Teams from Poland, Ukraine book tickets to #EuroBeachVolleyU20 at EEVZA zonal qualifier

After two windy and rainy days in the heart of Vilnius, Lithuania, the first tickets to this year’s #EuroBeachVolleyU20 were taken by teams from Poland and Ukraine, as they topped the podium in the EEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships, which counted also as a first-round qualifier to the continental event. Teams from Lithuania and Latvia completed the men’s and women’s podiums. 

The youngsters competing in Vilnius showed very good ball control and stamina, as strong gusts of wind and rain did not make their task easy. The pool stage of the event already identified the teams that looked more dominant. In the men’s competition, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine were obviously the major forces to reckon with. They made it all the way to the semifinals.  

There, Jakub Krzeminski/Wiktor Musial from Poland confidently beat Latvia’s Markuss Maculevics/Oskars Kilks 2-0 (21-19, 21-15). In the second semi, Ukraine’s Dmytro Kozii/Sviatoslav Nahornyi needed two close sets (22-20; 22-20) to edge past the home team Raigardas Macionis/Dovydas Sinkevicius.

Later in the finals, Kozii/Nahornyi once again showed a confident game and outplayed their opponents from Poland 2-0 (21-15; 21-18) and in the game for the third place, home heroes Macionis/Sinkevicius secured a 2-0 (21-18; 21-14) win against Maculevics/Kilks from Latvia, thereby securing the only medal for the host country. 

In the women’s division, teams from Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine were dominant in their respective pools. Teams representing Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania eventually made it to the semi-finals. There, Zuzanna Kudlik/Zuzanna Rapczynska from Poland and Sofiia Kurnikova/Kateryna Biliak of Ukraine fought their way through to the final stage of the competition, thereby securing their ticket to #EuroBeachVolleyU20. 

In the grand finale, Kudlik/Rapczynska beat Kurnikova/Biliak in straight sets (23-21; 21-17) after a close battle. A very dramatic game had previously taken place as the hosts worked hard to finish the competition at least with the bronze medals. Unfortunately for the home crowd, after a three-set thriller Gunda Brazaite/Dominyka Lape lost to Latvians Deneva Šauberga/Rezija Puskundže 1-2 (21-18; 9-21; 7-15). 

The top two teams / countries in each division have secured their participation in this year’s #EuroBeachVolleyU20 scheduled for August 21-24 in Madrid, Spain. 

Click here for a picture gallery. 

Click here for full results.