08/08/2014 22:52
Swiss women’s teams elate home crowd at Biel/Bienne Masters
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship – Biel/Bienne Masters
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, August 8, 2014. The pre-favourites of the women’s competition at the Biel/Bienne Masters, fourth stop of this year’s CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship, progressed to the elimination rounds after pool play came to an end on Friday in front of a large Swiss home crowd and some special guests.
2013 European silver medallists Liliana Fernandez Steiner/Elsa Baquerizo McMillan of Spain proved in Pool A why they are seeded as the number one pair of the 2014 Biel/Bienne Masters. The Spaniards dominated their pool and got three victories in a row. The reigning U20 European champions Nina Betschart and Nicole Eiholzer, on the other hand, had to experience the difference between junior and elite Beach Volleyball in a hard way as they were eliminated from the tournament upon completion of pool play.
On the other hand, the Swiss spectators could enjoy the success of their favourite players in Pool B. Anouk Vergé-Depré and Isabelle Forrer (pictured) defeated all of their opponents by 2:0 and this way claimed their ticket to the quarterfinals. Even the strong Slovakian duo Natalia Dubovcova and Dominika Nestarcova couldn’t stop the run of the hosts, but nevertheless the bronze medallists from this year’s Stavanger and Long Beach Grand Slams advanced to the first round of the knock-out phase. Swiss national player Anouk Vergé-Depré couldn’t conceal that she is under watchful eyes at the Biel/Bienne Masters: “It’s just amazing to play here. My whole family is here and is supporting me. My father, who played for the French national Volleyball team, is here and is watching my games. It feels like being at home.”
Biel/Bienne Masters ambassador Nadine Zumkehr and her teammate Joana Heidrich did not capitalise on the opportunity to win their respective pool. The Swiss national players even led in their decisive game versus Poland’s Monika Brzostek/Kinga Kolosinska, but were defeated as the Eastern Europeans forced the turn-around in a very tight game. Joana Heidrich was disappointed with her own performance: “We committed too many errors and weren’t able to compensate for the ups and downs in our side-out.” The Polish duo, as a consequence, topped Pool C and got a bye for the first round of the elimination phase.
A big fight for first place unfolded also in Pool D. The 2014 CEV European Championship silver medallists Tanja Goricanec/Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland and Germany’s Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude wanted both to “bypass” the first elimination round. In the end it was the Germans who had the upper hand (21-17, 21-17) and finished first in their group.
The teams do not have a lot of time to recover, as the women’s competition will continue with Round 1 already on Saturday morning. The games will be even more thrilling as with the start of the elimination stage it will be a make-or-break bout for every single team squaring off on the sand on the shores of Lake Biel.
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