Teams from Latvia and Estonia shine on opening day of EEVZA U16 Championships

Another bright, sunny, yet windy day provided the stage for young Beach Volleyball players from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Friday morning as the competition went underway at the EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships in Vilnius.

The first teams to take to the centre court were Estonia’s Anni Põldma/Liisa Põldma and Latvia’s Agnese Grīnberga and Enija Rumaka, who opened the tournament with a dramatic first set finishing at 27-25, before the players from Estonia claimed their first victory in Pool C.

Later on during the day, after finding a way to cope with challenging winds and weather conditions, these same young girls delivered another drama on the sand, when the two youngsters from Estonia played Lithuania’s Viktorija Markovaitė/Livija Vilkelytė with first place in Pool C at stake. Although the home team stormed to an easy win in the first set, the second set was a real game changer, as the young Estonian sisters regained their confidence and eventually secured the top spot in the group.

The windy conditions in the centre court were not much of a help for the young players, as they experienced obvious difficulties to control the ball. Nevertheless, Latvia’s Beate Bonija Runce/Liva Ebere and Marta Beatrise Gintere/Renate Krūklite found themselves on the top of their respective pools without losing a single set.

The home teams representing Lithuania could not celebrate a single victory in the boys’ tournament. Nobody could match the level displayed by the young Latvian teams, who were dominant again – as they were in the U18 championship held at the same venue earlier this week – and did not suffer a single defeat.  Two Estonian teams finished second in Pools B and C.  

The tournament will continue on Saturday morning, with playoff matches in the double elimination bracket, followed by the semis and finals on Sunday.

For further information, visit www.eevza.eu.