16/07/2013 17:00
Novi Sad Masters got started with Country Quota Playoffs
2013 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Novi Sad Masters
Novi Sad, Serbia, July 16, 2013. The Novi Sad Masters – second stop of this year’s CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship – got started on Tuesday with the Country Quota Playoffs under cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures – 23° C – at Strand beach. Serbia’s second largest city is playing host to an international Beach Volleyball tournament for the fifth consecutive year following on two memorable CEV Challenger events and two editions of the Novi Sad Masters. The tournament hosted by the Volleyball Federation of Serbia and its general sponsor Vip mobile is one of the last opportunities for Europe’s Beach Volleyball elite to test out their skills before the real highlight of the season, the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final coming up in late July in Klagenfurt, Austria.
All matches of the Novi Sad Masters are streamed live and for free at www.laola1.tv
The Country Quota matches were joined by teams from four countries, namely Austria, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. Austria’s Thomas Kunert and Lorenz Petutschnig did advance to the qualification starting on Wednesday after besting their compatriots Daniel Hupfer and Michael Murauer in straight sets (21-18, 21-13). Germany’s Armin Dollinger/Jonas Schröder also made it to the next stage of the competition after cruising past Philipp Arne Bergmann/Malte Stiel and Max Betzien/Paul Becker in the first and second round respectively. As for the Swiss pairs, Gabriel and Jonas Kissling scored a double 21-13 to edge Bernhard Beyeler/Rafael Bissig while Andreas Takvam/Runar Sannarnes of Norway bested their countrymen Lars Fredrik Tvinde and Mathias Loftesnes in straight sets (21-12, 21-16). Two more Norwegian duos are set to compete in the qualification where Oivind Hordvik – who won the Novi Sad Masters in 2011 together with former partner Iver Andreas Horrem – will play alongside Morten Kvamsdal.
The qualification starting on Wednesday will feature 32 teams battling for 8 spots available to make it to the Main Draw where 16 teams have been pre-seeded. One out of four Serbian pairs that have registered for the tournament – Nenad Simeunovic/Nenad Tatic – will start their campaign tomorrow while the remaining three – Sasa Surla/Djordje Klasnic, Sinisa Antonic/Marko Galesev and Miljan Kikovic/Marko Nikolic – are among the 16 pre-seeded in the Main Draw.
On Friday and Saturday Novi Sad will play host also to a Zonal Phase tournament of the inaugural CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup. Young players aged from 14 to 17 will make their international debut as five countries – hosts Serbia, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Malta (registered only for the girls’ competition) – will try to seize one of the two berths available for the final stage of the Continental Cup coming up in May 2014 and where six spots will be assigned to represent Europe at the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.
Thousands of true sports fans are expected to fill up the stands in the coming days. As the atmosphere and the weather are about to heat up culminating with Saturday’s final matches, various side activities for the spectators, attractive DJ music and a great ambiance will make these summer days by the Danube river unforgettable both for the players and the fans of this great sport.
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