Norwegians enjoy a productive day at Queen and King of the Court
News
Norwegian beach volleyball had a good day at the Queen & King of the Court European Finals 2022 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on Thursday, as teams from the country ended in first place in the men’s and women’s pools of the group stage.
Reigning Olympic and world champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum returned to the sand for the first time after their third-place finish at the EuroBeachVolley, in Munich, and dominated Pool C.
The Beach Volley Vikings ranked second and third in the opening rounds of the pool, but saved their best game to the final and decisive round, outscoring Switzerland’s Adrian Heidrich and Leo Dillier and Austrians Paul Pascariuc and Laurenz Leitner by 15 points to five. All three teams have moved forward to the quarterfinals.
Anders Mol“It’s been really nice to be here in Utrecht. We are yet to win a King of the Court crown and we really want to do it here this week.”
Norwegian Beach Volleyball Player
On Pool D, the Norwegian team of Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen finished third and also advanced directly to the quarterfinals. The two scored six points in the third round and ranked behind Dutch Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen (14) and Austrians Philipp Waller and Felix Friedl (9), who both advanced as well.
The third Norwegian team entered in the tournament, Markus Mol and Sven Soulhag will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals on Friday, when they appear in the playoffs.
The women’s tournament also had a Norwegian duo at the top of Pool C with Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Emilie Olimstad. The two ranked second in the two initial rounds, behind Karla Borger and Chantal Laboureur, but overcame the Germans in the third round by 15 to 11 to finish at the top and claim the golden ball. Belgians Lisa Van Den Vonder and Jade Van Deun, who were third, also made it to the quarterfinals.
Emilie Olimstad“Our strategy was to get on the court and win every point we could. We made some mistakes at the beginning, but were in a good rhythm at the end and it worked for us. It’s about being on the moment and taking the chances that we have.”
Norwegian Beach Volleyball Player
The three Pool D teams that moved forward in the women’s event were Switzerland’s Anouk Vergé-Dépré/Menia Bentele, the Netherland’s Pleun Ypma/Emi van Driel and Finland’s Taru Lathi-Liukkonen/Anniina Parkkinen. The Swiss won the pool with 14 points, followed by the Dutch with nine and the Finnish with four.
Friday's calendar in Utrecht will feature the conclusion of the playoffs for the teams that didn't finish in the top three in their pools and the quarterfinals, which will have three pools of five teams, with three semifinal berths in play in each of them.
#BeachVolleyball
