Teams supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programs achieved notable podium finishes at the recent Messina Futures event in Italy. In the women`s competition, two Czech pairs, beneficiaries of the program, secured their second consecutive Beach Pro Tour Futures medals, this time switching their previous positions. Martina Maixnerova and Kylie Neuschaeferova claimed gold, while Katerina Pavelkova and Anna Pavelkova earned bronze. Switzerland`s Menia Bentele and Annique Niederhauser, also funded by the Empowerment program, took the silver medal. For the men, Denmark`s Mads Mollgaard and Nicolai Houmann, another program beneficiary, won bronze. The men`s final was an all-Italian affair, with Alex Ranghieri and Tobia Marchetto defeating Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso.
The success of these teams is linked to the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment initiatives. The Czech Volleyball Federation has received significant coach support funding for their women`s beach volleyball teams, benefiting from the expertise of Argentinean coach Sebastian Menegozzo. Swiss Volley`s beach volleyball program has also been allocated substantial coach support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, enabling their women`s national teams to work with Polish coach Damian Wojtasik. Volleyball Denmark`s beach volleyball program has likewise benefited from coach support directed by German coach Tobias Rex, along with equipment funding.
In Messina, the third-seeded Czech pair of Maixnerova and Neuschaeferova had an impressive run to their first gold medal and second Beach Pro Tour medal as a team, losing only one set across five matches. They defeated their compatriots, the 14th-seeded qualifiers Lucie Knoblochova and Adela Petrikova, 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) in the semifinals. The final was a hard-fought battle against Bentele and Niederhauser, with the Czechs prevailing 2-0 (23-21, 21-19).
The Swiss pair, Bentele and Niederhauser, seeded sixth, met Maixnerova and Neuschaeferova twice, suffering their only two losses of the tournament against them. In a notable semifinal upset, they overcame the top-seeded Pavelkova twins, 2-1 (19-21, 21-17, 15-11), securing their first medal together on the Tour and ending the Pavelkovas` winning run at the event.
The Pavelkova twins bounced back to win the all-Czech third-place match against Knoblochova and Petrikova convincingly, 2-0 (21-14, 21-16). This earned them their third consecutive Futures medal, adding to their silver in Cervia and gold in Prague.
On the men`s side, fifth-seeded Mads Mollgaard and Nicolai Houmann of Denmark secured their third consecutive Beach Pro Tour Futures bronze, following third-place finishes in Cervia and Krakow. Their only losses in Messina were to the eventual champions, Ranghieri and Marchetto, in both their pool final and the semifinal. They recovered to claim bronze with a tough 2-0 (21-17, 23-21) win over Germany`s sixth-seeded Jannis Hopt and Simon Pfretzschner.
The Italian pairing of two-time Olympian Alex Ranghieri and Tobia Marchetto had a remarkably successful debut on the Beach Pro Tour as a team. Starting from the qualification rounds, they won six straight matches to claim the gold medal. They defeated Mollgaard and Houmann 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) in the semifinals and triumphed in the all-Italian final against Cottafava and Dal Corso with a 2-1 score (21-18, 18-21, 15-13).
Second-seeded Cottafava and Dal Corso reached their first Beach Pro Tour podium as a team by dominating their semifinal against Hopt and Pfretzschner, winning 2-0 (21-12, 21-18).
The Messina Futures tournament featured 24 women`s teams and 22 men`s teams representing 14 countries. The next Futures event is a women`s tournament scheduled for June 26-29 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood