03/06/2016 23:40
Swiss drama, German show of strength in Biel / Bienne
2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Final
Biel / Bienne, Switzerland, June 3, 2016. The scenery, a rosy sunset, a sell-out crowd, Swiss flags being waved a bit everywhere on the stands, an iconic venue set up right by the lake – the organisers of the 2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final in Biel / Bienne could not ask for anything more than that. However, what was supposed to be the stage of a big Swiss party turned into drama, as the home teams suffered three straight losses in the second round of the elimination phase. Germany, on the other hand, had a fabulous night qualifying as many as four pairs for the quarterfinals, including reigning European champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst.
The 2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final is being extensively covered on the CEV website (click here) as well as on all CEV social media pages; a comprehensive live gallery of the competition is available here while additional information can be found on the organisers’ website www.beacheuro2016.ch.
Nadine Zumkehr and Joana Heidrich were the last Swiss team to perform on Friday night and after Isabelle Forrer/Anouk Vergé-Dépré and Nina Betschart/Tanja Hüberli had lost their respective matches earlier in the evening, they probably felt some extra pressure resulting from being the last home team still alive in the competition.
Standing on the other side of the net, Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova of the Czech Republic were the underdogs and had nothing to lose. Zumkehr/Heidrich set the tempo for most of the opening set; they however failed to cash two set balls when leading 20-18 before their opponents also missed out on an opportunity to close it out. Two points in a row by Heidrich eventually finished it all off at 23-21 to the delight of some 2,500 fans in attendance.
The drama reached its climax in the second set when Hermannova suffered leg cramps by the score of 15-14 for the Swiss ladies. The game was interrupted, the Czech player underwent treatment and many looked sceptical she would be able to resume playing. She eventually came back and Slukova did a great job shortening the duration of the following rallies as much as she could. With a run of six straight points, the Czechs changed the course of the game and won the set 21-17.
Their triumphal march continued in the tie-break where Zumkehr and Heidrich kind of collapsed paving the way to a massive 15-6 win for the Czechs. The home stars left the court in tears whilst the Czechs were all smiles. “I was afraid I could not continue playing because I felt much pain,” Hermannova said. “Am I going to play tomorrow? Sure, I am ready to die out there on the court,” she added.
Partner Slukova commented: “We had nothing to lose, even more after Barbora suffered that injury and we had to ask for a medical time-out. I just tried to keep the rallies as short as possible, because I knew she could not move or run much. I took a lot of risks with my serve, knowing it was a make-or-break bout, an ace or a mistake. I think the Swiss girls also felt quite some pressure – a home tournament always brings that bit of extra pressure and maybe they could not fully cope with it. On the other hand, we were the underdogs and we just kept on playing the best we could.”
A show of strength – All four German teams through to quarterfinals
After losing the opening set, Germany’s Karla Borger and Britta Büthe showed their class in the second set, which they won at a canter (21-12). They set the pace of the game also in the early stages of the tie-break (4-1) but Forrer/Vergé-Dépré rallied back to lead 6-4 and prompt a German time-out. This was the moment were the course of the game changed again – and there would not be a way back. Borger and Büthe piled up 11 of the 16 points that followed and their 15-11 set win secured them a spot in the quarterfinals where they will be playing their countrywomen Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler for a spot in the semis and the medal matches – but also to determine who will be Germany’s second team at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
“I think it was a very close match with many turnarounds; the lead switched back and forth, at some point they were leading the way, and after that things were again under our control. There were many long rallies and we were able to win most of them, so I think that this paved the way towards our victory tonight,” Büthe said. “It’s always a good feeling when you win such close and long rallies, because you resume playing standing behind the service line and the other team is put under pressure as they have to complete their side-out,” she continued.
Though they won a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships in Poland, the best result achieved by a European team to date on the world’s premier stage, Büthe and Borger are still waiting for their first European Championship podium finish. “That is true, for one reason or the other our previous appearances at the European Championships were not crowned with success,” Büthe admitted. “Three years ago I was injured, so Karla had to play with a different partner and last year Karla got injured in Klagenfurt. This time finally all conditions are there: a cool location, we are in good shape, our family and friends are here to support us, so we feel like at home. I really hope that this time around we will finish on the podium, this is one of our major goals and even though a European Championship is being contested annually, this remains one of the world’s most prestigious Beach Volleyball competitions.”
The first round of the German-Swiss affair had also finished Germany’s way – 2015 European champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst were just too much to stand for Nina Betschart and Tanja Hüberli (21-16, 21-12). Ludwig and Walkenhorst will be playing France’s sensation Laura Longuet and Alexandra Jupiter in the quarterfinals after ‘Les Bleues’ claimed a surprising victory over 2013 European silver medallists Liliana Fernandez Steiner and Elsa Baquerizo of Spain after a disastrous first set (11-21, 21-19, 17-15).
Germany have an impressive contingent of four teams in the quarterfinals of the EuroBeachVolley – Katrin Holtwick/Ilka Semmler came out victorious of their matchup with Italy’s Marta Menegatti/Viktoria Orsi Toth (21-15, 17-21, 16-14) and Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude continued their winning run in the tournament with a 23-21, 21-17 victory over Natalia Dubovcova and Dominika Nestarcova of Slovakia.
Marleen van Iersel/Madelein Meppelink claimed the Dutch derby with Sophie van Gestel/Jantine van der Vlist 21-17, 21-13 to stay in contention for their second European crown – they won gold in 2014 in Cagliari and van Iersel has another gold medal from the 2012 edition of the EuroBeachVolley together with former partner Sanne Keizer.
2015 European silver medallists Ekaterina Birlova/Evgenia Ukolova of Russia put an end to the European campaign of Swedish sensation Karin Lundqvist/Anne Lie Rininsland – a late entry to the tournament (21-15, 21-13). If Lundqvist matches the result from the 2013 edition of the European Championship she achieved with former partner Nina Grawender, the Swedes’ ninth place is a terrific result for Rininsland, a mother of two kids, who celebrated her European Championship debut at 39 years of age!
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