14/06/2019 21:00
Very exciting pool play defines teams for #EuroBeachVolleyU18 knockout phase
CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship 2019
Baden, Austria, June 14, 2019. The CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship 2019 sponsored by SPORT.LAND.NÖ continued on Friday with the last matches scheduled for pool play to determine the teams progressing to the knockout phase of the tournament. The weather conditions could not get any better, with temperatures up to 34°. It was hot conditions for players and fans alike, but a smooth breeze made it more sustainable. The eventual pool winners secured a spot in the round of the last sixteen, while those finishing in second and third place will resume competition from the first stage of the knockout phase.
Teams from Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Latvia and Norway made it into the round of the last sixteen in the women’s competition. These teams dominated pool play during the last two days. Georgia Maria Antonakaki and Ioanna Perdikaki from Greece had an intense fight against their opponents from Italy, Nicole Ferrarini and Irene Ducoli. “We played against very strong Italians, but we scored with good side-outs,” they commented. Russia’s Mariia Bocharova remains in contention for a fourth gold in age group competitions to go with the three such accolades she has claimed with her regular partner Maria Voronina. Bocharova is competing in Baden together with Elizaveta Gubina.
Young players from Russia, Israel, Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Spain, Belarus and Austria won their pool in the men’s tournament and reached the round of the last sixteen. Alejandro Yuste and Antonio Saucedo Amodeo had a spectacular and successful game against Estonia. “We made too many errors in both games, but in the end, we made it,” the Spaniards commented. Austria’s number one team Matthias Glatz and Noel Krassnig won their pool without losing a single set. “Our aim was to win our pool, and we are happy that we did it,” they said.
Many successful former players were present at Strandbad Baden for the competition. Norway’s Beach Volleyball legend Bjørn Maaseide, who won the gold medal at the 1994 European Championships, was cheering for his daughter Birgitte, while she was playing on the centre court. Portugal’s Miguel Maia is attending the competition as well – he and partner João Brenha reached the semis of the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000. He currently supports the Portuguese rising stars as a coach. Přemysl Kubala, coach of the Czech Republic, is a 2012 Olympian and a former regular feature on the World Tour, as well as a bronze medallist from the Baku 2015 European Games.
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