22/06/2016 15:27
Oranjes, Spain through to quarter-finals, Golden Match needed in Nordic derby
2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup - Final
Stavanger, Norway, June 22, 2016. Spain and the Netherlands are through to the quarter-finals of the 2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Final after their teams claimed two straight wins in their respective matchups with opponents from Belgium and Lithuania on Wednesday early afternoon. The ‘Nordic derby’ between Finland and Sweden was stretched – as many could predict – to a ‘Golden Match’ that will follow later in the afternoon in Stavanger, Norway. Next up are hosts Norway playing Ukraine and pre-favourite Russia taking on France in another much anticipated showdown.
Click here for a schedule of the 2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Final
Click here for a live and comprehensive gallery of the 2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup
Teams from Spain and Belgium contributed to the closest matches of the opening day in Stavanger. Ester Ribera Boter and Amaranta Fernández Navarro had to fight for 40 minutes before edging Maud Catry and Stephanie Van Bree 21-13, 15-21, 15-7 with Catry performing under the eyes of her boyfriend Tom van Walle who is set to make his debut on Thursday alongside partner Dries Koekelkoren in the Round of 16 of the men’s competition.
Belgium’s hope to stay alive in the competition were put on the shoulders of Katrien Gielen and Karolien Verstrepen. The clash with Spain’s Angela Lobato/Paula Soria turned into a thriller after the Spaniards won the opening set 21-19 before Gielen/Verstrepen responded with a compelling 21-14 in the second frame. Lobato/Soria had as many as six match balls in the tie-break before the Spanish party could eventually start after they eventually closed it out 19-17 in their favour.
Lobato – whose boyfriend, Adrian Gavira is already qualified for the Rio Olympics – and Soria were over the moon: “We are absolutely thrilled, especially since this match has been a very close and tight one,” they said. “We like this competition very much since we spend a lot of time together with the other members of our team, we support each other all the time and this provides an extra boost of energy. We very much hope this will help us also in the next round.”
One of the pre-favourites in the tournament, the Dutch team dropped one set along the way to their back-to-back victories over young teams from Lithuania. Sophie van Gestel and Jantine van der Vlist were a way too solid and experienced for Lithuania’s 19-year-old rising stars Urte Andriukaityte and Irina Zobnina to be able to pose a real threat (21-15, 21-19). Shortly afterwards, Jolien Sinnema and Rimke Braakman were made work hard for their victory but eventually edged multiple age-group European and world medallists Monika Povilaityte and Ieva Dumbauskaite 2-1 (16-21, 21-16, 15-13) to secure a spot in the quarter-finals for the ‘Oranjes’.
A ‘Golden Match’ will be needed to determine the eventual winners of the ‘Nordic derby’ between Finland and Sweden after their respective top teams displayed a dominant performance in the first matches they contested in Stavanger. Riikka Lehtonen and Taru Lahti stamped a speedy 21-10, 21-17 victory over Camilla Nilsson/Tadva Yoken but Karin Lundqvist and 39-year-old Anne-Line Rininsland – performing under the eyes of a bunch of fans including one of her two kids – restored Sweden’s hopes of glory following their commanding 21-16, 21-16 win in the matchup with Essi Hasu/Anniina Parkkinen.
|