Fethiye, Turkey, September 18, 2014.  The 2014 CEV U22 Beach Volleyball European Championship got started in Fethiye, Turkey on Thursday.  After the first day action with a total of 35 women’s and men’s games, the German duo Sandra Ittlinger / Yanina Weiland became the first team to qualify for Round 2.

After struggling in the first game against Sara Olivova / Marketa Bendikova from the Czech Republic, the Germans made a great comeback despite being 1:2 behind.  It was a very hard game and eventually Ittlinger / Weiland won it after a close tie-breaker by 11-9.  The second game was better for the Germans and they had a straight-set 3:0 (15-12, 15-10, 15-10) win against Viktoryia Shalayeuskaya / Viktoryia Siakretava from Belarus.  This way Ittlinger / Weiland secured the top spot in their pool to move on directly to the eighthfinals.  They have a day off tomorrow and have the opportunity to watch their potential opponents.

“Our pool is not a weak group so we are happy to prove our skills on the first day with two wins,” Sandra Ittlinger stated.  “In the first game we had some problems and won after the tie-breaker.  It was a very hard and tough game for us.  In the end we had a little more luck.  In the second game, we played the best volleyball that we can play.  We are very proud to be the first team to qualify for elimination Round 2.”

Yanina Weiland underlined that their improving serving performance helped them a lot to achieve the comeback:  “Serving was our main factor in the morning to come back from 1:2 down.  Tomorrow we can watch our opponents.  And we will prepare as best as we can to reach the quarterfinals.”

Ittlinger agreed that a day off can be useful for them:  “Tomorrow we are going to relax.  Our opponents will be playing, so they may be a little tired on Saturday.”

The home crowd was somewhat disappointed by the day’s results of the four local teams, as the Turkish girls lost all their six matches.

Click here for more detailed information on the competition.