Several beach volleyball pairs representing federations supported by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program earned medals at recent zonal events across Europe. Last week`s competitions saw notable performances from teams benefiting from this initiative.
At the NEVZA Tour event held in Bridlington, England, four pairs from Norway and England reached the podium. In Italy, two Dutch women`s teams dominated the WEVZA Tour stop in Rimini. The EEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania, featured medalists from Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania, all receiving program support.
NEVZA Zonal Tour in Bridlington, England
In the women`s tournament, Norway`s Nina Pavlova & Sunniva Helland-Hansen claimed gold, while compatriots Julia Moi Tennoy & Solveig Gladsoy Sunde took silver. The home crowd cheered for England`s Martha Bullen & Katie Keefe, who finished with bronze. For the men, England`s Niko Gleed & Juan Bello secured gold. Norway`s Havard Solheim & Oscar Majak won silver, and Jonah Kjemperud & Sebastian Kjemperud, also from Norway, earned bronze.
The Norwegian federation (Norges Volleyballforbund) has received significant support through FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, totaling USD 252,000 for women`s national beach volleyball teams under coach Bendik Gabriel Huus, plus USD 6,000 for a coach development program. Volleyball England`s beach volleyball department has been allocated USD 294,000 for national pairs, coached by New Zealander Kirk Pitman and Luis Bello (men`s duos), with an additional USD 6,000 for coach development.
Pavlova & Helland-Hansen, seeded second, fought their way through the playoffs. After losing to England`s Bullen & Keefe in pool play, they avenged the defeat in the semifinals with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-14) victory. This set up an all-Norwegian final against third seeds Moi Tennoy & Gladsoy Sunde, who had a tough 2-1 (21-10, 15-21, 15-12) semifinal win against Scottish wild cards Rachel Morrison & Kathryn Barbour.
In the final, Pavlova & Helland-Hansen secured the gold with a straight-sets 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) win over their teammates. Bullen & Keefe rebounded in the bronze medal match, sweeping Morrison & Barbour 2-0 (21-12, 21-14).
On the men`s side, top seeds Gleed & Bello from England lived up to expectations, winning all five of their matches. They defeated Norway`s Jonah Kjemperud & Sebastian Kjemperud 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the semifinal. The other semifinal saw fourth-seeded Norwegians Havard Solheim & Oscar Majak come back from a set down to beat Finland`s Pekka Piippo & Teppo Pulkkinen 2-1 (18-21, 21-18, 15-10).
The gold medal match was a hard-fought three-setter, with Gleed & Bello triumphing 2-1 (21-14, 23-25, 15-12) over Solheim & Majak. Kjemperud & Kjemperud secured bronze by dominating Piipo & Pulkkinen 2-0 (21-10, 21-9).
The Bridlington event hosted 16 women`s and 16 men`s teams from England, Finland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden.
WEVZA Zonal Tour Women’s Stop in Rimini, Italy
The women`s tournament in Rimini concluded with an all-Dutch final, as Leanne van Vegten & Jill de Groot defeated Marly Bak & Bjorna Gras, earning gold and silver for the Netherlands. Italy`s Anna Piccoli & Martina Foresti took the bronze, delighting the home crowd.
The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (NEVOBO) has received USD 217,600 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their national beach volleyball teams. Their women`s pairs are coached by Cypriot Antreas Savvidis and his staff.
Both Dutch finalists reached the gold medal match undefeated, each winning four matches. Second seeds Van Vegten & De Groot had a tight 2-0 (23-21, 24-22) semifinal victory over Italy`s Piccoli & Foresti, while eighth seeds Bak & Gras beat another Italian pair, Luna Cicola & Andrea Maria Nucete, 2-0 (21-15, 21-14).
Van Vegten & De Groot claimed the zonal title with a convincing 2-0 (21-14, 21-16) win in the final against their compatriots.
In the third-place match, 11th-seeded Piccoli & Foresti won a thrilling 2-1 (14-21, 23-21, 18-16) battle against fifth seeds Cicola & Nucete to secure their podium spot.
13 women’s teams from Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Switzerland participated in the Rimini tournament.
EEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania
Ukraine`s Dmytro Kozii & Sviatoslav Nahornyi finished atop the men`s podium at the EEVZA U20 Championships in Vilnius. Poland`s Jakub Krzeminski & Wiktor Musial earned silver, and Lithuanian home favorites Raigardas Macionis & Dovydas Sinkevicius took bronze. The women`s gold medal went to Poland`s Zuzanna Kudlik & Zuzanna Rapczynska. Ukraine`s Sofiia Kurnikova & Kateryna Biliak won silver, and Latvia`s Deneva Sauberga & Rezija Puskundze claimed bronze.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has significantly supported the Ukraine Volleyball Federation since 2022, providing USD 670,000 to continue volleyball and beach volleyball activities. The Lithuanian Volleyball Federation has received USD 477,000 for beach volleyball coach support and USD 12,000 for coach development programs; their men`s pairs train under Latvian instructor Aigars Birzulis. The Volleyball Federation of Latvia has been allocated USD 210,000 for national beach volleyball teams and USD 5,500 in equipment; their youth pairs are coached by Aleksandrs Solovejs, Sandris Andrejevs, and Inga Koklaca.
Dmytro Kozii & Sviatoslav Nahornyi of Ukraine had a dominant run, winning all six matches in Vilnius, dropping only one set. They overcame top-seeded Lithuanians Macionis & Sinkevicius 2-0 (22-20, 22-20) in a tight semifinal. In the final, they secured the Eastern European zonal title with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) victory over Poland`s Krzeminski & Musial, who had defeated Latvia`s Markuss Maculevics & Oskars Kilks in their semifinal.
Macionis & Sinkevicius gave the home fans cause for celebration by winning the bronze medal match 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) against Maculevics & Kilks.
In the women`s competition, Ukraine`s Sofiia Kurnikova & Kateryna Biliak won their five matches to reach the final. Poland`s Zuzanna Kudlik & Zuzanna Rapczynska also won five matches but had lost one previously to the Ukrainian pair in pool play. However, in the gold medal showdown, the Polish duo got their revenge with a hard-fought 2-0 (23-21, 21-17) victory to top the podium.
In the semifinals, Kudlik & Rapczynska swept Lithuania`s Gunda Brazaite & Dominyka Lape 2-0 (21-11, 21-8). Kurnikova & Billiak had a tougher match, winning 2-1 (21-15, 21-23, 15-10) against Latvia`s Deneva Sauberga & Rezija Puskundze. Sauberga & Puskundze then came back to win the bronze medal match against Brazaite & Lape 2-1 (18-21, 21-9, 15-7).
The EEVZA U20 Championships in Vilnius featured 15 men’s and 15 women’s teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood