Home favourites Aleksejeva/Bērziņa and Lithuania’s Galubickas/Lukoševičius top final standings at EEVZA U16 Championships

The 2025 edition of the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U16 Beach Volleyball Championships organised by the Latvian Volleyball Federation finished on Friday with home favourites Milana Tīna Aleksejeva and Karlīna Bērziņa and Lithuania’s Tautvydas Galubickas/Rokas Lukoševičius claiming top honours in Cēsis. 

In the girls’ final, Latvia’s Aleksejeva and Bērziņa defeated the Ukrainian team Diana Avramenko/Vira Hudz 2 1 (18 21, 21 16, 17 15).

“This tournament was quite tough, because we had just played in the EEVZA U18 Championship before, and the fatigue was noticeable. Playing multiple three set matches was unusual and physically demanding. But we are very proud that we endured the challenge and delivered a strong performance. We view this result positively. We proved to ourselves and others that we can stay resilient, even in difficult conditions,” said Milana Tīna Aleksejeva after their win. “This victory may not be the most important one in our career, but it holds value because it earns us additional points in the FIVB and Latvian championship rankings, which will help us attain better positions in future tournaments. This victory is a practical gain that will benefit us going forward,” she added. 

In the third-place match, Poland’s Natalia Lewandowska/Hanna Lesniewicz beat Latvian duo Anna Kovaļova/Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare 2 1 (21 17, 17 21, 15 9).

In the semifinals, Avramenko/Hudza defeated Kovaļova/Jaundžeikare 2 0 (24 22, 21 18), while Aleksejeva/Bērziņa overcame the Polish duo 2 1 (21 13, 15 21, 15 12).

In the boys’ final, the Lithuanian pair Tautvydas Galubickas/Rokas Lukoševičius triumphed 2 0 (21 13, 21 15) over Poland’s Wojciech Witkowski/Antoni Czarnecki.

The bronze medal match saw another Polish duo, Hubert Ziajka/Karol Lunio, defeat Estonia’s Marten Heinlaid/Jan Erik Praks 2 0 (21 14, 22 20). The best Latvian boys’ team, Ralfs Linga and Edvards Miķelsons, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by their Estonian rivals. 

In the semifinals, Galubickas/Lukoševičius beat Heinlaid/Praks 2 0 (21 18, 21 19), while Witkowski/Czarnecki won a tight 2 1 (21 19, 12 21, 15 11) contest against their compatriots Ziajka and Lunio. 

The EEVZA U16 Championships featured teams from five countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the EEVZA U18 Championships had concluded in Cēsis. In the boys’ final, Estonia’s Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi (#2) defeated Latvian top seeds Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš in straight sets (2-0; 21-13, 21-14). In the girls’ final, Latvian duo Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne won 2-0 (21-13, 21-18) against Estonia’s Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi. All four finalist teams secured spots in the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships set to take place from 11 to 15 September in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.

For further information about the EEVZA U16 Championships, please visit https://events.ltf.lt/en/index