20/12/2018 19:00
Russian teams dominate qualification round on home snow in Moscow
CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour 2019 - Moscow
Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2018. The CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour 2019 started on Thursday in Moscow with the qualification round, whose outcome determined the last two teams per gender progressing to the Main Draw. Three out of four teams seizing those tickets are from Russia – much to the delight of the local fans attending the season opener at the iconic Dinamo Sports Complex in Moscow. The tournament is a truly historic one since for the very first time Snow Volleyball teams consist of three players on each side of the net – and a fourth player can join the action upon a substitution.
With 14 teams seeded in the Main Draw already, two spots were at stake for the next stage of the competition. Russia’s Beach Volleyball legend and Olympian Dmitry Barsouk performed during the qualification round but his debut on the snow ended in a close loss to another Russian team featuring Andrey Bolgov, Daniil Kuvichka, Anton Kislytsyn and Vladislav Ermilov.
Another Russian team easily beat opponents from Finland in the remaining match of the first round, meaning that players from Russia and Italy would clash for a spot in the Main Draw. Two Russian teams emerged victorious from these duels without dropping a set to secure their spot in the next stage of the competition.
Russia were not quite as successful in the women’s qualification where Lithuania’s Gerda and Rugile Grudzinskaite together with Dalva Anuskeviciute beat their Russian opponents from the city of Kazan (Pavlova/Lapteva/Kasharnykh). The other match was a Russian derby won in two sets by Tatiana Zakharova, Ekaterina Makroguzova and Anastasia Kabanskaia.
As a result, seven men’s and five women’s teams from Russia will play in the Main Draw starting on Friday, which features wild card holders from USA, Brazil and Kazakhstan as well. The winners of the tournament will emerge on Saturday, December 22. Lloy Ball, a 2008 Olympic champion with Team USA, is one of the major attractions of the tournament in the Russian capital.
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