South BV and Beach Volley Chania AC crowned champions at Elite Club Finals 2026

The men’s team of South BV and the women’s team of Beach Volley Chania AC claimed first place at the Elite Club Finals 2026, recently held at the Karavi Club facilities in Marathon.

The event took place from April 17-19 and was staged for the first time under the official competition format of the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV), which has been implemented over the past three years in the CEV Beach Volley European Cup (the 2025 Final was held in Heraklion last November).

Clubs from across Greece participated in the event, delivering outstanding performances both on and off the court. As the first official tournament of the 2026 calendar, the competition set a high standard and promises an exciting season ahead in Beach Volleyball.

In both the men’s and women’s competitions, the final showdown featured Beach Volley Chania AC from Crete and South BV, based in Glyfada.

The Greek competition, presented in its new format, has officially received homologation from the European Confederation. This recognition secures participation for the Greek champions in the preliminary phase of the CEV Beach Volley European Cup 2026. 

South BV was represented by Greek champions Stavros Dallas and Dimitris Chatzinikolaou, alongside Vangelis Sideris, Kostas Venios, Antonis Karykas, and Iakovos Kafouros. Beach Volley Chania AC competed with Angeliki Charissaki, Katerina Fragkioudaki, Aspasia Rigakou, and Eleni Dovrou.

Both the men’s and women’s finals delivered thrilling matches decided on fine margins, highlighting the elevated competitive level ahead of the summer season.

In the first men’s final, Vangelis Sideris and Kostas Venios secured a 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) victory over Antiol Kola and Edward Ramos. In the second final, Stavros Dallas and Dimitris Chatzinikolaou defeated Panagiotis Semitekolos and Christos Tsigaridas 2-0 (21-17, 21-13), repeating the 2025 Greek National Championship final, once again at Karavi Club’s centre court.

The women’s finals were equally impressive. Angeliki Charissaki and Katerina Fragkioudaki triumphed over Chrysa Giannelou and Maria Polonyfi (South BV) with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-12) win. Subsequently, Aspasia Rigakou and Eleni Dovrou claimed victory against Giota Vlaserou and Georgia Chatzidimitriou in a tie-break match (16-21, 21-19, 15-5).