After two challenging days of windy and rainy weather in Vilnius, Lithuania, the first qualification spots for this year`s EuroBeachVolleyU20 tournament were claimed by teams from Poland and Ukraine. They emerged victorious at the EEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championships, which also served as the initial qualifier for the continental event. Teams representing Lithuania and Latvia also earned podium finishes in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
All medallists from the EEVZA zonal qualifier held in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The young athletes in Vilnius demonstrated exceptional ball control and resilience, navigating the difficult conditions posed by strong gusts of wind and persistent rain. From the pool stage, certain teams quickly established their dominance. In the men’s competition, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine proved to be the strongest contenders, each advancing to the semifinals.
In the men`s semifinals, Jakub Krzeminski and Wiktor Musial of Poland confidently defeated Latvia’s Markuss Maculevics and Oskars Kilks with a 2-0 score (21-19, 21-15). The second semi-final saw Ukraine’s Dmytro Kozii and Sviatoslav Nahornyi narrowly edge past the home team of Raigardas Macionis and Dovydas Sinkevicius, winning in two close sets (22-20, 22-20).
In the subsequent final, Kozii and Nahornyi of Ukraine once again displayed strong play, overcoming their Polish opponents 2-0 (21-15, 21-18). For the third-place match, the Lithuanian home heroes Macionis and Sinkevicius secured a 2-0 victory (21-18, 21-14) against Maculevics and Kilks from Latvia, earning the host country`s sole medal.
In the women’s division, teams from Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine were dominant in their respective pools. Ultimately, teams representing Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania reached the semifinals. From these, Zuzanna Kudlik and Zuzanna Rapczynska of Poland, along with Sofiia Kurnikova and Kateryna Biliak of Ukraine, battled their way into the final, thereby securing their qualification for EuroBeachVolleyU20.
In the grand finale, Kudlik and Rapczynska of Poland triumphed over Kurnikova and Biliak of Ukraine in straight sets (23-21, 21-17) after a tightly contested match. A dramatic bronze medal game unfolded previously, where the host nation`s Gunda Brazaite and Dominyka Lape fought hard but ultimately lost a three-set thriller to Latvians Deneva Šauberga and Rezija Puskundže (21-18, 9-21, 7-15).
The top two teams from each gender category have now confirmed their participation in this year’s EuroBeachVolleyU20, which is set to take place from August 21-24 in Madrid, Spain.
