Germany`s national beach volleyball team secured victory in the women`s CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup, held last week in Espinho, Portugal. Their success was achieved with the aid of coaching support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. In the same European inter-country tournament, both the Ukrainian women`s team and the Dutch men`s team, also beneficiaries of the FIVB program, earned silver medals. The men`s championship title was claimed by Norway.
The German Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball division has received a total of USD 168,000 in coaching assistance through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment initiative. Their national athletes are trained by Christoph Dieckmann, a former European champion and two-time Olympian. Since 2022, the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has also been instrumental in supporting the Ukrainian Volleyball Federation, enabling them to sustain their volleyball and beach volleyball operations. This ongoing Memorandum of Understanding has provided a total of USD 670,000 in funding to date.
During the women`s CEV Nations Cup Finals, Germany dominated Pool A, securing wins against Lithuania, the Netherlands, and France. They achieved this remarkable feat without losing a single match or dropping more than one set throughout the pool play. Their strong performance as pool winners allowed them to advance directly to the semifinals, where they maintained their winning streak against Spain. Notably, in both matches of that semifinal encounter, Germany overcame a one-set deficit to emerge victorious.
Ukraine demonstrated an even more commanding performance en route to the final. They progressed through their Pool B matches against Spain, Estonia, and host nation Portugal, and then through their semifinal clash with the Netherlands, without conceding a single set.
In the highly anticipated trophy match on Sunday, Germany initially took the lead when Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grune secured a 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-13) comeback victory over Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil. Following this, Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann solidified their team`s triumph by delivering a decisive 2-0 (21-18, 21-8) sweep in the second match against Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko.
For comprehensive women`s results and standings, please refer to the official tournament records.
The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo) has received USD 217,600 in support for their men`s national beach volleyball coaching staff from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. Michiel van der Kuip, a European champion as a player in 1995, leads the training of their men`s national teams alongside his coaching staff.
In Espinho, the Dutch men`s team effortlessly navigated their Pool A campaign, winning all six matches against Lithuania, Spain, and France, dropping only a single set. They lost one additional set in their semifinal encounter against Austria but managed to secure victory in straight matches, thus advancing to the final and guaranteeing themselves at least a silver medal.
Norway, spearheaded by the world-renowned duo of Anders Mol and Christian Sorum (Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions and Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalists), dominated Pool B. They won all their matches against Austria, Denmark, and host nation Portugal without a single loss. Their impressive run continued in the semifinals, where they swept Spain in straight matches and straight sets.
The final began favorably for the Netherlands, as Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde secured a 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) victory over Norway`s Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen. However, during the first set of the subsequent match, Yorick de Groot suffered an injury that prevented him from continuing. Consequently, he and Stefan Boermans had to forfeit, leading to a decisive `golden set` to determine the gold medal winner. The Netherlands fielded a combination of Stefan Boermans and Alexander Brouwer for this crucial tie, while Norway countered with a pairing of Anders Mol and Mathias Berntsen. In the end, the Norwegian team triumphed with a 15-12 win, claiming the championship trophy.
For comprehensive men`s results and standings, please refer to the official tournament records.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood