Latvian pair Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne, along with the Estonian duo Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi, claimed victory at the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U18 Beach Volleyball Championships, which took place in Cēsis and were hosted by the Latvian Volleyball Federation. By winning, both pairs also earned a spot in the upcoming #EuroBeachVolleyU18 tournament, set to be held in mid-September in Corigliano Rossano, Italy. The silver medalists also qualified: Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš from Latvia, and Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi from Estonia.
In the women`s competition, Mamaja and Aleksāne had a dominant run, dropping only one set in the entire tournament. Their semi-final match saw them defeat the Polish pair Emilia Skwierczynska and Aleksandra Wolny (#4) in straight sets (21-17, 21-12). The second-seeded Estonian team, Ploomipuu and Hanimägi, faced tougher matches, losing a set in both the quarterfinals and semi-finals. They overcame Ukraine`s Kateryna Nitsenko and Viktoriia Kachyoni (#12) in the semi-finals with a 2-1 score (21-16, 12-21, 15-12). However, in the final showdown, the Latvian duo secured a decisive 2-0 victory (21-13, 21-18).
After their win, Aleksāne commented, “We played with confidence. We only lost one set, and even that one we should have won.” Mamaja added, “Before the tournament, I didn’t expect us to play so convincingly or for things to go this smoothly. I thought the final would be tougher. I’m happy with both winning the tournament and qualifying for the European Championship finals.” Aleksāne concluded, “I would say qualifying for the final stage of the continental tournament makes me even happier.”
In the match for third place, the Ukrainian duo Nitsenko and Kachyoni defeated their Polish opponents in straight sets (21-15, 26-24).
The men`s final featured a clash between the top two seeded teams. The leading Latvian pair, Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš, earned their spot after a tough semi-final battle against Ukraine`s Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan (#3), winning 2-1 (17-21, 23-21, 16-14). The second-seeded Estonians, Kender and Parijõgi (#2), secured their place in the final more smoothly, beating Poland`s Igor Gliszczyński and Alan Robak (#7) in straight sets (21-16, 21-19).
In the final match, the Estonian duo triumphed over the hometown favorites with a 2-0 victory (21-13, 21-14). The bronze medals were awarded to Ukraine, who beat Poland 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) in the third-place playoff.
“The tournament was well organised. It was a pleasure to compete in Cēsis,” commented the Estonian victors. “Winning is always rewarding, but securing a spot in the U18 European Championship and the chance to play against Europe`s top teams is particularly exciting. We aim to deliver our best performance there.”
Participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine competed in the championship. The top two teams in both the boys` and girls` categories earned qualification spots for this year`s #EuroBeachVolleyU18, scheduled from September 11 to 15 in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.
Cēsis is also set to host the next EEVZA event, the U16 Championships, on July 3-4. This competition will feature 16 teams each in the boys` and girls` categories.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood