Italy and the Netherlands qualify for CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Final

For the fourth consecutive year, Madrid’s Puerta de Hierro Sports Park hosted the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup qualifying stage in both the men’s and women’s competitions, thereby delivering another two days of intense action and high-level Beach Volleyball. The Netherlands (women) and Italy (men) eventually secured their ticket to the Nations Cup Final scheduled for mid-July in Budapest. 

The second day of competition began at 9:00 a.m. with an emphatic double victory for the Netherlands against Israel in the women’s tournament. Spaansen/Veerbeek opened the day with a hard-fought 23-21 first set against Maor/Rosner before dominating the second set 21-12, immediately showcasing their quality and consistency. The second Dutch pair, Van Driel  and Konink, then completed the sweep with a commanding 21-11, 21-11 victory over Gonzalez/Danenberg.

At 11:00 a.m., Spain entered the court with Ana Vergara and Sofia González producing an impressive straight-sets win over Denmark. After edging a competitive first set 21-17, the Spanish duo controlled the second set 21-15 to secure a convincing 2-0 victory. Spain’s second pair, Tania Moreno and the very young Sofia Izuzquiza, experienced a more difficult match against Denmark’s powerful Windeleff/Mellmølle duo. The opening set remained balanced throughout before the Danish pair prevailed 24-22. Denmark then took control in the second set, closing the match with a 21-13 win. Despite the defeat, Moreno and Izuzquiza showed promising chemistry in the early stages of their partnership.

The afternoon session delivered arguably the best women’s match of the day as Vergara/González faced the young Dutch pairing of Spaansen/Veerbeek in a thrilling battle lasting nearly an hour. After losing the first set 21-15, the Spanish team responded with impressive physical and mental resilience, taking the second set 21-17 to force a tiebreak. The deciding set produced spectacular rallies and multiple momentum swings, with Spain demonstrating their ability to compete at the highest level. However, the Dutch pair converted their second match point to seal a dramatic 20-18 tiebreak victory.

Moreno and Izuzquiza also showed clear progress as a team despite losing to Van Driel and Konink, thus continuing to build confidence and rhythm together throughout the match.

The final women’s tie of the day saw Denmark defeat Israel 2-0 overall. Israel claimed the opening set of the first match 21-17, but the Danish pair Lyø/Johnsen responded strongly, winning the second set 21-18 before taking a tense tiebreak 16-14 in what became the longest match of the day at 53 minutes. In the second match, Windeleff/Mellmølle once again displayed excellent form, defeating the Israeli pair in straight sets, 21-14 and 21-17.

In the men’s competition, the spotlight fell on the double confrontation between Spain and Italy. Viera/Nijkamp produced a solid performance but struggled against the attacking power and blocking efficiency of Italy’s Marco Viscovich and Davide Barraccino. The Italians dominated the opening set 21-14 before closing the match with a 21-17 second set victory. 

The second men’s match featured Huerta/Gavira against Italy’s Cottafava/Del Corso. The Italians edged a highly competitive first set 22-20, but the Spanish pair reacted brilliantly in front of the home crowd, winning the second set 21-19 to level the match. In the decisive tiebreak, however, a series of strong plays from the Italian duo proved decisive as they secured the victory 15-10, thereby handing Spain a bitter defeat.

The other men’s tie of the day featured Luxembourg against Serbia. Nikolic/Skuletic, after suffering two defeats on the opening day, earned their first victory by overcoming Luxembourg’s Wolff/Percossi 21-18, 22-20 in a closely contested encounter where the Serbian pair handled the key moments more effectively. The final match of the day saw Serbia’s Makaric/Muskinja face Luxembourg’s Weber/Hilbert. Luxembourg started strongly, comfortably winning the first set 21-16, before Serbia answered with a convincing 21-18 second set to force a tiebreak. Luxembourg ultimately prevailed in the decider, securing their first victory of the Nations Cup campaign with a 2-1 win.

At the end of the qualifying stage, it was the Netherlands (women) and Italy (men) who secured qualification for the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals, set to take place in Budapest from July 16 to 19.