11/08/2013 22:00
German and Norwegian youngsters book spot in Continental Cup final
CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup - Zonal Phase
Berlin, Germany, August 11, 2013. The fourth tournament scheduled for the Zonal Phase of the inaugural CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup was held on Sunday in Berlin, with Germany finishing first with their boys and girls exploiting the home advantage and making it – together with Norway – to the final stage scheduled for May 2014 where six spots will be at stake to qualify for the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.
This tournament did run in conjunction with the FIVB Grand Slam held this week in Germany’s capital city thereby providing the young competitors with a unique opportunity to also follow the actions of the world’s best Beach Volleyball players.
Germany’s girls Sarah Schneider/Leonie Welsch topped the final standing as they claimed two straight wins over their opponents from Iceland (21-12, 21-14) and Norway (21-15, 21-18). As for Norway, Marita Bjørnøy Dale and Sunniva Helland-Hansen eventually settled for second place to get the right to continue their campaign next year as they beat Belgium’s Sarah Van Cleemput and Elise Van Hoof in a very close game (2:1; 21-19, 17-21, and 15-7). As they finished third and fourth respectively, Belgium and Iceland missed out on a spot for the final stage of the Continental Cup.
Germany’s Niklas Rudolf/Eric Stadie emulated their countrywomen as they scored two straight wins as well to finish the competition in first place. They first beat Iceland’s Ludvik Mar Mathiasson and Theodor Oskar Thorvaldsson 21-10, 21-12 before cruising past Norway’s Mathias Berntsen and Håvard Aarrestad 21-18, 24-22. The young boys from Norway had previously edged Belgium’s Martijn Verspecht and Jef Vleugels 21-13, 15-21, and 15-10. The Belgians were still in contention for a spot in the final stage of the Continental Cup after beating Iceland in straight sets (21-10, 21-14), so they crossed their ways with Berntsen/Aarrestad for a second time but once again it was Norway that had the upper hand (27-25, 21-14) to claim second place in the final standing of the group. Belgium had to be content with third place with Iceland winding up in fourth.
The medal ceremony concluded a memorable day for all young participants as they were awarded by the Tournament Director of the Berlin Grand Slam Siegbert Brutschin, by the Secretary General of the German Volleyball Federation (DVV) Jörg Ziegler, DVV Beach Volleyball Coordinator Raimund Wenning, CEV Technical Supervisor Pier Paolo Murgioni (ITA) and by German Beach Volleyball star and double European champion Laura Ludwig.
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