Following the opening day of the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) U18 Beach Volleyball Championships in Cēsis, Latvia, eleven teams have emerged undefeated. Organised by the Latvian Volleyball Federation, this tournament serves as the initial qualifying round for the upcoming #EuroBeachVolleyU18. Seven men`s teams and four women`s teams secured two victories each on the first day.
In the men`s competition, top seeds Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš from Latvia remained perfect in Pool A. Pool B saw two teams maintain a flawless record: Estonia`s Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi (seeded #2), who advanced partly due to a walkover, and Poland`s Igor Gliszczyński and Alan Robak (#7). In Pool C, Azerbaijan`s Ibrahim Mammadov and Muhammad Aslanli (#3) alongside Ukraine`s Yehor Skrypnychenko and Andrii Lunkan (#6) finished the day without a loss. Lithuania`s Tomas Poplavskij and Danielius Sumeika (#4) also secured two wins in Pool D.
For the women, Latvian top seeds Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne won both their Pool A matches, including a straight-sets victory over Azerbaijan and a three-set triumph (25-27, 21-13, 15-4) against Estonian duo Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi (#2). Lithuania`s Meja Gurciutė and Beatrice Michalkevičiūtė (#6) also completed the day unbeaten, inflicting the sole defeat on Latvia`s Denēva Šauberga and Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare (311). Ukraine`s Kateryna Nitsenko and Viktoriia Kachyoni also recorded two wins.
The second day of the competition will feature the conclusion of the group stage, followed by the first two rounds of the elimination phase. Pool winners will proceed directly to the quarterfinals, while teams finishing second and third will play in the first round of the playoffs to determine who advances.
Teams representing Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine are competing not only for medals but also for berths in the final round of the U18 European Beach Volleyball Championships. The top two teams in each gender category will earn their spots at the main event, scheduled to take place from September 11 to 15 in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.
Additionally, Cēsis is set to host the EEVZA U16 Championships on July 3-4, featuring 16 teams in both the men`s and women`s categories.
