Pairs from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment supported federations of Austria, Czechia, England, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Sweden and Ukraine made the podiums at age-group zonal beach volleyball events in Europe last week. Zonal beach competitions were also held in CAVB VII in Africa
BVA U20 Beach Volleyball Balkan Championships in Marathon, Greece
Teams from host nation Greece and Moldova, supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, occupied the entire women’s podium at the BVA U20 Beach Volleyball Balkan Championships in Marathon. Kyriaki Koukouditska & Myrto Paschalaki defeated Angeliki Charissaki & Aikaterini Fragkioudaki (both teams pictured in the main photo; source: Hellenic Volleyball Federation) in the all-Greek gold medal showdown, while Moldova’s Inessa Staver & Olesea Osadet earned the bronze. Two Bulgarian duos – Zahari Zgurov & Georgi Antov and Aleksandar Dobrev & Radostin Gyurov – took gold and bronze, respectively, in the men’s tournament, while Turkiye’s Freddie Jude Foks & Polat Kemal Eser completed the podium with silver.
The Greek federation’s beach volleyball department has so far been allocated a total of USD 304,500 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national duos, working under the guidance of Konstantinos Pothitakis and Efstathios Chandrinos. Moldova’s beach volleyball is benefitting from a USD 42,000 grant in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national teams, trained by Bulgarian coach Vladimir Orlov.
Greece’s Kyriaki Koukouditska & Myrto Paschalaki and Angeliki Charissaki & Aikaterini Fragkioudaki both reached the final match undefeated. In the semifinals, Koukouditska & Paschalaki put together a 2-0 (21-17, 21-10) win over yet another Greek pair, Grigoria Margaritopoulou & Maria Margaritopoulou, while Charissaki & Fragkioudaki managed a 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-9) win over Moldova’s Inessa Staver & Olesea Osadet.
In the all-Greek final, Koukouditska & Paschalaki lost their first set of the tournament, but kept their undefeated record intact with a hard-fought 2-1 (21-19, 24-26, 15-11) victory.
Staver & Osadet brought the bronze home to Moldova with a 2-1 (21-15, 17-21, 15-5) win over Margaritopoulou & Margaritopoulou in the third-place playoff.
Women’s results and standings
Bulgaria’s Zahari Zgurov & Georgi Antov won all four of their matches in Marathon to claim the Balkan crown, but in three of those they were pushed to tie-breaker resolutions. In their semifinal, Zgurov & Antov squeezed out a narrow 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 19-17) victory over Greece’s Orestis-Dimitrios Anagnostakis & Nikolaos Mantzios, and in the gold medal showdown, they achieved their second three-set comeback against Turkiye’s Freddie Jude Foks & Polat Kemal Eser of the tournament, 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-13).
In their semifinal, the Turkish duo produced a 2-0 (21-12, 23-21) win over Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Dobrev & Radostin Gyurov, who, then, bounced back with a 2-0 (21-12, 21-17) sweep of the bronze medal game against Anagnostakis & Mantzios.
10 women’s and 10 men’s teams from Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Turkiye took part in the BVA U20 Beach Volleyball Balkan Championships.
NEVZA U20 and U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Bridlington, UK
Duos from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment supported Norway, Finland, Sweden and England made it among the medalists at the NEVZA U20 and U18 Beach Volleyball Championships, held in Bridlington, UK.
Norges Volleyballforbund, the Norwegian national federation, has so far been allocated a total of USD 252,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national beach volleyball teams, with Jetmund Bernsten in charge of the men’s duos. In addition, a USD 6,000 for a national team coaches development knowledge transfer program was granted. The Finnish Volleyball Association’s beach volleyball department has so far been funded with USD 126,000 in coach support for their women’s national duos, who are currently working with Brazilian specialist Lissandro Carvalho. In addition, they have received USD 6,000 in beach volleyball equipment. The Swedish Volleyball Association’s beach volleyball department has been granted USD 84,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their men’s national teams, trained by ground-breaking coach Rasmus Jonsson, in addition to a USD 6,000 in a national team coach development knowledge transfer program. Volleyball England’s beach volleyball department has so far been allocated USD 294,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national duos, in addition to another USD 6,000 for a national team coach development knowledge transfer program. New Zealander Kirk Pitman has been coaching their national teams.
