30/07/2015 18:53
Austrian drama on Klagenfurt centre court for Baku 2015 silver medallists Schützenhöfer/Plesiutschnig
2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Final
Klagenfurt, Austria, July 30, 2015. To cap a long day already packed with the actions of Europe’s Beach Volleyball elite, thousands of fans in attendance at Austria’s largest sandbox in Klagenfurt were treated to a real drama as the women’s knockout phase got underway at the 2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Final on Thursday late afternoon. Home heroines and Baku 2015 European Games silver medallists Katharina Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig fought with courage and were only two points away from making the second elimination round but ended up losing a thrilling tie-break to 2014 silver medal winners Tanja Goricanec and Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland (19-21, 21-12, 13-15). Actions will resume on Friday morning with Austria having still two teams in contention for home glory, i.e. Stefanie Schwaiger/Barbara Hansel and outsiders Cornelia Rimser/Nadine Strauss.
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Though they were assigned to a very difficult pool, Katharina Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig had made it through to the elimination stage of a much anticipated home European Championship and they were definitely hoping to extend their campaign in the world’s Beach Volleyball ‘Mecca’. However, there was a hard nut to crack along the way as they got to play Switzerland’s Tanja Goricanec and Tanja Hüberli, the silver medallists from last year’s European Championship in Cagliari. The Swiss tandem – who have had a season with many highs and lows so far – claimed a close opening set (21-19) before the home heroines fought their way back with an impressive 21-12 win in the second stanza. The drama followed in the tie-break where Goricanec and Hüberli were off to a comfortable 7:3 lead; Schützenhöfer and Plesiutschnig provided their home fans with something to cheer about as they scored four in a row to prompt a Swiss time-out with the score standing at 8:7 for Goricanec and Hüberli. The break brought the desired effect for the 2014 silver medallists who pocketed the next couple of points only to see their lead erased again for another tie at 10. The teams traded points until Lena and Kathi got up 13:12 and at this point the Austrian ladies – as well as their fans – set their sight on the finish line. However, Goricanec and Hüberli showed what reigning vice European champions are capable of to win three points in a row and finish the game at 15-13, thereby leaving Plesiutschnig and Schützenhöfer in tears.
The silver medal winners of the Baku 2015 European Games were so disappointed that they could not find the right words even to address the audience that had supported them with so much passion and enthusiasm. Hüberli, on the other hand, was evidently pleased with the result: “I still do not play consistently enough but we are happy with making the next round. We are still far away from repeating our result from last year in Cagliari but we enjoy the experience. It’s a dream come true to play here, on the most sought-after centre court in the world and we are going to repeat that same experience tomorrow. It does not matter if the audience is supporting our opponent, we just enjoy the moment and keep on going,” she said referring to Friday’s matchup with another pair of home heroines, Stefanie Schwaiger and Barbara Hansel.
Another Swiss tandem, Nadine Zumkehr and Joana Heidrich, also made the second stage of the elimination round after cruising to a 21-19, 21-18 win over Spain’s Angela Lobato and Paula Soria. Greece’s evergreens Vasiliki Arvaniti and Maria Tsiartsiani used their experience at the elite level to continue their journey after besting U22 European champions Karolina Baran and Jagoda Gruszczynska of Poland (21-15, 27-25). Italy’s Laura Giombini/Giulia Toti – who finished in fourth place at the Baku 2015 European Games earlier this season – made it through in their match with Finland’s sensation Essi Hasu and Anniina Parkkinen (19-21, 21-17, 15-10). Germany’s Katrin Holtwick/Ilka Semmler had to fight hard but after 43 minutes they sealed their ticket to the next round with a 15-21, 21-16, 15-13 win over Russia’s Ekaterina Syrtseva and Maria Prokopeva. Two sets – which ended with the same score (21-16) were enough for Russia’s Evgenia Ukolova and Ekaterina Birlova to edge past Lithuania’s and Baku 2015 bronze medallists Monika Povilaityte and Ieva Dumbauskaite.
Austria’s wildcard holders Cornelia Rimser and Nadine Strauss enjoyed a bye in this round following the withdrawal earlier in the day of 2013 world silver medallists Karla Borger and Britta Büthe of Germany. Slovakia’s Natalia Dubovcova and Dominika Nestarcova completed the programme of a long and exciting day with their 21-11, 23-21 win over Marloes Wesselink and Jantine van der Vlist of The Netherlands who had teamed up only shortly before this championship following an injury of Sophie van Gestel.
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