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The group stage of the EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships, organized by the Latvian Volleyball Federation in collaboration with the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) in Cēsis, concluded on Thursday, effectively setting the stage for the upcoming knockout phase.
In the boys` tournament, two Polish pairs, Wojciech Witkowski/Antoni Czarnecki and Hubert Zajka/Karol Lunio, each secured two victories in their groups. Witkowski and Czarnecki emerged victorious over Latvian hosts Tomass Kalniņš and Viktors Rukāns in a closely contested three-set match (18-21, 21-18, 15-13). Estonia`s Marten Heinlaid and Jan-Erik Praks, along with Lithuania`s Jurgis Milašauskas and Emilis Sanda, also delivered strong performances. Milašauskas and Sanda defeated Estonians Romek Meius and Holger Purga in three sets (21-17, 17-21, 15-6). The winners of each group advanced directly to the quarterfinals, while the teams finishing second and third will compete in the Round of 16 for a chance to progress.
The girls` competition features fifteen teams, with two Latvian and two Ukrainian duos topping their respective groups. Ukraine`s Oleksandra Kovalchuk/Anastasia Boiko and Diana Avramenko/Vira Hudz each achieved three victories in straight sets. Latvia`s Anna Kovaļova and Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare also finished first in their group with three straight-set wins. Another Latvian duo, Milana Tīna Aleksejeva and Karlīna Bērziņa, secured two wins from their two matches, including a hard-fought three-set triumph over Poland’s Natalia Lewandowska and Hanna Leśniewicz (21-15, 16-21, 15-7). Group winners qualified directly for the quarterfinals. Teams finishing in second and third place will battle it out in the Round of 16, while the three fourth-placed teams will play matches to determine places 13 through 15.
The EEVZA U16 Championships are scheduled to conclude on Friday. Teams from five nations—Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine—are participating in the event.
Earlier this week, the EEVZA U18 Championships wrapped up in Cēsis. In the boys` final, Estonia’s Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi (seeded #2) defeated the top-seeded Latvian pair Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš in straight sets (21-13, 21-14). In the girls’ final, the Latvian duo Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne secured a 2-0 victory (21-13, 21-18) against Estonia’s Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi (seeded #2). All four finalist teams qualified for the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships set to take place from September 11 to 15 in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.
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Finley Blackwood 
Jasper Thornfield