In the U20 men’s competition in Bridlington, Sebastian Kjemperud & Johannes Ringоen of Norway triumphed as zonal champions without losing a single set in six matches played. In their semifinal, they hammered out a 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) shutout of compatriots Amund Brundtland & David Stenberg, and in the final, they mastered a 2-0 (21-16, 22-20) win over Finland’s Kaapo Vanhatupa & Konsta Viljamaa, who had to settle for silver. The Finns survived a hard-fought 2-0 (23-21, 21-19) semifinal against English home favorites Lewis Bunton & Bailey Harsum.
Bunton & Harsum bounced back with a 2-0 (21-11, 22-20) win over Brundtland & Stenberg in the third-place game to get the bronze.
U20 men’s results and standings
In an all-Norwegian U20 women’s final, Cathrine Hjeltnes & Tiril Skjold defeated Hermine Fosmark & Maren Vаge by 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) to claim the title.
Anna Laaksonen & Sole Juuri-Oja from Empowerment-supported Finland, who finished fourth in the league round of the tournament took the bronze after a 2-0 (2-14, 21-18) upset of third-placed Mila Razdorov Lyo & Clara Bang Skovsgaard of Denmark in the match for the third place.
U20 women’s results and standings
Sweden’s Casper Tjernqvist & Henrik Brus finished second in their U18 men’s pool on a 3-1 win-loss record, and then won another three games on the way to the zonal gold. In the semis, the Swedes came back from a set down to celebrate a 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 15-11) victory over England’s Luca Robinson & Emmanuel Oretoye, and in the final, they mastered a 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) win over Norway’s Ludvig Ringоen & Liam Karlsen, who settled for silver, after winning an all-Norwegian semifinal against Martin Lind Tollefsen & Emil Foss Torsaeter by 2-0 (21-17, 21-13).
Robinson & Oretoye also took out Tollefsen & Torsaeter in straight sets, 2-0 (21-16, 22-20), to please the home crowd with the bronze.
U18 men’s results and standings
Oda Skarlund & Stine Finholth of Norway triumphed as U18 women’s NEVZA champions. They dropped only a set in five matches played in Bridlington. They hammered out a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) sweep of the semifinal against compatriots Johanna Krane & Sina Straumstoyl and followed up with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-11) shutout of Finland’s Maisa Kyrоlаinen & Nelli Waldеn in the final.
The Finns beat compatriots Miina Kojo & Isla Juselius by 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) in their semifinal to secure a top-two finish.
The bronze went to Krane & Straumstoyl after an emphatic 2-0 (21-11, 21-11) victory over Kojo & Juselius in the third-place playoff.
U18 women’s results and standings
18 women’s and 20 men’s teams from Denmark, England, Finland, Norway and Sweden took part in the NEVZA U20 and U18 Beach Volleyball Championships.
MEVZA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Portoroz, Slovenia
FIVB Volleyball Empowerment beneficiaries from Czechia and Austria claimed five of the six medals at the MEVZA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Portoroz, Slovenia. Austria’s Robin Blok & David Reischl and Simon Luckinger & Andrej Trummer took gold and bronze in the men’s competition, with Czechia’s Lukas Novotny & Jaroslav Votava in between with silver. Two Czech duos – Ema Sebova & Lea Mifkova and Ema Rosi & Sara Cervinkova – earned gold and bronze on the women’s side. Hungary’s Karmen Honti-Majoros & Reka Padar completed the podium with silver.
The Czech Volleyball Federation has been granted USD 252,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national beach volleyball teams and another USD 18,000 in national beach volleyball team coach development knowledge transfer programs. Their women’s pairs take advantage of Argentinean coach Sebastian Menegozzo’s expertise, while the men’s pairs are trained by Italian coach Andrea Tomatis. Austria’s beach volleyball has so far been allocated USD 168,000 in coach support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, in addition to USD 6,000 for a national beach volleyball team coach development knowledge transfer program. Greek coach Georgios Kotsilianos has been in charge of their men’s national duos.
Austria’s Robin Blok & David Reischl marched through the men’s tournament in Portoroz undefeated in five games, but they were pushed to tie-breakers in the last two matches. In the semifinals, Blok & Reischl achieved a 2-1 (21-12, 18-21, 15-11) victory over fellow Austrians Simon Luckinger & Andrej Trummer, and in the final, they came back from a set down to celebrate a 2-1 (16-21, 24-22, 15-11) win over Czechia’s Lukas Novotny & Jaroslav Votava.
The Czechs hammered out a 2-0 (21-7, 21-14) sweep of their semifinal against Slovakia’s Lukas Hunady & Kevin Kalma to secure at least a silver, while Luckinger & Trummer needed three sets to beat the Slovaks for the bronze, 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 15-12).
