Dutch pair Luini and Poiesz achieved their first Beach Pro Tour gold medal in Bondues, France, with local French teams Sobezalz & Duval and Lusson & Merle earning silver and bronze, respectively.
Lisa Luini & Desy Poiesz of the Netherlands celebrate at the Bondues Lille Metropole Futures.
Lisa Luini and Desy Poiesz from the Netherlands have made history by winning their inaugural Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour gold medal at the women`s Bondues Lille Metropole Futures in France. The host nation celebrated two podium finishes, with Romane Sobezalz and Saofe Duval taking silver, and Ophelie Lusson and Alex Merle securing the bronze.
The 22-year-old Dutch duo showcased a dominant performance throughout the tournament, winning all five of their matches. In a challenging semifinal, the fifth-seeded Luini & Poiesz overcame the 13th-seeded French pair Lusson & Merle in a thrilling 2-1 comeback (26-28, 21-18, 15-6). They continued their impressive run in the final, defeating another top French team, Sobezalz & Duval, with a decisive 2-0 victory (21-8, 21-14) in under thirty minutes. This marks a significant milestone for Luini & Poiesz, who previously earned one silver and two bronze medals on the Tour, now finally reaching the top step of the podium. Notably, Poiesz, a 2023 U21 world champion, had already experienced a Beach Pro Tour triumph with a different partner.
The young French team of 18-year-old Sobezalz and 19-year-old Duval also had an unbeaten streak leading up to the gold medal match, winning four consecutive matches. Their path to the final included a strong 2-0 semifinal win (21-16, 21-16) against the 12th-seeded German qualifiers Sophia Neuss & Mareet Maidhof. While Sobezalz & Duval have previously secured continental age-category medals, this event marked their first joint appearance on the Beach Pro Tour. Both athletes had also individually earned two Tour medals with other partners.
In only their second joint appearance on the Beach Pro Tour, Lusson & Merle fought hard for their first medal as a team. They experienced two losses in their six games in Lille, both at the hands of the eventual champions, Luini & Poiesz. However, in the third-place playoff, Lusson & Merle demonstrated resilience, bouncing back to defeat Neuss & Maidhof in a 2-1 comeback (15-21, 21-17, 15-11) to claim the bronze. Both Lusson and Merle had also achieved previous podium finishes on the Tour with different partners.
The 2025 Bondues Lille Metropole Futures podium.
A total of 25 women’s pairs, representing 16 different national federations, competed in the Bondues Lille Metropole Futures.
The next Beach Pro Tour Futures event is scheduled to take place in Balikesir, Turkiye, from September 25 to 28.
Oliver Wrenwick