29/11/2018 20:45
Newcomers chasing Beach Volleyball glory in Ljubljana
2018 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Ljubljana Winter
Ljubljana, Slovenia, November 29, 2018. On Thursday, many young Beach Volleyball players had the opportunity to test their skills at their first ever FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour appearance. These newcomers, who will be chasing further glory in the 1-Star Satellite tournament in Ljubljana, already showed that Beach Volleyball has a bright future.
Danish pair Helle Søndergård and Clara Windeleff (pictured) were the first team to celebrate their ticket to the Main Draw after a win over Hungary’s Liza Lutter and Kitti Szombathelyi. Søndergård commented: “We were a bit nervous at the beginning, as this was our first tournament together and it is Clara’s first senior international appearance. However, after trailing 0-5, we took control over the match. We think we can grow from match to match, we were confident about our performance and I think we can stay in this tournament for quite a while.”
Sarah Cools and Lisa Van Den Vonder managed to keep the slate clean by recording two consecutive 2-0 wins and secured themselves a place in the Main Draw after knocking down the silent favourites, Italy’s Sara Breidenbach and Elena Colombi in the second match, which ended after a tight second set (27-25). “The first set was good, but it was a little bit stressful at the end. We were nervous before the match, because it was a win or go home. However, we fought hard and it is nice to finish with winning such a close set. Italy proved to be a tough opponent, they won every ball with their second touch and we did not have an answer to it,” Cools said on winning today’s thriller.
The expectations for tomorrow’s Main Draw for the Belgians are just to give their best: “Like we did today we aim to fight for every ball, and then we will see what happens. We take it match by match,” they said.
Aneta Kaczmarek of Poland delighted after qualifying for the Main Draw in Ljubljana
The spectators in Ljubljana, among which are many kids from local schools and Slovenian Volleyball clubs, will also witness further appearances of Poland’s Kinga Legieta and Aneta Kaczmarek and Italy’s Jessica Allegretti and Jessica Jenifer Luca - who also qualified for the Main Draw.
In the men’s competition, Jørn Olav Gamlemoen and Christian Helland of Norway upset the home crowd by eliminating home favourites Uroš Erpič and Matija Primec. Czech Republic’s Tomas Pala and Ondrej Sotola were also not able to surpass the Norwegians who proceeded to the Main Draw. The same as Hungary’s Artur Hajos and Balázs Benkö who beat compatriots Botond Oláh and Bence Attila Stréli in the second round.
Another team that made it among the top 16 of the competition are Latvia’s Matiss Gabdullins and Mihails Samoilovs. “We have two reasons to be happy, today. It’ is our first FIVB event and my partner Matiss is an indoor player. This is his first official FIVB Beach Volleyball appearance. We are happy with the opportunity to represent our country in the Main Draw for the first time. We will show our best tomorrow,” an elated Samoilovs said.
Daniil Kuvichka of Russia celebrates the qualification to the Main Draw in Ljubljana.
Testing the international Beach Volleyball scene for the first time was also the case for Russia’s Daniil Kuvichka and Anton Kislytsyn. “It was really hard today. This was our first FIVB World Tour tournament and it was extremely important for us to qualify for the Main Draw. Both matches were difficult. We just want to see other teams and gain more experience. We want to qualify for the playoffs, and I think we can do it. We will try to win the first match, and later we will see,” Kuvichka explained.
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