Representatives from federations supported by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program (Netherlands, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Ukraine) achieved outstanding results at last week`s WEVZA and EEVZA zonal age-group beach volleyball championships in Europe. These teams secured all gold medals across the tournaments, along with several silver and bronze.
WEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships in Lorca (Spain)
At the WEVZA U20 championships in Lorca, Spain, Dutch pairs Nigella Negenman & Esmee Radstake (women`s) and Tom Sonneville & Bram van Der Wel (men`s) claimed the top honours. The women`s podium was completed by Germany`s Sophia Neuss & Clara Dressen and Belgium`s Lotte De Clercq & Lola Bombeke. In the men`s event, Italian teams Matteo Lurisci & Gabriel Marini Da Costa and Andrea Sanguanini & Matteo Marchesan finished second and third, respectively.
The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (NEVOBO) has received significant support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, totaling USD 217,600 for national beach volleyball teams coach support. The men`s teams train under head coach Michiel van der Kuip, a 1995 European champion as a player, and his staff, while the women`s teams are guided by Cypriot coach Antreas Savvidis and Nina Lintel Hekkert.
Nigella Negenman & Esmee Radstake clinched the women`s gold medal with a comeback victory of 2-1 (15-21, 21-18, 15-10) against Germany`s Sophia Neuss & Clara Dressen. Belgium`s Lotte De Clercq & Lola Bombeke secured the bronze in a thrilling three-set match (2-1: 21-18, 18-21, 24-22) against Italy`s Carola Tesoro & Asia Aliotta.
In the women`s semifinals, the Dutch team defeated Tesoro & Aliotta 2-0 (23-21, 21-12), while Neuss & Dressen overcame De Clercq & Bombeke 2-0 (21-18, 21-14).
Tom Sonneville & Bram van Der Wel won the men`s final with a 2-1 (21-19, 19-21, 15-10) victory over Italy`s Matteo Lurisci & Gabriel Marini Da Costa. Andrea Sanguanini & Matteo Marchesan ensured another medal for Italy by winning the bronze medal match 2-0 (21-9, 21-16) against Switzerland`s Daniel Allemann & Livio Friedli.
Sonneville & Van Der Wel remained undefeated throughout the tournament. They won their semifinal against Allemann & Friedli in a tough three-setter, 2-1 (25-23, 14-21, 15-10). The all-Italian semifinal saw Iurisci & Marini Da Costa beat Sanguanini & Marchesan 2-1 (16-21, 21-17, 15-7).
The WEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships in Lorca hosted 13 women`s and 12 men`s teams from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.
EEVZA U18 and U16 Beach Volleyball Championships in Cesis (Latvia)
At the EEVZA championships held in Cesis, Latvia, teams supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment were highly successful. Latvia`s Monika Mamaja & Alise Aleksane won the U18 women`s title, and Milana Tina Aleksejeva & Karlina Berzina took the U16 women`s crown. Estonia`s Armin Kender & Patrik Parijogi secured the U18 men`s title, while Lithuania`s Tautvydas Galubickas & Rokas Lukosevicius were victorious in the U16 men`s event. Additionally, teams from these Baltic nations and Ukraine, also funded by the program, earned five more medals.
The Volleyball Federation of Latvia has received a total of USD 210,000 in coach support for their national beach volleyball teams and USD 5,500 for equipment from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. Their youth teams are coached by Aleksandrs Solovejs, Sandris Andrejevs, and Inga Koklaca. The Estonian Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball program has been allocated USD 168,000 for national teams coach support, working under Olympian Rivo Vesik, and USD 11,500 for equipment. The Lithuanian Volleyball Federation has received substantial support totaling USD 477,000 for national duos coach support and USD 12,000 for coaches development. Their men`s teams are trained by Latvian coach Aigars Birzulis. Since 2022, the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has supported the Ukraine Volleyball Federation`s activities through a Memorandum of Understanding, providing USD 670,000 in total funding.
Home favorites Monika Mamaja & Alise Aleksane dominated the U18 women`s tournament, winning all six of their matches. They defeated Poland`s Emilia Skwierczynska & Aleksandra Wolny 2-0 (21-17, 21-12) in the semifinals and secured gold with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-18) victory over Estonia`s Marta-Mia Ploomipuu & Hannemai Hanimagi in the final.
Ukraine`s Kateryna Nitsenko & Viktoriia Kachyoni bounced back from a 2-1 (21-16, 12-21, 15-12) semifinal loss to Ploomipuu & Hanimagi to win the bronze medal match 2-0 (21-15, 26-24) against Skwierczynska & Wolny.
Estonia`s Armin Kender & Patrik Parijogi also had an unbeaten run in the U18 men`s tournament. They won their semifinal against Poland`s Igor Gliszczynski & Alan Robak 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) and took the title with a decisive 2-0 (21-13, 21-14) victory over Latvia`s Tomass Silavs & Bruno Liepins in the final.
Silavs & Liepins reached the final after a hard-fought 2-1 (17-21, 23-21, 16-14) semifinal win against Ukraine`s Yehor Skrypnychenko & Andrii Lunkan. Skrypnychenko & Lunkan then won the bronze medal match 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) against Gliszczynski & Robak.
The EEVZA U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Cesis featured 16 women`s and 16 men`s teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.
In the U16 women`s final, Latvia`s Milana Tina Aleksejeva & Karlina Berzina came from behind to win a close match 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 17-15) against Ukraine`s Diana Avramenko & Vira Hudz. The bronze medal went to Poland`s Natalia Lewandowska & Hanna Lesniewicz, who defeated Latvia`s Anna Kovalova & Marija Darta Jaundzeikare 2-1 (21-17, 17-21, 15-9) in the third-place game.
Aleksejeva & Berzina won their semifinal 2-1 (21-13, 15-21, 15-12) against Lewandowska & Lesniewicz. Avramenko & Hudz secured their final spot with a tight 2-0 (24-22, 21-18) victory over Kovalova & Jaundzeikare.
Lithuania`s Tautvydas Galubickas & Rokas Lukosevicius were the champions in the U16 men`s competition, defeating Poland`s Wojciech Witkowski & Antoni Czarnecki 2-0 (21-13, 21-15) in the gold medal match. Another Polish duo, Hubert Ziajka & Karol Lunio, claimed the bronze with a 2-0 (21-14, 22-20) win over Estonia`s Martin Heinlaid & Jan Erik Praks.
Galubickas & Lukosevicius won their semifinal match convincingly 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) against Heinland & Praks. The all-Polish semifinal was a three-set battle, with Witkowski & Czarnecki prevailing 2-1 (21-19, 12-21, 15-11).
The EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships in Cesis hosted 15 women`s and 12 men`s teams from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood