Beach volleyball teams backed by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment from Norway and Denmark achieved a clean sweep of the women`s podium at last week`s NEVZA Beach Volleyball Zonal Tour event held in Oddane Sand, Norway. The men`s competition at the same event saw duos from Sweden and host nation Norway finish in the medal positions. Meanwhile, at the CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships in Seven Mile Beach, teams from the Cayman Islands, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago were celebrated as zonal medalists.
NEVZA Zonal Tour event in Oddane Sand (Norway)
Delighting the home crowd, Oda Steinsvag & Frida Berntsen of Norway secured the women`s gold at the NEVZA Zonal Tour event in Oddane Sand, with fellow Norwegians Nina Pavlova & Sunniva Helland-Hansen claiming the bronze. Denmark’s Clara Windeleff & Astrid Elisabeth Mellmolle completed the podium lineup by taking the silver medal. In the men`s event, Sweden`s Martin Appelgren & Fabian Ramen earned gold, while Norway`s Magnus Helgerud & Marius Pande won silver, and Havard Solheim & Oscar Majak Gundersen, also from Norway, finished with bronze.
These performances highlight the impact of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment support. The Norwegian national federation has received a total of USD 252,000 in coach support for their women’s national beach volleyball teams, plus USD 6,000 for a coach development program. Volleyball Denmark’s beach volleyball program has also benefited, receiving USD 126,000 for national pairs coach support and USD 6,000 for beach volleyball equipment.
Top-seeded Norwegians Oda Steinsvag & Frida Berntsen had an impressive run in Oddane Sand, winning all six of their matches and dropping only two sets along the way. This included a tough 2-1 victory in the semifinal against compatriots Nina Pavlova & Sunniva Helland-Hansen. In the other semifinal, Denmark`s Clara Windeleff & Astrid Elisabeth Mellmolle defeated another Norwegian pair, Cathrine Eikeland Hjeltnes & Tale Adine Fosseli, 2-0.
In the final match for the zonal title, Steinsvag & Berntsen narrowly defeated Windeleff & Mellmolle in straight sets, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).
The bronze medal match was an all-Norwegian affair, with Pavlova & Helland-Hansen securing a clear 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) win over Hjeltnes & Fosseli to claim the third spot on the podium.
In the men`s tournament, Sweden`s Martin Appelgren & Fabian Ramen also remained undefeated through their six matches. Many of their victories were hard-fought three-set encounters, including their 2-1 semifinal upset against top-seeded Norwegians Stian Opsahl & Jorgen Nylund Nilsen, and a tight 2-1 (21-11, 19-21, 16-14) win in the final over Norway`s Magnus Helgerud & Marius Pande.
Third-seeded Norwegians Havard Solheim & Oscar Majak Gundersen, who lost their semifinal 2-0 to Helgerud & Pande, were awarded the bronze medal after their scheduled opponents in the third-place game, Opsahl & Nilsen, withdrew due to injury.
The Oddane Sand competitions featured 24 women’s and 26 men’s teams from Denmark, England, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships in Seven Mile Beach (Cayman Islands)
At the CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships hosted in Seven Mile Beach, teams from the Cayman Islands, whose beach volleyball programs have also previously benefited from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, secured three of the six available medals. In the women`s competition, Luna Ebanks & Brianna Delapenha of the Cayman Islands were crowned zonal champions, while teammates Joanna Robinson & Anjia Delapenha earned the bronze medal. Sierra Rayside & Destiny Layne of Barbados took the silver medal. For the men`s podium, Nkoya Williams-Bailey & Aaron Taylor of Barbados won gold, Stephen Watson & Dylan Lynee of the Cayman Islands claimed silver, and Jahreef Miguel & Jerome Morrison of Trinidad & Tobago finished with bronze.
After winning their Pool B matches, third-seeded Luna Ebanks & Brianna Delapenha upset top-seeded compatriots Joanna Robinson & Anjia Delapenha in the semifinals with a 2-1 victory. They then went on to claim the zonal crown in another three-set match, defeating Sierra Rayside & Destiny Layne of Barbados 2-1 (21-10, 14-21, 15-9) in the gold medal showdown.
Rayside & Layne reached the final after securing a 2-1 semifinal upset over second-seeded Meeka Johnson & L’fe Roberts of Trinidad & Tobago.
Robinson & Delapenha rebounded from their semifinal loss to win the bronze medal match against Johnson & Roberts with a comfortable 2-0 (21-18, 21-6), pleasing the home fans.
In the men`s tournament, Barbados`s Nkoya Williams-Bailey & Aaron Taylor had an unbeaten run. Their path to gold included a 2-1 semifinal win over Jamaica’s Love-Let Blake & Ithran Softley. In the final against top-seeded Stephen Watson & Dylan Lynee of the Cayman Islands, Williams-Bailey & Taylor won after their opponents retired due to injury (2-1: 19-21, 21-13, 15-0).
Second-seeded Jahreef Miguel & Jerome Morrison of Trinidad & Tobago, who lost a close three-set semifinal to the home team Watson & Lynee, secured the bronze medal by winning the third-place game against Blake & Softley with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) sweep.
The CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships involved six women`s and six men`s teams from Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Virgin Islands.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood