The opening day of the U20 Snow Volleyball European Championships 2025 has concluded in Karpacz. Twenty group-stage matches across the women`s and men`s tournaments took place on Friday. Excellent weather conditions provided a great setting for both the players and the spectators in southern Poland.
Following its debut in Georgia last year, this marks the second edition of #EuroSnowVolleyU20 and the first time it`s held in Poland. Despite being a relatively new sport, Snow Volleyball is rapidly growing in popularity. This year`s competition features nine women`s teams and nine men`s teams, with seven Polish teams participating in total across both genders.
The morning session featured two particularly thrilling matches. In the men`s tournament, the Poland 2 team engaged in an intense battle against Italy. Although Italy started strong and took the first set narrowly (21-19), the Polish squad, consisting of Szymon Kobyliński, Alan Robak, Oliwier Pawlicki, and Jakub Zdrojewski, fought back to win the match in three tight sets. The women`s competition saw an equally captivating encounter between Poland 1 and Poland 3. Poland 1, featuring players like Wiktoria Leśniewicz, Zofia Preweda, Paulina Łabuz, and Zuzanna Rapczyńska from SMS Spała, were considered favorites. However, Poland 3, led by Emilia Żurawska`s strong attacks and solid defense from Wiktoria Surażyńska and Maria Pietrin, put up a surprising challenge. Poland 3 won the first set 11-9 and nearly secured a 2-0 victory in the second. After Poland 1 saved the second set with excellent serves from Rapczyńska, Poland 3 ultimately prevailed in the tie-break, earning their first win of the tournament.
The afternoon session commenced after a two-hour break. The Turkish men`s team delivered a nearly flawless performance against Poland 2. Damian Kostrzewa, coach of Poland 2, commented on the challenging conditions: “The conditions are tough, but they are the same for everyone. Those who can move well, are mobile, have good coordination and technique, seem to perform better. On the other hand, taller players may struggle. We made crucial attacking errors in the first set and did not put up much of a fight in the second. It’s a shame, but we have another day ahead, and we will keep fighting.” Meanwhile, the Poland 1 men`s team continued their strong form, defeating Moldova 2-0, following an earlier straight-sets win over Poland 4. Players Tomasz Warych, Marcel Wanat, Michał Kucharski, and Wiktor Musiał expressed their enjoyment: “We felt great, especially with such a crowd and in such weather. It was a lot of fun. It is an interesting variation, something new for us. What sets Snow Volleyball apart from Beach Volleyball is mainly that it is harder to move. You could see that we struggled at times, but match by match, we are becoming a better team in terms of communication.” They emphasized their goal was to compete for medals. Friday`s action concluded with victories for the other two Polish teams, Poland 3 and Poland 4, against Ukraine and Moldova, respectively.
Michał Matyja, Tournament Director and former ‘King of the Snow’ on the elite European Tour
The group stage will continue on Saturday from 10:00 am, followed by knockout matches starting at 4:20 pm. The championship finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 9th, with the women`s final at 2:20 pm and the men`s final at 3:00 pm.
