time yet,” said MacDonald.
New Zealand’s Olivia MacDonald (right) in action at the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia.
With the Adelaide memories still fresh in their minds, Polley & MacDonald are keen to impress in the 2026 Beach Pro Tour having topped the podium at the Xiamen Challenge event in 2025.
“We definitely don’t want to take our foot off the gas! We’ve had a taste of what we can accomplish in a short window, and we’re looking forward to getting back on top of a few more podiums,” said MacDonald, who will celebrate her 30th birthday on January 29.
“We want to work on our self-belief and experience. Being relatively isolated in New Zealand, the more exposure we get to the international game, the better we become — and that naturally builds confidence,” added MacDonald matter-of-factly.
New Zealand’s Olivia MacDonald (right) passes the ball as her partner Shaunna Polley look on during the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia.
