Teams from Czechia, Switzerland, and Denmark, benefiting from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment support, achieved podium finishes at the recent Messina Beach Pro Tour Futures event in Italy. This marked the second consecutive Futures medals for two Czech women`s pairs, following their success in Prague. Martina Maixnerova and Kylie Neuschaeferova secured the gold medal, while Katerina Pavelkova and Anna Pavelkova earned bronze. Switzerland`s Menia Bentele and Annique Niederhauser claimed the silver medal. In the men`s tournament, Mads Mollgaard and Nicolai Houmann of Denmark took bronze. The men`s final was an all-Italian affair, with Alex Ranghieri and Tobia Marchetto defeating Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso.
FIVB Volleyball Empowerment significantly supports these national federations. The Czech Volleyball Federation has received substantial funding for women`s beach volleyball, including support for Argentinian coach Sebastian Menegozzo. Swiss Volley has also benefited from significant coach support funding, enabling their women`s national teams to train under Polish coach Damian Wojtasik.
In the women`s competition, the third-seeded Czech pair of Maixnerova and Neuschaeferova had a dominant run, dropping only one set en route to their first gold medal on the Beach Pro Tour as a team. They defeated fellow Czechs Lucie Knoblochova and Adela Petrikova in the semifinals. The gold medal match saw Maixnerova and Neuschaeferova triumph over the sixth-seeded Swiss duo, Bentele and Niederhauser, in a close two-set match. This was one of only two losses for Bentele and Niederhauser in the tournament. The Swiss pair had reached the final by upsetting the top-seeded Czech twins, Katerina and Anna Pavelkova, in a thrilling three-set semifinal, securing their first medal together on the Tour. The Pavelkovas rebounded in the bronze medal match, defeating Knoblochova and Petrikova in straight sets to claim their third consecutive Futures medal.
Volleyball Denmark`s beach volleyball program also benefits from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, receiving funding for coach support under German instructor Tobias Rex, as well as equipment. The fifth-seeded Danish pair, Mollgaard and Houmann, earned their third consecutive Beach Pro Tour Futures bronze medal. Their only losses in Messina were to the eventual champions, Ranghieri and Marchetto, whom they faced in both the pool final and the semifinals. They secured the bronze by winning a hard-fought match against Germany`s Jannis Hopt and Simon Pfretzschner.
In the men`s final, the Italian pair of two-time Olympian Alex Ranghieri and Tobia Marchetto proved a highly successful combination. Entering through the qualifications, they won six straight matches to claim the gold medal. They defeated Mollgaard and Houmann in the semifinals before facing fellow Italians Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso in the final, securing a hard-fought three-set victory. Cottafava and Dal Corso reached the final by defeating Hopt and Pfretzschner, earning their first Beach Pro Tour podium finish as a team.
The Messina Futures tournament featured 24 women`s and 22 men`s teams from 14 countries. The next Beach Pro Tour Futures event is scheduled for this week, a women`s tournament in Geneva, Switzerland.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood