The Lorca International Beach Volleyball Centre (CIVP) resounded with the Dutch national anthem on two occasions this Sunday. Following fiercely contested battles, teams from the Netherlands successfully clinched gold medals in both the women`s and men`s categories at the WEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships, an event that also served as a crucial zonal qualifier for this year’s #EuroBeachVolleyU20.
In the women’s division, the Dutch pair Nigella Negenman and Esmee Radstake demonstrated remarkable resilience. They faced a formidable challenge from Germany’s Sophia Neuss and Clara Dressen, who delivered an exceptional first set. Despite this, Negenman and Radstake battled hard to secure a hard-fought victory.
Earlier in the day, a surprising outcome unfolded in the bronze medal match, where Italy’s Carola Tesoro and Asia Aliotta were unexpectedly defeated by Belgium’s Lotte De Clercq and Lola Bombeke. This thrilling encounter required a decisive 24-22 third set to determine the winners.
The boys’ competition mirrored the intensity of the women’s event. The Italian duo Matteo Iurisci and Gabriel Marini Da Costa pushed their Dutch opponents to their limits in the second set, leading the discerning crowd at the CIVP to heavily favour the Azzurri. However, their predictions were ultimately disproven. The Dutch team of Tom Sonneville and Bram van der Wel exhibited an undeniable level of proficiency in the third set, leaving no room for doubt and overcoming an exhausted Italian side that couldn`t quite finish the job.
The bronze medal in the men`s category was secured by another Italian pair, Andrea Sanguanini and Matteo Marchesan, who narrowly triumphed over Switzerland’s Daniel Allemann and Livio Friedli in the ‘small final’.
As a direct consequence of their outstanding performances, the top two National Federations in each gender — the Netherlands and Germany for the women’s division, and the Netherlands and Italy for the men’s division — successfully secured their berths at this year’s #EuroBeachVolleyU20.
The event at the CIVP in Lorca concluded a truly excellent weekend, fostering a strong spirit of camaraderie among all participating teams. These young athletes are set to meet again later this summer in Madrid at the European Championships for this category, where host nation Spain is expected to play a significantly more prominent role.
