10/06/2016 21:21
Ups and downs for home teams on Main Draw opening day in Vilnius
2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Vilnius
Vilnius, Lithuania, June 10, 2016. The CEV Satellite tournament in Vilnius continued on Friday with the first two rounds of Main Draw action – and these contributed to some surprises as teams from Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Finland and Lithuania suffered real setbacks.
Click here for a video clip showing some of the highlights from the second competition day in the Lithuanian capital
The day did not start in the best way for the host country as Ieva Kazuraityte and Vilte Makauskaite lost their opening match of the tournament to Norway’s Janne Kongshavn and Vilde Solvoll (7-21, 10-21). The home team could not pose a real threat to their opponents whose performance went just smoothly from start to end.
As they performed just nearby, Viktoryia Siakretava and Viktoryia Shalayeuskaya claimed a 21-17, 21-17 victory in their matchup with Latvia’s Alise Lece and Marta Ozolina. The ladies from Belarus showed a very solid performance and even though the Latvians opposed some resistance with their blocks, there was no question Shalayeuskaya and Siakretava were going to come out victorious in the end.
Home favourites Monika Povilaityte and Ieva Dumbauskaite provided the local crowd with something to cheer about with their 21-11, 22-20 win in the matchup with Ane Guro Tveit Hjortland and Victoria Faye Kjølberg of Norway. Everything went just easy for the home team in the opening set but the Scandinavians stepped up their efforts in the second frame and the score remained close up to 14-all. However, after making a few mistakes, the Lithuanian players were back on track and they finished the match in their favour with a block-out of their rivals.
Valentyna Davidova and Ievgeniia Shchypkova, winners of the EEVZA Moscow Masters last Sunday, dominated the first set of their match with Karolina Rehackova and Magdalena Dostalova of the Czech Republic. However, though the Ukrainians claimed a commanding 14-7 lead in the second set, the Czechs fought back and put on a fight before Davidova and Shchypkova sealed a 21-11, 25-23 win.
Spain’s Ester Ribera Boter/Amaranta Fernandez controlled their match with Bulgaria’s Irena Mishonova/Svetla Angelova from start to end to stamp a 21-15, 21-16 victory. Bulgaria suffered another setback when Diana Malinova/Rusena Slancheva lost 14-21, 14-21 to Poland’s Jagoda Gruszczynska and Dorota Strag. Germany’s Lisa Arnholdt and Anni Schumacher were in full control of their match with Norway’s Ingrid Lunde/Oda Johanne Ulveseth (21-19, 21-14).
Lithuania’s Urte Andriukaityte and Irina Zobnina (pictured) played second-seeded Essi Hasu/Anniina Parkkinen of Finland to start their campaign in Vilnius. They cruised to a 21-13, 21-15 win to cause a first sensation in the tournament and they added another one later in the day when they beat Arnholdt/Schumacher 21-14, 15-21, 15-13.
Urte Andriukaityte could not hide her happiness. “We are of course very happy with our victories. We just wanted to show the best performance we can – and we managed to accomplish our goal. We played just for our own fun, because it is easier to play when there is no burden on your shoulders. After today’s matches we gained more confidence in our game and we hope tomorrow we will be able to surprise the crowd once more,” she said.
“Our younger pair showed a really good game. It was a pleasure to watch them. The opponents slightly underestimated Urte and Irina, but things turned out really well for us,” said the coach of the Lithuanian teams, Tadas Donela. “However, Ieva [Dumbauskaite] and Monika [Povilaityte] did lack the necessary attitude for this kind of competition. They needed to show more when performing on court.” The coach was alarmed, because if they suffer another setback on Saturday, the local ‘Queens of the Beach’ will end up the home tournament in a disappointing ninth place.
In the second round of the Main Draw Kongshavn/Solvoll continued their winning run edging Siakretava/Shalayeuskaya 18-21, 21-19, 15-13. The Norwegians were emulated by Davidova and Shchypkova who also claimed their second straight match of the day by upsetting home stars Povilaityte and Dumbauskaite (23-21, 21-13), who as a result have a 1-1 win-loss record at the end of the first competition day.
Another team that seems likely to fight for the medals is Spain’s Botera/Fernandez after the Spaniards recorded a hard-fought 21-17, 19-21, 17-15 victory in their close match with Gruszczynska and Strag.
The competition continued with the losers’ bracket where Lunde/Ulveseth claimed a Nordic derby to send second-seeded Hasu/Parkkinen home (19-21, 21-14, 18-16) and continue their campaign in Vilnius. Bulgaria’s Malinova/Slancheva are also still alive in the tournament after claiming the derby with Mishonova/Angelova (17-21, 21-18, 15-12). Alise Lece/Marta Ozolina of Latvia upset home duo Kazuraityte/Makauskaite (21-12, 23-21), so the Lithuanian team has to leave the competition with a record of two losses in as many matches. Hjortland and Kjølberg claimed the last match of the day with a 21-18, 21-19 win in their clash with Rehackova and Dostalova.
The competition will resume on Saturday to determine the semi-finalists that on Sunday will be then vying for the medals.
Click here for further information including detailed results, a match programme and much more
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