European teams secured two of the three available spots on the podium at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event held this week in Geneva. Pairs from the continent claimed both silver and bronze medals in the women`s competition.
The tournament took place from Thursday through Sunday at La Rotonde du Mont-Blanc by the lakefront. It featured participants from 14 different countries. Among the European nations represented on the podium were Lithuania and France.
Lithuania`s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite successfully reached the gold medal match of the tournament. However, they were ultimately defeated by the American pair Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig. The U.S. team, who had started their campaign in the qualifier rounds, won the final with a score of 2-1 (21-16, 24-26, 15-5) to claim the title.
In the bronze medal playoff, the French team of Elsa Descamps and Romane Sobezalz earned their place on the podium. They achieved a straight-sets victory (21-12, 21-16) over Canadians Kaylee Glagau and Emma Glagau to secure third place.
Looking ahead, the next Beach Pro Tour Futures event is scheduled for the upcoming week. It will be held in the French city of Montpellier, running from Thursday to Sunday.
The Beach Pro Tour Futures events across Europe are a joint effort between the CEV and Volleyball World. They serve as crucial opportunities for European teams to gain competitive experience on the international stage and accumulate important world ranking points.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood