Two years after securing their initial medals at the CEV EuroBeachVolley, Spanish Olympic beach volleyball stars Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno are once again poised to contend for a podium position in the 2025 edition of the tournament.
Moreno and Álvarez celebrate their second victory in Düsseldorf.
Competing in this prestigious event for the fourth time in their careers, the 23-year-old Spanish duo was among eight women`s teams in Düsseldorf who successfully topped their respective pools on Thursday, thereby securing a direct spot in the Round of 16 at the Rochus Club.
The action in Germany will intensify on Friday, with both the Round of 16 and quarterfinals scheduled to take place. The semifinals are set for Saturday, culminating in the highly anticipated medal matches on Sunday.
Spanish Duo`s EuroBeachVolley Journey
Álvarez and Moreno had a highly promising EuroBeachVolley debut in 2022, advancing all the way to the semifinals and ultimately finishing in fourth place. The following year, the Spanish pair achieved an even greater feat, returning home from Vienna with silver medals. However, their 2024 campaign saw a disappointing early elimination, resulting in a 17th-place finish.
On Thursday, the Spanish team, who had commenced their tournament with a dominant straight-set victory over Finland`s Sara Sinisalo and Taru Lahti the day before, prevailed in a gripping three-set contest against Germans Hanna-Marie Schieder and Karla Borger (15-21, 21-18, 16-14). This hard-fought win cemented their first-place position in Pool F and secured their direct qualification for the Round of 16.
On Friday, the Spanish will face Polish competitors Malgorzata Ciezkowska and Urszula Lunio in their initial elimination match. The Polish duo had previously secured second place in Pool H and advanced by overcoming Dutch Noa Sonneville and Brecht Piersma in a decisive tie-breaker (17-21, 21-15, 15-5) during the Round of 24.
Defending Champions Advance with Strong Performance
German defending champions Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann claimed the top spot in Pool H after securing a straight-set victory (21-16, 23-21) against Ciezkowska and Lunio in the pool final. Their Round of 16 opponents will be their compatriots Schieder and Borger, who successfully recovered from their pool play setback with a two-set (21-11, 21-19) triumph over Lithuanian Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte in the Round of 24.
Tillmann goes to the ground to make a save.
In Pool A, Italians Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth emerged as clear winners, asserting their dominance over Czechs Kylie Neuschaeferova and Marie-Sára Štochlová with a convincing two-set (21-10, 21-17) victory. They are now set to face Germans Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grüne, who had a straight-set win (21-17, 21-17) against Spanish Sofía Izuzquiza and Sofía González in the Round of 24.
The Austrian Klinger sisters, Dorina and Ronja, secured the top position in Pool B following their two-set (21-18, 21-10) victory over Ukrainians Yeva Serdiuk and Daria Romaniuk. Dutch Mila Konink and Raisa Schoon are prepared to challenge them in the Round of 16, having eliminated Swiss Tanja Hüberli and Leona Kernen in straight sets (21-12, 21-19) in the Round of 24.
Pool C also saw a victorious sister pair, the Swiss Olympians Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré, who claimed first place after a hard-fought three-set (21-18, 22-24, 15-10) win against Ittlinger and Grüne. Their Round of 16 encounter will be against Dutch Emi van Driel and Wies Bekhuis, who edged out Neuschaeferova and Štochlová in a thrilling three-set match (21-16, 11-21, 15-9) in the Round of 24.
Two-time EuroBeachVolley champions Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova from Latvia demonstrated their prowess by dominating Pool D with a straight-set (21-19, 21-12) triumph over Hüberli and Kernen. Their journey in the elimination rounds will begin against Ukrainians Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil, who had previously knocked out their compatriots Serdiuk and Romaniuk in the Round of 24 with a three-set (11-21, 21-12, 15-8) victory.
Pool E`s winners were decided after a fiercely contested three-set match, with French Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau ultimately prevailing over Germans Linda Bock and Louisa Lippmann, winning 2-1 (21-12, 19-21, 15-1). Their Round of 16 adversaries will be Lithuanians Daniele Kvedaraite and Jekaterina Kovalskaja, who also overcame another French duo, Paris Olympians Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard, in a tie-breaker (21-19, 14-21, 15-11) in the Round of 24.
Lazarenko digs in her team`s second pool play match.
Ukrainian sensations Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko secured the top position in Pool G with a three-set (21-19, 15-21, 15-10) victory against Placette and Richard. Their Round of 16 match will pit them against Bock and Lippmann, who had a strong straight-set win (21-17, 21-14) over Italians Claudia Scampoli and Giada Bianchi in the Round of 24.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood