CEV Beach Nations Cup 2026 preview – England's Tucker thrilled to be back 

The 21-year-old's career had been on a distinctly upward curve as she earned a place at the US’ Loyola Marymount University (LMU), having come through the pathway at local indoor club South Bucks. 

But chronic lower back problems sidelined her just as she was coming into her own on American soil, prompting understandable heartache and frustration that she was not able to build on a promising freshman year. 

But two years of rehabilitation and hard work has enabled Isabelle to make a welcome comeback. In the colours of Grand Canyon University (GCU) for her fourth college year – where fellow England player Katie Keefe has been a teammate – she has proven her fitness beyond doubt, earning an England recall in the process. 

Ahead of the start of tomorrow and Saturday’s CEV BeachVolley Nations Cup 2026 qualifier in Alanya, Turkey (5th and 6th June), the former Wycombe High School pupil now reflects positively on her time out, believing that, as tough as it was, it has made her a better player and person. 

“Words can’t even describe the feeling to be able to step on court again and compete after such a long period of uncertainty,” she said. 

“Things have certainly not been easy since returning back to sport. My personal trainer in the US compared it to changing the wheels on a moving bus, which sounds funny but was actually pretty accurate, so this analogy has always stuck with me. 

“My body is still adjusting to the intense demands of our normal routines, so my return has consisted of many good and bad days. However, overall I feel I have definitely made physical and mental progress on and off the court, and I hope things continue in a positive direction. 

“My injury built over time from a series of weightlifting incidents, until it became severe enough that I couldn’t play without severe pain. It kept me out of sport for almost two years, but a combination of manual therapies, PT exercises and a lot of mental strengthening has helped me get back on court. 

“Especially for chronic pain and injuries, addressing the mental side of things is so valuable for overcoming the expectation and fear of being in pain every day. 

“These past two to three years have been the toughest, yet most valuable in my life. I’ve learned so much and it has ultimately changed my perspective and approach to things, making me appreciate the little things more and I feel grateful for every chance I have to play.” 

England will take on Ukraine, France and Belgium as they bid to reach the final in Budapest,, which will be held from 16th to 19th July. 

Isabelle says the women’s team will do their homework, but will also not let thoughts of their opponents dominate their preparations. 

She said: “If we haven’t played a team before, we will find and watch any past matches that we can access to help build our offensive and defensive strategies. 

“We want to have a rough plan for our opponents, but we also need to prioritise our own side of the court too.” 

Isabelle with team up with Alice Jagielska in Alanya, another player who has been playing out in the States with Pepperdine University. 

The other pairing in the women’s squad is the aforementioned Keefe and Kirsty Star. 

“I am really excited to play with Alice,” said Isabelle. “She’s a great player and it’s been fun getting to watch her grow during her first year in the US, so it will be fun to share the same side of the net with her. 

“We’ve not had much time to prepare since we are a new partnership. However, we are improving and connecting more every session, and will continue to make positive steps this week in our first international event together.” 

“It’s always an honour to put on an England top, but I am especially excited for Nations Cup because we get to represent England as a squad, and not just a pair. 

“Also, we are lucky to have such a genuine and friendly squad, so we will be showing that support for each other during our time here.”

While sometimes in the past the genders, have completed separately, this year the men’s England squad are also heading to Alanya at the same time. 

Among the quartet who will be proudly pulling on a national vest will be Enrique Bello – younger brother of Javier and Joaquin – who is relishing the prospect of gaining more international experience. 

With his brothers readying themselves for a return to action after an injury to Joaquin, and Freddie Bialokoz and Issa Batrane having already committed to playing at Queen and King of the Court in Hamburg, Enrique and playing partner Niko Gleed will take on the number one pair mantle. 

They will be joined by promising teenage pair Josh Cosgrove and Maks Makowski in tackling Norway, France and Greece in a strong Pool E.  

“I’ve been really locked in over the winter with training,” said Enrique, 22. “I have spent most of the last few months in Los Angeles, so have been able to get good and consistent training in, meaning the partnership with Niko is going really well. 

“We have such good chemistry on and off the court and that really translates to our performance. 

“Niko and I have been preparing by competing in Asia these past two weeks. We had Beach Pro Tour tournaments in the Philippines and China, getting a fifth place finish in China that has really prepared us well for the Nations Cup. 

“We are quite big on studying and preparing before games. We watch a lot of film on our opponents before we play and just look for habits, tendencies – basically any patterns that can help us better predict our opponents – so hopefully that will help.” 

After Turkey, Enrique and Nico will turn their focus to Bridlington, the scene of their NEVZA Beach England tournament victory last year. 

In 2026, they will not only be back to defend their title, but they will also have the opportunity to take on players from across the globe in the Futures Beach Pro Tour event that follows – the first at that level to be hosted in the UK. 

Both events – and the NEVZA Youth Beach Championships that follow – are free for spectators to attend and will take place between 21st June and 2nd July as part of a two-week festival of volleyball on the Yorkshire coast. Find out more here. 

Enrique said: “Winning NEVZA last year was really important to us. We’ve had international successes, but it felt more special to do it in England and we’re looking forward to defending our title. 

“Before that our focus is on the Nations Cup and, while we won’t have too much support out in Turkey outside of the England teams, within our whole delegation we are all very close and supportive of each other, so that is a support we can rely on.”