Czechia’s Ema Sebova & Lea Mifkova did not lose any sets in six matches played on the way to the U18 women’s zonal crown. They took out Hungary’s Julianna Kis & Herta Muranyi by 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) in the semis, and another Hungarian team – Karmen Honti-Majoros & Reka Padar – by 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the gold medal game.
Honti-Majoros & Reka Padar beat another Czech pair – Ema Rosi & Sara Cervinkova – by a hard-fought 2-1 (24-22, 15-21, 15-11) in the other semifinal. The latter bounced back with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-7) sweep of the bronze medal match against Kis & Muranyi.
Women’s results and standings
13 men’s and 13 women’s teams from Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Israel, Slovakia and Slovenia took part in the MEVZA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships.
EEVZA U18 and U16 Beach Volleyball Championships in Cesis, Latvia
Pairs from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment supported Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine made the podiums at the EEVZA U18 and U16 Beach Volleyball Championships, held in Cesis, Latvia.
The Volleyball Federation of Latvia has so far been allocated a total of USD 210,000 in coach support for their national teams in beach volleyball from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, in addition to USD 5,500 in beach volleyball equipment. Their youth duos are working under the guidance of Aleksandrs Solovejs, Sandris Andrejevs and Inga Koklaca. The Lithuanian Volleyball Federation’s beach volleyball department has so far been granted a total of USD 477,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national duos, and another USD 12,000 for national team coach development knowledge transfer programs. Their youth women’s pairs have been training under the guidance of distinguished Latvian instructor Aigars Birzulis. The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has been supporting the Ukraine Volleyball Federation in continuing its volleyball and beach volleyball activities since 2022 as part of an ongoing Memorandum of Understanding, which has so far provided total funding of USD 983,000.
Latvia’s Paula Krieva & Estere Zakite pleased the home fans with the U18 women’s Eastern European crown, which they earned without losing any matches on the way. After a forfeit win of their semifinal, they went on to produce a 2-1 (11-21, 22-20, 15-11) victory in the final against Ukraine’s Mariia Shkurat & Marharyta Vapniar.
The latter secured their place in the final with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) win over compatriots Anastasiia Boiko & Aleksandra Kovalchuk, who settled for bronze after a forfeit win of the third-place fixture against Lithuania’s Agata Michalkeviciute & Beatrice Michalkeviciute.
U18 women’s results and standings
Latvia’s Ernests Pastars & Renars Lasmanis reached the U18 men’s final in Cesis unbeaten, crowning their run with a 2-1 (21-13, 14-21, 15-13) semifinal victory over fellow Latvians Olivers Pope & Niks Amelkovics, but had to settle for silver after a 2-1 (21-18, 14-21, 15-4) loss at the hands of Poland’s Igor Gliszczynski & Alan Robak in the final.
Pope & Amelkovics earned the bronze with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) sweep of the third-place playoff against Lithuania’s Rokas Lukosevicius & Kristupas Sliezauskas, who had fallen to Gliszczynski & Robak by 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) in the other semifinal.
U18 men’s results and standings
Vira Hudz & Polina Krainia of Ukraine triumphed as U16 girls’ volleyball Eastern European champions. In the semifinals, they took a 2-0 (21-19, 21-11) win over Poland’s Alicja Latwis & Anna Leciak, and in the final, they managed a 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 15-6) victory over another Polish pair – Zuzanna Pogorzelska & Alicja Skaba.
Pogorzelska & Skaba won their semifinal against Latvia’s Emilija Birzkalne & Marija Vorobeja by 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) and went on to bring home silver, while Latwis & Leciak outplayed the Latvians by 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) for the bronze.
U16 women’s results and standings
A Ukrainian duo claimed the U16 men’s title as well. Gleb Magnus & Stanislav Danyliuk finished in first place after a 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-8) final against Poland’s Daniel Urbaniak & Marcel Kruk. Before that, the Ukrainians delivered a 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) semifinal win over Latvia’s Markuss Dimitrijevs & Toms Locs, who went on to conquer the bronze.
In the third-place game, Dimitrijevs & Locs celebrated a 2-0 (21-7, 21-6) shutout of Lithuania’s Tautvydas Galubickas & Tauras Sidlauskas, who had lost the other semifinal to the Polish pair by 2-1 (21-16, 22-24, 15-7).
U16 men’s results and standings
32 women’s and 28 men’s teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine took part in the EEVZA U18 and U16 Beach Volleyball Championships.
