Teams from Latvia, Poland, Ukraine shine at EEVZA U16 Championships in Cēsis

The group stage of the EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships organised by the Latvian Volleyball Federation in cooperation with the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) concluded on Thursday, thereby determining the teams advancing to the knockout phase.

In the boys’ competition, two Polish duos - Wojciech Witkowski/Antoni Czarnecki and Hubert Zajka/Karol Lunio - secured two wins each in their groups. Witkowski and Czarnecki defeated Latvian hosts Tomass Kalniņš and Viktors Rukāns in a three-set battle (2-1; 18-21, 21-18, 15-13). Estonia’s Marten Heinlaid and Jan-Erik Praks, along with Lithuania’s Jurgis Milašauskas and Emilis Sanda, also recorded strong performances. Milašauskas/Sanda defeated Estonians Romek Meius and Holger Purga in three sets (2-1; 21-17, 17-21, 15-6).
The group winners advanced directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-placed teams will compete in the Round of 16 for a chance to join them.

Fifteen teams contest the girls’ competition, where two Latvian and two Ukrainian duos finished on top of their respective groups. Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kovalchuk/Anastasia Boiko and Diana Avramenko/Vira Hudz each earned three straight-set wins. Latvia’s Anna Kovaļova and Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare also topped their group with three straight-set victories. Another Latvian duo, Milana Tīna Aleksejeva and Karlīna Bērziņa, secured two wins from two matches, including a hard-fought three-set victory over Poland’s Natalia Lewandowska and Hanna Leśniewicz (2-1; 21-15, 16-21, 15-7).
The pool winners qualified directly for the quarterfinals. The teams finishing in second and third place will battle it out in the Round of 16, while the three fourth-placed teams will play classification matches for places from 13th to 15th. 

The EEVZA U16 Championships will finish on Friday. Teams from five countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine – are contesting the event. 

Earlier this week, the EEVZA U18 Championships concluded in Cēsis. In the boys’ final, Estonia’s Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi (#2) defeated Latvian top seeds Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš in straight sets (2-0; 21-13, 21-14). In the girls’ final, Latvian duo Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne won 2-0 (21-13, 21-18) against Estonia’s Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi (#2). All four finalists secured their spots in the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships set to take place from 11 to 15 September in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.

For further information about the EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships, please visit https://events.ltf.lt/en/index