Two years after securing their initial medals at the CEV EuroBeachVolley, Spanish Olympic beach volleyball players Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno are once again aiming for a top-three finish in the 2025 competition.
Participating in the tournament for the fourth time, the 23-year-old Spanish duo was one of eight women`s teams to clinch their respective pools in Düsseldorf on Thursday, thereby earning a direct qualification into the Round of 16 at the Rochus Club.
Tournament play in Germany resumes on Friday with the Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches. The semifinals are set for Saturday, culminating in the medal matches on Sunday.
Tournament Highlights: Women`s Competition
Álvarez and Moreno made a strong debut at the EuroBeachVolley in 2022, reaching the semifinals and securing fourth place. The following year, they improved significantly, earning silver medals in Vienna. However, their 2024 campaign ended disappointingly with an early exit, placing them 17th.
On Thursday, the Spanish pair, fresh off a straight-sets victory against Finland’s Sara Sinisalo and Taru Lahti the previous day, emerged victorious from a tough three-set match against Germany’s Hanna-Marie Schieder and Karla Borger (15-21, 21-18, 16-14). This win secured their first-place finish in Pool F and a direct berth in the Round of 16.
Their first elimination match on Friday will be against Poland’s Malgorzata Ciezkowska and Urszula Lunio. The Polish team finished second in Pool H and advanced to this stage by defeating the Netherlands’ Noa Sonneville and Brecht Piersma in a tie-breaker (17-21, 21-15, 15-5) during the Round of 24.
Defending Champions Secure Top Seed
Germany’s Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann, the reigning champions, clinched the top spot in Pool H by defeating Ciezkowska and Lunio in straight sets (21-16, 23-21) in their pool final. In the Round of 16, they will face fellow Germans Schieder and Borger, who bounced back from their pool play loss by sweeping Lithuanian Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte (21-11, 21-19) in the Round of 24.
In Pool A, the winners were Italians Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth, who decisively beat Czechs Kylie Neuschaeferova and Marie-Sára Štochlová in two sets (21-10, 21-17). Their next opponents will be Germans Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grüne, who secured a straight-sets victory (21-17, 21-17) over Spanish duo Sofía Izuzquiza and Sofía González in the Round of 24.
The Austrian Klinger sisters, Dorina and Ronja, topped Pool B with a two-set win (21-18, 21-10) against Ukrainians Yeva Serdiuk and Daria Romaniuk. Awaiting them in the Round of 16 are the Dutch pair Mila Konink and Raisa Schoon, who eliminated Swiss Tanja Hüberli and Leona Kernen in straight sets (21-12, 21-19) in the Round of 24.
Pool C also saw a sister duo claim first place: Swiss Olympians Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré, who secured their top position with a three-set victory (21-18, 22-24, 15-10) over Ittlinger and Grüne. They will face the Dutch team of Emi van Driel and Wies Bekhuis in the Round of 16, who previously defeated Neuschaeferova and Štochlová in three sets (21-16, 11-21, 15-9) in the Round of 24.
Two-time EuroBeachVolley champions Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia dominated Pool D, achieving a straight-set victory (21-19, 21-12) against Hüberli and Kernen. Their elimination round journey begins against Ukrainians Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil, who eliminated their compatriots Serdiuk and Romaniuk in a three-set match (11-21, 21-12, 15-8) in the Round of 24.
Pool E’s top spot was decided in a three-set thriller, with French duo Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau prevailing 2-1 (21-12, 19-21, 15-1) over Germans Linda Bock and Louisa Lippmann. In the Round of 16, they will face Lithuanians Daniele Kvedaraite and Jekaterina Kovalskaja, who eliminated another French team, Paris Olympians Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard, in a tie-breaker (21-19, 14-21, 15-11) during the Round of 24.
Ukrainian standouts Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko secured first place in Pool G after a three-set victory (21-19, 15-21, 15-10) over Placette and Richard. Their Round of 16 clash will be against Bock and Lippmann, who advanced by sweeping Italians Claudia Scampoli and Giada Bianchi (21-17, 21-14) in the Round of 24.
