Star players to contest inaugural Beach Volley European Cup as pool composition confirmed

Only two days and the premiere of the Beach Volley European Cup will get underway in Balikesir, Türkiye, with the participation of 10 clubs per gender from nine National Federations. They will vie for continental honours in the first edition of a competition designed to further grow the sport through the organisation of domestic and international club competitions. The 10 clubs will start their journey in a pool phase, with the composition of the two groups now known and reflecting the respective CEV Country Ranking in each gender as of August 31, 2023. 

The winners of Italy’s national qualifying competition, Beach Volley Training BEINASCO, head their respective pools and will travel to Türkiye with high expectations. Their men’s roster includes the experienced Tiziano Andreatta, winner of multiple medals in World Tour / Beach Pro Tour events with a variety of partners. Apart from the Italians, the highest-ranked teams come from Czechia, with Daniela Resova and Miroslava Dunarova the players with the most impressive resume due to represent Telocvična Jednota Sokol BRNO in the women’s competition. 

In the men’s division, fans shall follow closely the actions of France’s MONTPELLIER Beach Volley, with youngsters Arthur Canet and Téo Rotar among the rising stars of the sport internationally, with an incredible array of medals from age-group European and World Championships to their name. Austria’s ABC WÖRTHERSEE are a real contender for the men’s title as well – with a roster featuring Olympian Alexander Huber, plus very accomplished and experienced players such as Christoph Dressler, Maximilian Trummer, and Felix Friedl. 

Teams from Azerbaijan start very low in the ranking but in Türkiye they will be able to count on the contribution of elite Russian Beach Volleyball players, who are eligible to compete internationally as they do so for a foreign-based club. Murov BAKU’s roster includes former World champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Oleg Stoyanovskiy, as well as Ilya Leshukov, whereas the women’s team of Azerrail features Olga Motrich, a Russian player who has achieved much success on sand and even on snow as well. 

The women’s competition will be joined by Slovenia’s top female duo, Tjaša Kotnik and Tajda Lovšin, playing for SD Ludus LJUBLJANA (click here) as well as Spain’s rising star Sofia Izuzquiza, born in 2006, who earlier this year crowned herself U18 European champion on home soil in Madrid. 

Hosts Türkiye have registered two clubs in each gender and their roster is quite international as well, with three Ukrainian players contesting the women’s competition, where former ‘Queen of the Snow’ Bugra Eryildiz will represent home side BALIKESIR Büyüksehir Belediyespor Kulübü. Hasan Huseyin Mermer and Safa Urlu are Türkiye’s most experienced players due to contest the men’s competition for TVF Spor Lisesi Ihtisas Kulübü ANKARA. 

The competition in Balikesir will follow an entertaining ‘club vs club’ format that fans have become accustomed to in the Continental Cup / Nations Cup with some adjustments and excitement is guaranteed on the way to crowning the first ever winners of the Beach Volley European Cup come Sunday, October 8!