The EEVZA event in Latvia will qualify two teams per gender for this year`s #EuroBeachVolleyU18 in Italy.
Seven men’s and four women’s teams completed the first day of the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Cēsis, Latvia, without a single loss, each securing two victories. Organised by the Latvian Volleyball Federation, this tournament also serves as the first round of zonal qualification for the upcoming #EuroBeachVolleyU18 event.
In the men’s competition, the top-seeded home team of Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš achieved two wins in Pool A. In Pool B, Estonia’s Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi (seeded #2) also claimed both their matches, including a walkover. Polish players Igor Gliszczyński and Alan Robak (#7) matched this performance in the same pool. In Pool C, the Azerbaijani pair Ibrahim Mammadov and Muhammad Aslanli (#3), alongside Ukrainians Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan (#6), remain undefeated. The Lithuanian team of Tomas Poplavskij and Danielius Sumeika (#4) earned two victories in Pool D.
Among the women, top seeds Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne from Latvia won both their matches in Pool A, defeating Azerbaijan in straight sets and then overcoming the Estonian duo Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi (#2) in a three-set battle (25-27, 21-13, 15-4). Lithuania’s Meja Gurciutė and Beatrice Michalkevičiūtė (#6) also finished the day unbeaten, inflicting the only loss on Latvia’s Denēva Šauberga and Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare. Ukrainians Kateryna Nitsenko and Viktoriia Kachyoni also recorded two wins.
The second day of the championship will feature the final group stage matches followed by the initial two rounds of the elimination stage. Teams that win their groups will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while those finishing second and third in their pools will compete in the first round of the playoffs.
Teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine are participating, competing for medals and the chance to qualify for the final round of the U18 European Beach Volleyball Championships. The top two teams in each gender category will secure their place at the event scheduled for September 11 to 15 in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.
Furthermore, Cēsis will host the EEVZA U16 Championships on July 3-4, featuring 16 teams in both the men`s and women`s categories.
