Home teams leave their mark on opening day in Innsbruck

The TEN31 Bank Innsbruck Beach Event 2024, the last and eagerly awaited stop on the win2day Beach Volleyball Tour PRO, kicked off on Friday in glorious sunshine and ideal conditions. The atmosphere was simply sensational as students of nine classes from four different schools accounted for a great ambience and vociferous support for the players representing Austria as well as other members of the Middle European Zonal Volleyball Association (MEVZA). 

The stands were full, and the audience enthusiastically celebrated every action. But it was not just the atmosphere that was fantastic, everything went according to plan in sporting terms too. The fans were treated to top-class Beach Volleyball from the very first rally.

Turn 16 into 12: results and outlook for Saturday

Austria is strongly represented, and things are looking very good for the home teams so far. An absolute highlight: the Tyrolean-Carinthian women’s duo Michaela Handler-Hollaus/Katharina Holzer beat last year’s winners to win their group. The men’s teams representing Austria were in top form too and were able to make it through the pool stage with aplomb. The young rising stars Timo Hammarberg/Tim Berger, multiple medal winners from European and World age-group championships, advanced to the next round with a clear lead. Interim partners Christoph Dressler/Alexander Horst advanced straight to the quarterfinals too. 

However, the international teams did not miss a beat either - the Slovakian players especially put in impressive performances and made for some thrilling matches.

A perfect start in terms of sport and atmosphere, which whets the appetite for the rest of the weekend. With a start like this, expectations are high for the coming tournament days - the audience can look forward to an exciting weekend of Beach Volleyball at the highest level at the iconic Markplatz in Innsbruck.