Vulcano, Italy, September 8, 2017. Youngsters Agnieska Paskevic and Jekaterina Kovalskaja want to secure Lithuania’s spot among Europe’s Beach Volleyball elite at #EuroBeachVolleyU20 in Vulcano.
Beach Volleyball is more than just a kind of sports – it is a way of life. Lithuania’s rising stars Agnieska Paskevic and Jekaterina Kovalskaja are the living proof of that.
The two Beach Volleyball youngsters, who won bronze in their domestic championship in Lithuania, even skipped classes in order to fight for glory at the #EuroBeachVolleyU20 in Vulcano.
“We worked so hard for this tournament over the entire season, and that is why we definitely did not want to miss it out because of school. Therefore, we hazarded the consequences of missing ten days of high school. Because Beach Volleyball means the world to us,” Kovalskaja explains.
Paskevic/Kovalskaja are determined not to return to school empty-handed. “Everybody at our school knows that we are here at the #EuroBeachVolleyU20 in Vulcano. The entire school keeps the fingers crossed for us; we are ready to give everything to make them proud,” adds Paskevic.
The two rising stars from Lithuania even made a deal with their teachers in order to come to the breath-taking island of Vulcano. “Our teachers were not really happy about us missing so many classes, but we told them that it is worth it,” Kovalskaja says. “That is why we promised them to take back a medal from this tournament,” Paskevic adds smiling.
Agnieska Paskevic and Jekaterina Kovalskaja are determined to do everything in their power to bring Lithuania to the top of Beach Volleyball – and their hard work has been paying off in the last two years. After a strong 9th place at the #EuroBeachVolleyU18 in Brno last year, they are now vying for more.
“Unfortunately, there are no big Beach Volleyball idols in Lithuania. Beach Volleyball is still in its infancy – we hope we can change that and turn Lithuania into a Beach Volleyball nation. That is why I watch Beach Volleyball players from other countries and try to learn as much as I can from them,” 17-year-old Kovalskaja explains.
Due to the lack of big Beach Volleyball stars in Lithuania, Paskevic has found another example to look up to: #EuroBeachVolley bronze medallist and reigning German champion Chantal Laboureur. “There is no ball Chantal cannot catch. She is just an extraordinary defender – although she is not much taller than I am. On the other hand, she is a very motivational person too as she perfectly combines her professional Beach Volleyball career with a medical study at university. That is what we would like to do too.”
Therefore, Agnieska Paskevic and Jekaterina Kovalskaja want to fight the odds and become Beach Volleyball pioneers. “We know it is not going to be easy for us. The odds might be against us. However, it takes talent, hard work, and dedication to become a Beach Volleyball pro. We are willing to go all in for our dream.”