The group stage of the EEVZA U16 Beach Volleyball Championships, hosted by the Latvian Volleyball Federation in collaboration with the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA), has successfully concluded. This initial phase determined which promising teams will advance to the highly anticipated knockout rounds.
In the boys` tournament, two Polish pairs, Wojciech Witkowski/Antoni Czarnecki and Hubert Zajka/Karol Lunio, each secured two impressive victories within their respective groups. Witkowski and Czarnecki showcased their prowess by overcoming Latvian hosts Tomass Kalniņš and Viktors Rukāns in a thrilling three-set battle, concluding with scores of 18-21, 21-18, and 15-13. Additionally, strong performances were delivered by Estonia`s Marten Heinlaid/Jan-Erik Praks and Lithuania`s Jurgis Milašauskas/Emilis Sanda. Milašauskas/Sanda notably clinched a three-set win against Estonia`s Romek Meius/Holger Purga, with set scores of 21-17, 17-21, and 15-6. All group winners earned direct qualification to the quarterfinals, while teams finishing in second and third place will compete in the Round of 16 for a chance to join them.
The girls` competition featured a total of fifteen teams, with two duos each from Latvia and Ukraine demonstrating remarkable dominance in their groups. Ukrainian pairs Oleksandra Kovalchuk/Anastasia Boiko and Diana Avramenko/Vira Hudz both achieved a perfect record with three straight-set victories. Similarly, Latvia`s Anna Kovaļova and Marija Dārta Jaundžeikare also topped their group with three decisive wins in straight sets. Another Latvian duo, Milana Tīna Aleksejeva and Karlīna Bērziņa, secured two wins from two matches, including a hard-fought three-set triumph against Poland`s Natalia Lewandowska and Hanna Leśniewicz (21-15, 16-21, 15-7). Following the boys` format, all group winners in the girls` event advanced directly to the quarterfinals. Teams finishing second and third will vie for quarterfinal berths in the Round of 16, while the three fourth-placed teams will engage in classification matches for ranks 13th to 15th.
The EEVZA U16 Championships are set to conclude on Friday, with teams from five nations – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine – vying for the top honors in this prestigious event.
This U16 tournament follows the successful conclusion of the EEVZA U18 Championships, which also took place in Cēsis earlier this week. In the boys` U18 final, Estonia`s Armin Kender and Patrik Parijõgi (seeded #2) emerged victorious, triumphing over Latvian top seeds Tomass Silavs and Bruno Liepiņš in straight sets (21-13, 21-14). For the girls` U18 final, the Latvian duo Monika Mamaja and Alise Aleksāne secured a decisive 2-0 victory (21-13, 21-18) against Estonia’s Marta-Mia Ploomipuu and Hannemai Hanimägi (seeded #2). All four finalist teams from the U18 event have successfully qualified for the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championships, which are scheduled to take place from September 11 to 15 in Corigliano Rossano, Italy.
