European champions win Queen & King of the Court pool
News
Reigning European champions Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia were among the most successful teams on the first day of the main draw of the Queen & King of the Court European Finals 2023 as the Latvians were one of three pool winners at the d’Coque, in Luxembourg, on Wednesday.
Besides the Latvian Olympians, Germans Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Müller and Dutch Brecht Piersma and Emi van Driel also topped their pools, each earning a golden ball, which they can use to replay a point in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
Tina and Anastasija had no trouble dominating Pool A in Luxembourg City as the Latvians ranked first in each of the three rounds played during the afternoon. In the third and decisive one, the two-time continental champions scored 15 points, ranking ahead of Lithuanians Ieva Vasiliauskaite and Erika Kliokmanaite (10) and Dutch Emma Piersma and Mexime van Driel (seven).
Lithuanians and Dutch also made it to the quarterfinals, while Czechs Barbora Hermannová and Marie-Sara Štochlová and Ukrainians Inna and Iryna Makhno, who were fourth and fifth, will need to play a playoff round on Thursday in order to advance.
Tillmann and Müller’s victory in Pool B was entirely different as the Germans ranked fourth and third in the first two rounds, barely avoiding elimination, before they took control of the third and decisive one, scoring 12 points to finish first and earn the golden ball ahead of the quarterfinals.
Cinja Tillmann“I think the key in this format is to stay calm, especially if you’re behind and things are not working out the way you want. That’s what we did, we just stayed calm and believed in our service.”
German Beach Volleyball Player
The Austrian Klinger sisters Dorina and Ronja, who scored eight points, and Spanish Sofía González and Paula Soria, who got five, are also guaranteed in the quarterfinals, while Czechs Marketa Sluková and Helena Havelková and Dutch Desy Poiesz and Wies Bekhuis will compete in the playoff round.
Piersma and van Driel faced strong competition from Polish Jagoda Gruszczynska and Aleksandra Wachowicz, but ended up on top of Pool C. After each team won one of the first two rounds, the Dutch were slightly better in the third one, outscoring the Poles by 15 to 14.
Also guaranteed in the quarterfinals are Norwegians Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Emilie Olimstad, who finished in third place. Dutch qualifiers Leanna Van Vegten and Kirsten Bröring and the home team of Eline Delcourt and Rebekka Klerf will have a second chance in the playoff round.
Pool play will be completed on Thursday, with the conclusion of Pool D, which features Slovenia’s Tjasa Kotnik/Tajda Lovsin, France’s Lézana Placette/Alexia Richard, Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Louisa Lippmann, Spain’s Belén Carro/Angela Lobato and Lithuania’s Gerda Grudzinskaite/Rugile Grudzinskaite. The first round begins at 13:30 local time.
Thursday’s schedule in Luxembourg City will also feature two playoff rounds and the first of three quarterfinal series. All matches are streamed live on EuroVolleyTV.