26/08/2015 21:07
Favourites off to a good start at U22 European Championship
2015 CEV U22 Beach Volleyball European Championship
Macedo de Cavaleiros, Portugal, August 26, 2015. The opening day of women’s competition at the 2015 CEV U22 Beach Volleyball European Championship confirmed the status and credentials of the top-seeded teams. However, it also showed that they must bring their A-game in order to finish atop the charts once the competition comes to a close this coming Sunday, August 30.
At Praia da Ribeira of Albufeira do Azibo in Macedo de Cavaleiros, the reigning European champions, Jagoda Gruszczynska and Karolina Baran from Poland, were caught by surprise (15-21) in the opening set of their matchup with Russia’s Svetlana Kholomina and Ekaterina Makroguzova, but after that initial setback the gold medallists from Fethiye 2014 were able to stand the challenge and to claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory (21-15 and 15-8). In their second match, the golden girls from Poland comfortably edged England’s outsiders Eleanor Cranch/Millie Constable by 2:0 (21-11, 21-9).
Their countrywomen and last year’s silver medallists Katarzyna Kociolek/Dorota Strag entered the competition showing they are willing to take the limelight away from their friends, as they stamped an easy win over Serbia’s Katarina Zivkovic and Tijana Basic (21-8, 21-9) and they did not drop a set also in their second matchup with Katerina Valkova and Nicole Dostalova of the Czech Republic (21-14, 21-10).
The pairs Vanessa Paquete/Margarida Vasques (POR), Alise Lece/Marta Ozolina (LAT), Gruszczynska/Baran (POL), Nina Betschart/Nicole Eiholzer (SUI), Merve Nezir/Esra Betul Cetin (TUR), Kociolek/Strag (POL), Sandra Ittlinger/Lena Ottens (GER) and Aline Chamereau/Ophélie Lusson (FRA) all recorded two victories on the opening day of pool play.
The men’s competition is set to start on Thursday with Norway’s standouts Christian Sandlie Sørum and Runar Torsvik Sannarnes hoping to repeat their gold medal performance from last year in Turkey. Among those who are hoping to take the spotlight away from the Norwegian tandem are Germany’s Niklas Rudolf and Clemens Wickler, last year’s U20 European champions, Poland’s Michal Bryl and Kacper Kujawiak, who are the reigning U21 world champions, along with the Spanish tandem Alejandro Huerta Pastor and Óscar Jiménez Gutiérrez, who finished second at last year’s FIVB U17 World Championship in Acapulco, Mexico.
All matches of the 2015 CEV U22 Beach Volleyball European Championship are streamed live and for free at LAOLA1.tv
You can follow the competition also on social media with the official hashtag #EuroBeachVolleyU22
Click here for more info including entry lists, results, pictures and much more
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