The Brazilians earned their first medal together as they topped the podium in Nantong

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Josi and Lili defeated an Italian team to claim their first-ever World Tour gold medals

Lili Maestrini and Josi Alves won their first-ever gold medal in the FIVB World Tour this weekend as the Brazilians triumphed in the women-only two-star event in Nantong, China.

The Brazilians, who were undefeated in the tournament winning all six games they played at, downed Italians Gaia Traballi and Agata Zuccarelli in three sets (21-13, 19-21, 15-12) in the gold medal match.

It was the first victory of the Brazilians in the international scene after 13 tournaments together. Last month, they got close to their first medal as a team, but finished fourth in the three-star event in Mersin, Turkey.

“We didn’t get a medal after getting so close in some recent tournaments, but this time we knew it would be ours and we were really focused,” Lili said. “We kept our confidence even in the three-set matches and we hope we can keep playing this way in the upcoming events.”

Campeãs!!! Acho que nem precisa de legenda mas queria agradecer a todos que torceram por nós! Estamos muitooooo felizes com essa conquista aqui na China! Semana que vem tem mais!!!! @ayofitnessclub @ergosfortaleza @cbvolei @voleishow @volei_praia @fivbbeachvolleyball

363 Likes, 47 Comments - Lili Maestrini França (@lili_maestrini) on Instagram: "Campeãs!!! Acho que nem precisa de legenda mas queria agradecer a todos que torceram por nós!..."

Australians Phoebe Bell and Jessyka Ngauamo claimed the bronze medal in Nantong following a straight-set victory (21-17, 21-18) over Japanese Ayumi Kusano and Takemi Nishibori.

The World Tour remains in China for yet another week and Nanjing will host a women-only two star event from June 14-17. In the same period, Baden, in Austria, will feature a double-gender one star tournament.