The recent CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships in Corigliano Rossano showcased a remarkable achievement: every team competing in the men`s and women`s finals received support through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. The women`s gold medal match saw Eleni Alexoglou and Myrto Paschalaki of Greece triumph over Germany`s Anna-Chiara Reformat and Rika Dieckmann. In the men`s final, the German duo Jonathan Bungert and Filo Wust bested Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan from Ukraine. Bronze medals were awarded to Lente Thant and Simone Vervloet of Belgium in the women`s category, and Marco Di Felice and Riccardo Santomassimo of Italy for the men.
Significant funding from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment initiative has been allocated to the national federations of these successful nations. The German Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball division has been granted a total of USD 168,000 for coaching assistance, with teams training under the expertise of two-time Olympian and former European champion Christoph Dieckmann. Greece`s beach volleyball program has received USD 262,500 in coaching support, benefiting their national duos, particularly the youth women`s pairs guided by Christos Dozis and Konstantinos Gkountas. Furthermore, the Ukraine Volleyball Federation has been supported with USD 670,000 since 2022 through a Memorandum of Understanding, enabling them to sustain their volleyball and beach volleyball operations.
The victorious Greek pair, 15-year-old Eleni Alexoglou and 17-year-old Myrto Paschalaki, displayed dominant form throughout the tournament in Italy, winning all seven of their matches and conceding merely two sets. Their path to gold included a hard-fought 2-0 (22-20, 29-27) semifinal victory against France’s Josephine Candela and Ally Ozanne Pian, followed by a decisive 2-0 (23-21, 21-17) win over the 16-year-old German duo Anna-Chiara Reformat and Rika Dieckmann in the championship match.
Reformat and Dieckmann also enjoyed an impressive run, reaching the final undefeated in six matches. Their sole set loss before the final occurred in their 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-10) semifinal triumph against Belgium’s Lente Thant and Simone Vervloet, which guaranteed them at least a silver medal. This marked Reformat`s second continental medal, adding to the U18 bronze she earned last year with a different partner.
After their semifinal defeat, the Belgian duo rebounded strongly to secure the bronze medal, winning 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) against Candela and Ozanne Pian in the third-place playoff.
Women’s Results and Standings
On the men`s side, 16-year-old Filo Wust celebrated a gold medal in his international debut, while his partner Jonathan Bungert improved upon the U18 men’s European silver he won with a different partner last year. The German pair navigated the Corigliano Rossano event with similar dominance, dropping only two sets across seven matches. One of these was in their 2-1 (21-18, 13-21, 15-10) semifinal victory against the top-seeded Italian home team of Marco Di Felice and Riccardo Santomassimo. In the final, Bungert and Wust secured a 2-0 (22-20, 21-12) win against Ukraine`s Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan.
The Ukrainian team, Skrypnychenko and Lunkan, lost only three sets throughout the entire competition, with two of those coming in the final. Their journey included a 2-1 (14-21, 21-11, 15-12) semifinal comeback win over Estonia’s Patrik Parijogi and Armin Kender. This participation also marked a significant debut on the major international stage for both Ukrainian players.
Aside from their semifinal loss to the eventual champions, Di Felice and Santomassimo delivered a flawless performance with six straight-set victories. They delighted the local fans by clinching the bronze medal, defeating Parijogi and Kender 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) in the third-place match.
Men’s Results and Standings
A total of 32 women’s teams and 33 men’s teams, representing 33 different national federations, competed in the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships.
Finley Blackwood 
Oliver Wrenwick