Teams benefiting from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment funding recently achieved notable success in zonal beach volleyball events. At the NEVZA Beach Volleyball Zonal Tour in Oddane Sand, Norway, three women`s pairs from FIVB Empowerment-supported Norway and Denmark claimed all the podium spots. In the men`s competition at the same event, duos from Sweden and the host nation Norway also secured medals. Meanwhile, at the CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships held in Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands, teams from the host nation, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago were among the medalists.
NEVZA Zonal Tour Event in Oddane Sand (Norway)
Norwegian pairs Oda Steinsvag & Frida Berntsen and Nina Pavlova & Sunniva Helland-Hansen delighted the home crowd by securing the women`s gold and bronze medals, respectively, at the Oddane Sand tournament. Denmark’s Clara Windeleff & Astrid Elisabeth Mellmolle finished with the silver medal, completing the podium sweep for teams backed by FIVB Empowerment. In the men`s event, Sweden’s Martin Appelgren & Fabian Ramen took gold, while Norway’s Magnus Helgerud & Marius Pande earned silver and fellow Norwegians Havard Solheim & Oscar Majak Gundersen claimed bronze.
The Norwegian national federation, Norges Volleyballforbund, has received significant FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, totaling USD 252,000 for their women’s national beach volleyball teams, coached by Bendik Gabriel Huus. They also received USD 6,000 for a coaching knowledge transfer program. Volleyball Denmark’s beach volleyball program has been supported with USD 126,000 for national pairs, guided by German instructor Tobias Rex, plus USD 6,000 for beach volleyball equipment.
Top seeds Oda Steinsvag & Frida Berntsen of Norway were dominant in Oddane Sand, winning all six of their matches and losing only two sets. One of these lost sets occurred in their 2-1 (20-22, 24-22, 15-13) semifinal victory against compatriots Nina Pavlova & Sunniva Helland-Hansen. In the other women`s semifinal, Denmark’s Clara Windeleff & Astrid Elisabeth Mellmolle defeated another Norwegian pair, Cathrine Eikeland Hjeltnes & Tale Adine Fosseli, 2-0 (21-15, 21-16).
The gold medal match saw Steinsvag & Berntsen narrowly defeat Windeleff & Mellmolle 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) to claim the zonal title.
The bronze medal match was an all-Norwegian affair, with Pavlova & Helland-Hansen securing a 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) win over Hjeltnes & Fosseli to take third place.
In the men`s tournament, Sweden’s Martin Appelgren & Fabian Ramen also finished undefeated after six matches. Four of their wins were hard-fought three-set contests, including their 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 15-11) semifinal upset against top-seeded Norwegians Stian Opsahl & Jorgen Nylund Nilsen. They then secured the gold with a tight 2-1 (21-11, 19-21, 16-14) victory in the final over Norwegian pair Magnus Helgerud & Marius Pande.
Third-seeded Norwegians Havard Solheim & Oscar Majak Gundersen took bronze after losing their all-Norwegian semifinal 2-0 (21-13, 21-14) to Helgerud & Pande. They were awarded third place when Opsahl & Nilsen withdrew due to injury before the bronze medal match.
The Oddane Sand competitions featured 24 women’s and 26 men’s teams from Denmark, England, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships in Seven Mile Beach (Cayman Islands)
The Cayman Islands, whose beach volleyball teams have previously benefited from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support, won three of the six medals available at the CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships which they hosted. Luna Ebanks & Brianna Delapenha claimed the women’s zonal championship title, while Joanna Robinson & Anjia Delapenha secured the bronze. Sierra Rayside & Destiny Layne of Barbados took the silver. In the men’s competition, Nkoya Williams-Bailey & Aaron Taylor of Barbados won gold, Stephen Watson & Dylan Lynee of Cayman Islands took silver, and Jahreef Miguel & Jerome Morrison of Trinidad & Tobago finished with bronze.
Third-seeded Luna Ebanks & Brianna Delapenha of Cayman Islands swept their Pool B matches before staging a 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, 15-5) upset against top-seeded compatriots Joanna Robinson & Anjia Delapenha in the semifinals. They went on to win the zonal title in another three-set match, defeating Sierra Rayside & Destiny Layne of Barbados 2-1 (21-10, 14-21, 15-9) in the gold medal showdown.
Rayside & Layne of Barbados reached the final by upsetting second seeds Meeka Johnson & L’fe Roberts of Trinidad & Tobago 2-1 (21-9, 17-21, 15-9) in their semifinal.
In the bronze medal match, Robinson & Delapenha pleased the local fans by bouncing back from their semifinal loss to defeat Johnson & Roberts 2-0 (21-18, 21-6).
Barbados’s Nkoya Williams-Bailey & Aaron Taylor had an unbeaten run through the men’s tournament. Their series of wins included a 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 15-6) semifinal victory over Jamaica’s Love-Let Blake & Ithran Softley. The final against top-seeded Cayman Islands pair Stephen Watson & Dylan Lynee was decided by injury; after splitting the first two sets (19-21, 21-13), Watson & Lynee had to withdraw, handing Nkoya & Taylor a 2-1 (19-21, 21-13, 15-0) victory.
Second-seeded Jahreef Miguel & Jerome Morrison of Trinidad & Tobago, who lost their semifinal against the home team Watson & Lynee in three sets (21-23, 21-15, 15-8), secured the bronze medal by winning the third-place game against Blake & Softley 2-0 (21-15, 21-12).
The CAZOVA U21 Beach Volleyball Championships hosted six women’s and six men’s teams from Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Virgin Islands.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood