London 2012 Olympics: Mullin admits Italians got under her skin in beach volleyball defeat

EDINBURGH’S Shauna Mullin admitted she suffered a horror second set 
after her and partner Zara Dampney lost 21-18, 21-12 to European champions Italy in their second beach volleyball match of London 2012.

Mullin and Dampney have never beaten Greta Cicolari and Marta Menegatti before but they were trading point for point in a tight first set which the Italians just edged.

But in the second set, the British girls faded badly. However, their fate in Pool F is very much in their own hands after the opening-round victory over Canada, with Russia to come tomorrow. Mullin said: “We do have a chance of going through. We will have done our homework, have a good gameplan and come out fighting. If we beat them we will go through.

“I felt quite under pressure with their serves. They are very good servers and I just was not able to stick it up. In terms of my finish and my touch, it was not quite there. The balls were pinging off me.”

Even when the British duo were trailing in the second set they were cheered all the way by a capacity crowd at the Horse Guards Parade and Mullin is hoping for more of the same tomorrow. “They kept cheering us on and they were amazing.”

n Bank of Scotland, proud 
supporter of Team GB and proud partner of the London 2012 
Olympic Games. Get closer to the Games at bankofscotland.co.uk/London2012