Reigning champions retain men’s title at Slovenian Snow Volleyball championships
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The 2024 edition of the Slovenian national Snow Volleyball championships was held this past Sunday at Krvavec Ski Resort. The men’s defending champions Tadej Boženk, Danijel Pokeršnik, and Denis Robida, on this occasion joined by Matej Rapnik, claimed yet another gold, whilst Špela Marušič, Polona Marušič, and Anja Mazej celebrated their first championship title in the women’s competition.
There was exceptional interest for the fourth national Snow Volleyball championships organised by the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia (OZS) and RTC Krvavec, with a record 27 teams registering for the competition. Matches on the snowy surface were played across as many as four courts.
In the grand finale, the reigning national champions Tadej Boženk, Danijel Pokeršnik, and Denis Robida, joined by Matej Rapnik who replaced Alan Košenina in the 2024 team, faced the young team of Klemen Mohar, Urban-Urh Jakše, and Benjamin Gašpar. The more experienced side won by 2-1 (15-12, 16-18, 15-12) after a tough battle and three exciting sets.
Denis Robida“Playing Volleyball on snow is quite challenging, and experience counts. I would say we navigated through the competition quite successfully and displayed a solid game. We are quite satisfied, as always.*
Slovenian national champion and Most Valuable Player of the competition
Urban-Urh Jakše who finished second with his team added: “The competition was very strong, and our strategy was based on our determination. We fought for every ball as if it was the last one, and that is how we managed to reach the final where we, unfortunately, lost due to a few minor mistakes.”
The third place and bronze medals went to the youngest team in the championship, Miha Kosanec, Lan Juvan, and Benjamin Mugerli, who impressed with their performances and defeated the more experienced team of Gregor Felkar, Jernej Borlinić, and Nejc Berčič in the bronze medal match by 15-13 and 15-9.
In the women’s category, Špela Marušič, Polona Marušič, and Anja Mazej, making her Snow Volleyball debut, claimed the gold medal.
Špela Marušič“I am happy that we managed to win. We have a great understanding among ourselves, and it was a pleasure to play. The competition was tough, and we had some difficulties to reach the final. Every year, the teams are getting better, and I hope we will be able to participate in the championships again next year."
Newly crowned Slovenian national champion and Most Valuable Player of the women's tournament
Last year’s champions Sara Valenčič, Anastazija Žnidar, and Teja Kolbl had to settle for second place, losing in the final by 8-15 and 9-15. “Congratulations to the winners. The teams are much stronger than last year, and the quality is improving every year, which is excellent. We will move on, and next year there will be another opportunity, and we will be aiming for gold again. A medal is a medal, and we are happy with the second place,” Valenčič commented.
The bronze medal was awarded to Maša Margon, Maša Knific, and Ana Marija Grabec who edged Eva Pavlič, Kaja Gimpelj, and Anja Mitrovič by 15-8 and 15-9 in the small final.
The Volleyball Federation of Slovenia is very pleased with the collaboration with RTC Krvavec, which hosted the best Slovenian Snow Volleyball players for the third time in a row. According to the director of RTC Krvavec Janez Janša, matches at the highest level at the Krvavec Beach shall return next year:
“RTC Krvavec is thrilled with the activities of the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia. Together we are proving that a ski resort is not just a ski resort but can be much more, including a venue for Snow Volleyball competitions. Initially, we hosted two or three teams here at Krvavec, but this time, 27 teams registered for the championship. All conditions are in place for a truly important competition to develop here, and I expect international participation in the coming years as well.”
