USA have retained the FIVB Beach Volleyball Under 18 World Championship title. The pair of Jordyn Scribner & Ella Grimes beat the Junk twin sisters, Avery and Addison, in straight sets in an all-American final on Saturday to ensure USA retained the title won by Myriah Massey & Lily Davis in Shangluo, China last year when the competition was played in Under-19 age-group. Belgium’s Lente Thant & Simone Vervloet settled for bronze after a three-set victory over Esmee Radstake & Jara Both of the Netherlands in the third-place playoff.
Scribner & Grimes’ gold medal brings USA joint level with Brazil as the most successful nation in this age group on the girls’ side, with four titles each.
Watch the FIVB Beach Volleyball U18 World Championship live on Beach Volleyball World’s YouTube channel
The all-American girls’ final unfolded in three sets with Jordyn Scribner & Ella Grimes emerging 2-0 (21-13, 24-22) winners over the Junk sisters to win the gold medal unbeaten and without dropping a set in nine matches, including two games in the qualification phase.
“Since we started out in the qualification, we told ourselves that we are not going down without a fight. We pushed for every single point and I’m so happy with how it went down. We came here to win and that’s what we did,” said Scribner.
“I feel like both of us worked so hard to get here. They are our friends but we had to turn it on once we got on the court. We worked so hard together, pushed for every point and I’m super glad that we won,” added Grimes.
USA’s Ella Grimes attempts to block Addison Junk also of USA in the final
The Junk sisters had stormed the final on a 6-0 win-loss record including their 2-1 (18-21, 21-09, 15-10) win over Esmee Radstake & Jara Both of the Netherlands in Saturday’s semifinal. However, they tasted their first loss of the competition at the hands of their compatriots in the fiercely contested final.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to play in the final of a tournament like this but we weren’t at our best today. They were the better team and we are happy that USA still defends the title,” said Addison.
The girls’ podium at the FIVB Beach Volleyball Under 18 World Championship in Doha, Qatar
Belgium’s Lente Thant & Simone Vervloet picked themselves up in the third-place playoff to defeat Esmee Radstake & Jara Both of the Netherlands by 2-1 (21-08, 18-21, 15-08) and claim the bronze medal, their first ever in the history of this junior competition.
The Belgians had put together a five-match winning streak before losing 2-0 (19-21, 20-22) to USA’s Jordyn Scribner & Ella Grimes in the semifinals, their only loss of the competition. It’s the second bronze medal for the pair at a major international competition after also finishing third at this year’s European Championship.
“We felt great at the beginning of the match and put a lot of pressure on the Netherlands and it paid off. The second set was tight but we lost. We decided to give everything in the third set because it was our last of the year. We managed to open a gap, felt more comfortable, started enjoying the game and eventually got the win. We’ve worked so hard this year and sometimes felt disappointed during training and tournaments but we kept pushing. Getting bronze at the World Championship just feels amazing,” said Simone Vervloet of Belgium.
Belgium’s Lente Thant & Simone Vervloet celebrate after winning the bronze medal match
FIVB Beach Volleyball U18 World Championship: all results
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FIVB Beach Volleyball U18 World Championship 2025
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