CAVB Zone VII Beach Volleyball Nations Championships in Victoria, Seychelles
Dania Hoareau & Angelique Veronique Adeline of Seychelles and Danilo Gilbert Alfred & Bhoomeshwarsing Doobraz of Mauritius won the CAVB Zone VII Beach Volleyball Nations Championships held in Seychelles from July 1 to 2. The top two teams in each gender category qualified for the CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Senior Championships set for September.
The women’s competition attracted three teams and was played in a round-robin format with the home team of Dania & Adeline emerging champions without dropping a set. Dania & Adeline swept aside Valentine Paul & Marie Elisa Stephie Rosalba of Mauritius in straight sets, 2-0 (21-15, 21-16), before defeating Madagascar’s Andriamihasoa Ravonitschenko Holiarisoa & Joelle Hariniaina Yannick Andrianirina by a similar margin, 2-0 (21-13, 21-8) to claim the gold medal.
Paul & Rosalba beat Holiarisoa & Andrianirina by 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) to settle for the silver medal.
Women’s results and standings
The men’s competition featured four teams and was also played in a round-robin format. Gilbert Alfred & Bhoomeshwarsing Doobraz of Mauritius were crowned champions on a 3-0 win-loss record. They started their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 16-14) win over Mohamed Boukhary & Ahmed Satoul from Comoros and followed it up with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) sweep of Henrico Ely Eron Ernesta & Alex Gerry Lozaique from Seychelles. A 2-0 (21-12, 24-22) victory over Madagascar’s Waltanio Andriafaramanana & Julio Randriafaramanana handed them the gold medal with only one set dropped.
Boukhary & Satoul from Comoros bounced back from their opening match loss to beat Andriafaramanana & Randriafaramanana by 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) and Ernesta & Lozaique by a similar margin, 2-0 (21-17, 21-17), to claim the silver medal.
Andriafaramanana & Randriafaramanana’s sole win, a 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) drubbing of Ernesta & Lozaique, was enough to secure the bronze medal for Madagascar.
Three women’s duos and four men’s pairs from Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros and Madagascar participated in the CAVB Zone VII Beach Volleyball Nations Championships in Seychelles.
CAVB Zone VII Beach Volleyball Tour in Victoria, Seychelles
Danilo Gilbert Alfred & Bhoomeshwarsing Doobraz of Mauritius and Dania Hoareau & Angelique Veronique Adeline of Seychelles were crowned champions of the first stop of the CAVB Zone VII Beach Volleyball Tour held in Seychelles from July 3 to 5.
The men’s champions Alfred & Doobraz dropped only one set enroute their gold medal feat which they achieved on a 6-0 win-loss record. They defeated Henrico Ely Eron Ernesta & Alex Gerry Lozaique of Seychelles in straight sets, 2-0 (21-09, 21-16), in the semifinals and crowned their unbeaten run with a 2-1 (19-21, 21-11, 15-7) comeback win over Ricky Kevin Micky Vel & Jean-Philippe France Vidot of Seychelles in the final.
Vel & Vidot had beaten Elyas Abdounourou & Ahmed Satoul of Comoros by 2-0 (21-19, 22-20) in the semifinals to reach the final. The bronze medal went to Ernesta & Lozaique of Seychelles after a 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) sweep of Elyas & Satoul in the third-place match.
In the women’s competition, Dania Hoareau & Angelique Veronique Adeline of Seychelles lived up to their top-seed status to clinch the gold medal on a 6-0 win-loss record, dropping only a set in the process. The home team of Dania & Adeline stretched their perfect record to five matches with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-12) sweep of compatriots Lutra Reanatha Esther Elizabeth & Vanita Rose in the semifinals. It’s in the final where they were tested to the core, rallying from a set down to edge out Valentine Paul & Marie Elisa Stephie Rosalba of Mauritius by 2-1 (16-21, 21-14, 15-12) to emerge women’s champions.
Paul & Rosalba had reached the final after a 2-1 (13-21, 23-21, 15-11) comeback win over Madagascar’s Anthares Melissa Rambony & Rose de Lima Alfred in the semifinals.
Melissa & Rose de Lima picked themselves up in the third-place match to defeat Lutra & Rose by 2-0 (21-10, 21-15) and claim the bronze medal.
Women’s results and standings
Five women’s duos and five men’s pairs from Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros and Madagascar participated in the first stop of the CAVB Zone VII Beach Volleyball Tour held in Seychelles.
