2023 #EuroBeachVolley Previews: Women’s Pools E-H
News
The A1 CEV EuroBeachVolley is back in Vienna this summer, reuniting the top beach volleyball players in the continent for five days of intense and exciting play at the iconic Danube Island, in the Austrian capital, from August 2-6.
The tournament will begin with eight pools of four teams each and, after the completion of the modified pool play system, three duos in each group will move forward – the pool winners advance directly to the Round of 16 while the second and third-placed tandems move to the Round of 24.
The pools were determined in the drawing of lots held not long ago and we can now try to predict what to expect from each of them. It’s time we take a look at Pools E, F, G and H in the men’s tournament.
Pool E
Teams: Joana Mäder/Anouk Vergé-Dépré (Switzerland), Margherita Bianchin/Claudia Scampoli (Italy), Emi van Driel/Brecht Piersma (the Netherlands) and Emma Piersma/Mexime van Driel (the Netherlands)
The 2020 European champions and one of just two teams from the continent to ever win Olympic medals, Mäder and Vergé-Dépré are the clear favorites to finish first in the pool. The two are slowly getting back to their usual form as Mäder returned to competition just a few months ago after missing significant time due to a shoulder injury and could be at their best in Vienna.
Seeded second in the pool, Bianchin and Scampoli have had great success in lower-level international events, having won five gold medals in these tournaments since 2020. An unusual team formed by two left-handed players, the Italians made their EuroBeachVolley debut last year, with a promising ninth-place finish.
Between the two Dutch teams, which are formed by members from the van Driel and Piersma families, Mexime and Emma have been more successful than their younger sisters Brecht and Emi, having won a Beach Pro Tour Challenge event last year.
Fun Fact: Before becoming opponents, both the van Driel and the Piersma sisters were partners and competed internationally together. The van Driel sisters have already faced each other with different partners, but Piersmas haven’t yet – their first encounter could happen at the EuroBeachVolley.
Pool F
Teams: Tjasa Kotnik/Tajda Lovsin (Slovenia), Daniela Álvarez/Tania Moreno (Spain), Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Emilie Olimstad (Norway) and Sara Sinisalo/Anniina Parkkinen (Finland)
This pool is a little bit unpredictable as top-seeded Slovenians Kotnik and Lovsin haven’t played in the first half of the season, only getting on the court from July on, and could be more vulnerable to upsets due to their lack of match rhythm.
The Spanish had a strong EuroBeachVolley debut in 2022, making it to the semifinals in Munich, and will certainly pose a big threat for them. Álvarez and Moreno were busy with college in the United States and missed some important events this season, but had a strong fifth-place finish recently in the Espinho Challenge to show they’re in good form.
Helland-Hansen/Olimstad and Sinisalo/Parkkinen will likely fight for the third and last spot in the elimination rounds and the larger experience and better results of the Norwegians put them in a good spot to win this battle.
Fun Fact: Tania Moreno is the daughter of former beach volleyball player Olga Matveeva, who represented two different countries in the EuroBeachVolley – she played for her native Russia in 1999 and then wore Spain’s colors in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Pool G
Teams: Tina Graudina/Anastasija Samoilova (Latvia), Jagoda Gruszczynska/Aleksandra Wachowicz (Poland), Marketa Sluková/Helena Havelková (Czechia) and Valentyna Davidova/Ievgeniia Baieva (Ukraine)
Defending champions Tina and Anastasija didn’t get an easy pool to start their title defense, but won’t likely have many issues to advance in first place given their larger experience, high playing level and recent form.
Gruszczynska and Wachowicz have established themselves as the top Polish team in international beach volleyball over the last few years and will return to the EuroBeachVolley for the first time since 2020, when they were 17th. A three-time Olympian and possibly the most successful Czech player of all time, Sluková is in the early stages of her partnership with volleyball star Havelková and the two are still looking for their first good result together.
Ukrainians Davidova and Baieva enter the pool as the clear dark horses as, although they have some good results individually, the EuroBeachVolley will be just their second event as partners and they will probably lack chemistry against the best teams in the continent.
Fun Fact: Tina and Anastasija will be the 23rd different women’s team to try to defend their EuroBeachVolley title and win consecutive editions of the tournament. Only two succeeded in the task – Italy’s Laura Bruschini/Annamaria Solazzi in 1999/2000 and Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst in 2015/2016.
Pool H
Teams: Dorina Klinger/Ronja Klinger (Austria), Zoé Vergé-Dépré/Esmée Böbner (Switzerland), Belén Carro/Angela Lobato (Spain) and Menia Bentele/Anna Lutz (Switzerland)
Although the Klingers and Zoé/Esmée are expected to fight for first place, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Spanish or Bentele/Lutz in the mix for a spot in the Round of 16 either.
The Austrians have been strong in the last two seasons and will count on the massive support of the passionate home fans. Zoé and Esmée are in the best moment of their careers and seem poised to improve from their ninth-place finish in the last two editions of the EuroBeachVolley.
Carro and Lobato have displayed some really good consistency at the international level over the last two years, but struggled in the 2022 EuroBeachVolley, finishing 17th. The young Swiss have had promising results in Beach Pro Tour Challenge events and could have a breakthrough performance in their first EuroBeachVolley as partners.
Fun Fact: The Klingers are one of five pairs of sisters set to compete at the EuroBeachVolley this year – just them and the Ukrainian Makhno twins Inna and Iryna will be on the same side of the court.
