Ludus Ljubljana and Murov AzTerminal Baku lift the trophy in Balikesir
Beach Volley European Cup
Slovenia’s Ludus Ljubljana and Azerbaijan’s Murov AzTerminal Baku were the winners of the inaugural edition of the CEV Beach Volley European Cup, which came to an end on Sunday in Balikesir, Türkiye.
During four days, from Thursday to Sunday, 20 European clubs from nine countries represented by two teams and 4-6 players battled at the Burhaniye Ören Beach in a club vs. club competition with the goal of becoming the first to lift the trophies of the event, which was created in 2023.
In the women’s final, the Slovenians of Ludus Ljubljana were dominant, winning both matches against the Spanish of CV Majadahonda Madrid. Led by EuroBeachVolley veterans Tjasa Kotnik and Tajda Lovsin, the Slovenians needed the tie-breaker (20-22, 22-20, 15-5) to win the first duel and got a sweep (21-19, 21-15) on the second.
Tjasa Kotnik“I feel really good about our victory. It’s a new system in which the performance of every player matters. All of us had a great performance today and I’m really proud of my team.”
Ludus Ljubljana Player
CEV Beach Volley European Cup – Women’s Match Schedule and Results
France’s Ré Beach Club took third place after they overcame the Italians of Beach Volley Training Beinasco in two matches. The French started the series with a three-set (21-16, 21-23, 15-8) win and sealed their victory with a two-set (21-19, 21-13) triumph.
The men’s final, on the other hand, needed a golden set and the Azeris of Murov AzTerminal Baku took the title. Boosted by Russian Olympians Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Ilya Leshukov, they lost the first duel to Türkiye’s TVF Spor Lisek SK Ankara in two sets (21-10, 27-25), but came back to win the second one also in straight sets (21-12, 21-13) and the golden set (15-9) to secure the title.
CEV Beach Volley European Cup – Men’s Match Schedule and Results
Austria’s ABC Wörthersee also made it to the podium in Balikesir after they prevailed in the third-place series against France’s Beach Volley Montpellier. The Austrians gave no chance to their opponents, getting a pair of two sets wins – they won 21-15, 21-18 in the first encounter and 21-18, 21-16 in the second.
Alexander Huber“I think all four of us battled as a team this week here and it’s nice to have the bronze medals as a reward. We lost to a tough opponent in the semifinals and had another strong team today, so we were ready for everything.”
ABC Wörthersee Player
Created in 2023 by CEV, the Beach Volley European Cup is an event designed to further grow the sport through the organisation of domestic and international club competitions.