The Netherlands celebrated a remarkable double victory at the WEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships, held recently at the Lorca International Beach Volleyball Centre (CIVP) in Spain. Dutch teams secured gold medals in both the men`s and women`s categories, in a tournament that also served as a critical zonal qualifier for this year’s #EuroBeachVolleyU20.
In the women`s division, the Dutch duo of Nigella Negenman and Esmee Radstake demonstrated resilience to claim a hard-fought gold. They overcame Germany’s Sophia Neuss and Clara Dressen, who put up an excellent fight, particularly in the first set. Earlier, the bronze medal match delivered a surprising result, with Italy’s Carola Tesoro and Asia Aliotta unexpectedly losing to Belgium’s Lotte De Clercq and Lola Bombeke in a thrilling contest that required a decisive 24-22 third set.
The men`s competition followed a similar narrative of intense battles. The Dutch team of Tom Sonneville and Bram van der Wel faced a formidable challenge from Italy’s Matteo Iurisci and Gabriel Marini Da Costa. The Italians’ strong performance in the second set had the knowledgeable crowd at CIVP fully backing them. However, the Dutch pair showcased an undeniable level of proficiency in the third set, ultimately securing the victory against an exhausted Italian side. The bronze medal in the men`s category went to Italy’s Andrea Sanguanini and Matteo Marchesan, who narrowly defeated Switzerland’s Daniel Allemann and Livio Friedli in the third-place play-off.
As a direct result of their strong finishes, the top two National Federations in each gender division secured their berths at this year’s #EuroBeachVolleyU20. For the women, these spots went to the Netherlands and Germany, while for the men, the Netherlands and Italy earned their qualification.
The WEVZA event at CIVP in Lorca was an outstanding success, fostering a true spirit of camaraderie among all participating teams. Competitors are now looking forward to reuniting later this summer at the European Championships in Madrid, where host nation Spain hopes to make a much more significant impact.
